THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1007 
1909. 
MORE ABOUT THOSE DYING CHICKS. 
My article on page 901, seems to 
have started quite a discussion of 
the question of hatching and brood¬ 
ing. I have just read Buchanan Burr's 
article, and his attempt to be face¬ 
tious caused a smile. His statement 
that “The mortality of the Mapes chicks 
was entirely preventable, by placing only 
50 chicks in one compartment,” might 
have carried some weight, had it not 
been made in the face of the fact plain¬ 
ly stated in my article, that on the in¬ 
fected ground the mortality was just as 
great in flocks of 20 with a hen for a 
brooder, as in the brooders with 100 or 
more in a compartment. Does he wish 
us to understand that 20 chicks with a 
healthy hen in good condition, in a good 
house, in August, died for want of 
sufficient heat? 
The experiments of Dr. Morse of the 
Department of Agriculture, in which he 
claims to have isolated the germ of 
white diarrhoea, are familiar to me. 
Reading of such work, however, does 
not “bring the matter, home,” and create 
a lasting impression, like such an ex¬ 
perience as mine. My article was pub¬ 
lished in the belief that my experience 
would seem to “clinch’’ the germ theory, 
and lead to renewed interest in experi¬ 
ments intended to give us a better un¬ 
derstanding of how to handle the dis¬ 
ease. I am fully convinced that the dis¬ 
ease, which has been and still is such a 
bugbear to many of us, can be over¬ 
come. I have a friend, Carl M. Mabee, 
who in years gone by has suffered as 
severely from it as any of us, yet for 
the past two years it has entirely disap¬ 
peared from his flocks, though he is 
still using the same old grounds. He 
does not know how he got clear of it 
however. He attributes it, like Mr. 
Burr, to increased skill in feeding and 
brooding, yet I doubt it. I would sooner 
attribute it to the fact that he built a 
new brooder house and purchased new 
brooders, besides overhauling the build¬ 
ing used for incubators and nursery 
brooders, putting in a cement floor 
among other things. 
If further proof is needed that Mr. 
Burr’s “panacea,” of small flocks and 
good brooding as a preventive of “the 
mortality of the Mapes chicks” is not 
infallible, here it is: About October 15 
one of my hens came proudly out from 
under the cow-barn leading four newly 
hatched chicks. I allowed her the run 
of the barn and yard for two weeks, and 
four more vigorous and active chicks it 
would be hard to find at any time of 
year. They soon found their way into 
the feed room and became a nuisance, 
so when they were two weeks old I 
placed the old hen and her small brood 
in the same pen in the brooder house 
where the mortality had been greatest, 
giving them the run of an outside yard 
12 by 12 feet. Result: For nearly two 
weeks longer they continued to thrive, 
but at the end of that time the ruffled 
appearance of feathers and droopy 
wings again was in evidence, and the 
familiar cheep, cheep, was heard, as they 
followed the mother hen about asking to 
be warmed. One has died, and it is a 
question at this writing whether the 
remaining three will succumb or not. 
One of the reasons why I exposed these 
two-weeks-old chicks to contagion was 
to try to learn how old chicks must be 
to be immune from it. In Dr. Rettger's 
address at the poultry field meeting at 
Storrs College last July he stated that 
in some experiments at Yale College, 
chicks one day old whose feed and 
drink had been inoculated with white 
diarrhoea germs, nearly all died with it, 
while another lot two or three days old 
before being exposed, failed to con¬ 
tract the disease. The result in my 
case indicates that more than two weeks 
should be allowed for safety. I cannot 
explain why the three-days-old chicks 
in the college experiment escaped. Pos¬ 
sibly the artificial inoculation was not 
as effective as the natural inoculation in 
my pen where no attempt had been 
made at disinfecting after a severe 
scourge of disease. However, one hen 
and her brood of 15 of those August- 
hatched chicks raised on another part 
of the farm, were placed in the same 
infected brooder house when six weeks 
old, and they have shown no indication 
of disease of any kind as yet, though 
now more than half grown. 
It is a wonder that Mr. Burr, who is 
usually so well “in touch with discov¬ 
ered facts,” has failed to hear of the 
new hot air no-hover brooder houses 
so much used in the West, particularly 
in California. A house 16 x 20 feet is 
there said to accommodate from 1,200 
to 1,800 chicks all in one flock. The 
whole house is kept comfortably warm 
from a heater in the center of the room. 
