Poultry Diseases 221 



good health. The fact is that we are all sur- 

 rounded with millions of germs which attack at 

 once all diseased and weak tissue. Health and 

 strength keep them from making headway. 



Those with coops where the sun can reach aU 

 parts and where the floor is always dry, need have 

 little fear of roup. Those keeping hens in cellars 

 or sheds, where the sun can not get in, with a dirt 

 floor, have every reason to fear. 



A man in Massachusetts kept hens in a lower 

 part of the bam on a dirt floor. For several years 

 they did well. Then roup got in, and the hens 

 came out, one by one, to untimely graves. No 

 cleaning or waiting has made it safe for fowls again. 

 The germs linger. In stmlight, however, such 

 germs soon die. 



If colds and catarrh appear in the flock, be sure 

 there is plenty of green food and fresh air without 

 drafts. Frequently the fowls will go along and 

 lay fairly well, though a complete cure is not 

 likely, bad weather bringing on the same trouble. 

 Take care to clean out both flock and house before 

 putting in new stock the next year. 



Soft-Shelled Eggs. — Soft-shelled eggs may be 

 the result of overfeeding with rich diet, combined 



