ENEMIES AND DISEASES 287 



he used the ax and aided nature he would now be 

 better oflf. 



We are not afraid to advocate the free use of the 

 ax as a poultry remedy. There is no danger of any- 

 one overdoing it ; people are not built that way. Every- 

 one will hold on to a miserable, puny or diseased spec- 

 imen until they are sure that there is no relief except 

 in the ax. 



The way to succeed in the poultry business is to 

 start with the best, always keep the best, and always 

 strive to improve it. Build it up, and keep it built up, 

 and remember that "like begets like." The very first 

 requisite in breeding birds is a strong constitution and 

 sound health. Unless you have this solid foundation, 

 all attempts at improvement are time and money 

 wasted. You cannot secure healthy fowls with the 

 aid of the medicine bottle ; but you can rid yourself of 

 undesirable specimens, and prevent the reproduction 

 of disease in the offspring, if you will only use sound 

 common sense — and an ax. However, there are some 

 who wish to doctor their poultry; and there are times 

 when it is wise to treat a fine specimen. Hence the 

 necessity of giving a few simple remedies for some of 

 the common ailments. 



Asthenia or Going Light — This trouble is not a 

 form of consumption, as many suppose. The fowl has 

 a ravenous appetite, but the food seems to afford no 

 nourishment and the fowl gradually wastes away and 

 dies of actual starvation. The disease has been 

 investigated by Dr. Charles F. Dawson, who finds that 

 it is caused by a microbe or bacterium in the small 

 intestine. The bacteria undoubtedly subsist largely on 

 the food consumed by the fowl and cause a fermenta- 

 tion in it so that no nourishment can be obtained from 

 it. A slight inflammation of the intestines is also 

 noted. The treatment should be, first, the removal of 