A deflector is so arranged over the 
heater that the chicks can find a tem¬ 
perature of 100 degrees close to the 
floor over a large portion of the floor 
space at the center of the room, 
while the outsides of the room are 
cooler. The ‘ Western Poultry JournaT 
for November says that under this plan 
“a house 12 x 16 feet will care for 1,000 
chicks until they are four weeks old 
and 600 chicks until they reach broiler 
size.” How much they are troubled 
with white diarrhoea is not reported. It 
looks as if the labor problem would be 
very much simplified with such an ar¬ 
rangement. The poultry industry is 
very much in its infancy as yet, and 
these discussions of live problems 
should aid in bringing out “light in 
dark places.” o. w. mapes. 
Chicks Can Be Saved. 
I regard the recent article by Dr. Burr 
as excellent. I have proved out most 
of his statements in the past four years, 
and know that his method will give suc¬ 
cess. I have also come to the conclu¬ 
sion that the great causes of white diar¬ 
rhoea are lack of warmth, and poor 
quality, or the wrong kind of feed. I 
had an experience in 1908 in which I 
lost my entire flock of 636 chicks, from 
feed in which was corn which had been 
heated in storage, and several others 
in this vicinity also had about the same 
results from the same feed. I also 
think that about the best green feed for 
young chicks is simply raw potato. I 
have a block in each pen, and a mallet; 
lay a small potato on the block, and 
mash it with the mallet. I can always 
call my chicks in from the range by 
striking a few blows on the potato 
block. I only wish everyone who has 
trouble with small chicks could get the 
whole of Mr. Burr’s article mixed into 
their comprehension, and see how easy 
it is to raise all the good chicks they 
can hatch, barring accidents. Be sure 
to get these main points; plenty of 
warmth, feed always accessible, not too 
many in one brooder, a clean run, or 
better, free range after one week, lots 
of grit, a little beef scrap and charcoal, 
and last, but not least, a clean brooder. 
This last can be easily had by spread¬ 
ing newspapers in the bottom of the 
brooder three or four deep, lifting one 
thickness out every day, and cleaning all 
up about twice a week. j. a. crane. 
Wayne, Co., N. Y. 
HOW TO KILL RATS. 
I noted an inquiry as to how to kill rats 
by G. E. E„ on page 957. My prescription 
for disposing of rats is as follows : 25 per 
cent of cornmeal mixed with 75 per cent 
plaster of paris (dry) and place in a dish 
where rats are in the habit of going or 
troubling things, and keep water out of 
reach within the house or barn, so they 
have to go out for a drink. The rats will 
not stay long around, as one or two get a 
dose, and the hardened plaster distresses 
them so that the rest will not stay. 
G. G. 
I see on page 957 that G. E. E. would 
like to know a way to get rid of rats. 
Here is my experience: Idist August I 
saw an advertisement of a rat virus called 
Azoa, that creates a disease among rats 
and mice. I wrote for this Azoa and used 
same strictly according to directions. Two 
weeks later I wrote for another phial and 
used like the first. In four weeks I could 
not see a sign of rats. Never buy this 
Azoa from a store that has it in stock, be¬ 
cause it does not keep good long. Get it 
fresh, where it is made. It is not poison¬ 
ous: T tried it on chickens. it. g. 
Helena. Ark. 
Can you imagine anything 
burning up, rotting down or 
wearing out if it’s made of granite? 
Anything is as strong as granite 
and will wear or stand just as 
long, if it’s made with 
EDISON 
PORTLAND 
CEMENT 
The omy costiifl making a thing of con¬ 
crete is the fifft cost. Once made, there 
are no repairs or replacements. Vermin 
can’t gnaw through it nor harbor in it. 
Nearly everything on the farm can be 
made of it—Edison Portland Cement is 
Uniformly 10X Finest Ground in the World 
and therefore, weight for weight, binds more 
material, makes a finer-textured and equally 
strong concrete, and is by far more economical 
than any other brand. 
THESE BOOKS ARE FREE: 
“How to Mix and Use Concrete 
on the Earm.” 
“Concrete on the Farm.” 
“ Silos and How to Build Them.” 
“ New England and New Jersey 
Homes.” 
SEND FOR THEM TO-DAY 
Edison Portland Cement Company 
No. 921 St. James Building, New York 
‘STRONGER THAN GRANITE” 
American 
Saw 
Mill 
This simple, light running 
mill makes more and better 
lumber with less power and 
less help than any other. You can 
set up and operate any American mill 
with the directions before you. If you 
have no timber, your neighbors have. 
Don’t let your engine lie idle. 
124-Page Book, Free 
Containing valuable suggestions about 
the care of saws, fully describing the fea¬ 
tures that make our mills best, giving 
prices and guaranty and full information 
about our Wood Saws, Shingle Ma¬ 
chines and other wood working ma¬ 
chinery. Write for book today, 
American Saw Mill Machinery Co. 
129 Hope St.. Hackettstown, N. J. 
1582 Terminal Buildings, New York 
$5 EVERY DAY 
Made Easily By 
Farm Men and Boys 
Sena your name first 
on postal or letter for 
Illustrated, practical 
testimonial— 
BOOK FREE 
Thousands o{ farmers 
and farmer’s boys earning 
big pay. Work easily done 
.n half time. Price low. 
Pays for sell on first good 
job. 
ONE MAN’S WORK SAVED 
BY USING a FOLDING SAWING MACHINE 
Wonderful, powerful 
spring power. Boys 
easily use. You can saw 
more wood, easier, too, 
than 2 men other ways. 
9 Cords In 10 Hours 
cut by one man. Special 
teeth saw all timbers. 
Get easy, profitable 
agency with your order. Write for Book No. K30, sure. 
Folding Sawing Mach. Co., 158 E. Harrison St., Chicago, IU # 
Wood Saws For Farmers’ Use 
For sawing firewood, lumber, 
lath, posts, pickets, etc., tho 
cheapest and best saw you can 
buy Is a 
Hertzler & Zook 
Wood Saw 
Easy to operate. Guaranteed for 
one year. You can build up a 
paying business in sawing fire¬ 
wood or lumber for your neigh¬ 
bor. Price $10 00. Write for circular. 
Heitzleb S Zook Co., Box 3 Belleville, Pa. 
2 5 4 PAG E- C ATA LOG" FREE 
TELLING HOW T.O SAW LUMBER, SHINGLES, v 
wood; grind corn and wheat; also describ¬ 
ing FULL LINE OF ENGINES. BOILERS, GASOLINE 
ENGINES, WATER-WHEELS AND MILL GEARING. 
DELOACH MILL MANUFACTURING CO- Box Bridgeport. Alabama. 
S AW your own 
wood 
and save 
time, coal and 
money; or saw 
your neighbors 
wood and 
MAKE 
$5 TO SI5 
A DAY 
Hundreds are doing it with an Appleton Wood Saw, 
Why not you? Wc make six styles—steel or wooden 
frames:—and if desired will mount the saw frame on 
a substantial 4-wheel truck on which you can also 
mount your gasoline engine and thus have a 
PORTABLE WOOD SAWING RIG 
that is unequalled in effective work and profitable 
operatton. 
We make the celebrated Hero Friction Feed Drag 
Saw also, and complete lines of feed grinders, corn 
shellers. corn huskers, fodder cutters, manure spread¬ 
ers. horse powers, windmills, etc. Ask for our Free 
Catalogue. 
Appleton Mfg.Co.g,„ F ,-,T,x s .a: 
Let Me Start You in Business! 
I will furnish the capital and the advertising. I want 
one sincere, earnest man in every town and township. 
Farmers, Mechanics, Builders. Small busluess men, any¬ 
one anxious to improve his condition. Address 
"COMMERCIAL DEMOCRACY,” Dept. D.36, Elyria, Ohio 
Monarch Steel 
OTUMP 
Pulls stump 7 feet 
diameter. Only 
Steel Stump Pullor 
Factory in the world 
making their own 
Steel Castings. Quar¬ 
ts antecd for 500 horse 
power strain. Cata¬ 
logue and discounts. 
ZIMMERMANN STEEL GO., Dept. 123, Lone Tree, Iowa 
HAY PRESS 
for greater capacity and profit making. We 
positively guarantee Spencer’s Press to do every¬ 
thing our new illustrated catalog F claims or 
no sale and freight refunded. Shipped on tea 
days’ free trial. Wi ite today. 
Please mention this paper. 
J. A. Spenoer, Dwight. Ill. 
SPENCER 
HAY PRESS 
■/fE/?E/r f /S~ 
IMPROVED CLARK’S DOUBLE ACTION 
CUTAWAY HARROW 
The most wonderful farm tool ever Invented. 
Two harrows In one. Throws tho dirt out, then 
in, leaving the land level and true. 
A labor saver, a time saver. Por- 
l feet center draft. Jointed Pole. 
Bowaro of imitations and in¬ 
fringements. Send today for 
FKEK Booklet. 
CUTAWAY HARROW CO, 
839 Main St., 
Iliggaiium, Conn 
