The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
898 
the increased freight rates on food from the West, 
this question is hound to he one of pressing impor¬ 
tance in the future all through the East. 
MASSACHUSETTS A PIONEER.—As a basis for 
what may he done it is always well to know what 
has been done and to use the experience of the past 
on which to build in the future. Massachusetts has 
been a pioneer in agriculture as well as in the other 
industries. Being one of the oldest of the colonies 
she. from the start, felt the need of an adequate food 
supply. From the first the big question with the 
settlers was. “What can we grow to meet our needs 
for food?’’ It was a family question, but one which 
affected all, as all alike were farmers. As the early 
colonists were dealing with a new soil or new climate 
in this new country, they naturally turned to the 
natives for help. Had it not been for the assistance 
given by the more peaceful and more intelligent of 
the native Indians, the suffering of the colonists 
during the first few years might have been far worse 
than it was. From the Indians they learned how to 
grow Indian corn—an entirely new crop to the early 
settlers. The Indians taught them how to prepare 
the ground and how to plant and fertilize the crop. 
The first use of fertilizers was taught, for they 
showed the early settlers how to use the whole fish 
under the hills of corn. 
CRUDE BEGINNINGS.—We are told that the col¬ 
onists went so far as to employ a partially civilized 
and intelligent Indian, who could speak some Eng¬ 
lish. to act as farm adviser to help the first settlers in 
their planting and cropping. With this crude begin¬ 
ning Massachusetts later became the originator of 
improved .methods of corn culture. Massachusetts, 
through the efforts of Eli Whitney, who invented 
the cotton gin. may .iustly be given credit for doing 
more than any other State for the agricultural de¬ 
velopment of the South. Another Massachusetts 
man. Elias Howe, did more perhaps than any other 
man to lessen the labors and add to the comforts of 
the home through his invention of the sewing ma¬ 
chine. while in the line of new fruits Massachusetts 
can justly claim credit for the development and in¬ 
troduction of the Baldwin apple, the Bartlett pear 
and the Concord grape. Massachusetts was among 
the first States to promote agriculture in an organ¬ 
ized way. being the third State to form what might 
be called a State agricultural society, under the 
name of the “Massachusetts Society for the Promo¬ 
tion of Agriculture,” organized in 1792. This so¬ 
ciety has continued in active existence for more than 
a century and a quarter. It was the forerunner of 
the powerful and influential State Board of Agricul¬ 
ture, organized in 1851. 
EARLY WORKERS.—It is interesting and signifi¬ 
cant. therefore, that the Massachusetts Agricultural 
College, which was chartered in 1802 and opened for 
its first class in 1867. had a history of agricultural 
development in the old Bay State on which to build. 
Men connected with these earlier movements in agri¬ 
cultural progress had not only urged the founding of 
the college, but were ready to put their shoulders to 
the wheel and help the new college win a position of 
usefulness and honor in the State. Such men as 
Marshal P. Wilder. Dr. George B. Boring, Henry F. 
French, Dr. Nathan Durfee and others, who had 
already made a mark in their work in agriculture, 
were ever ready to give the new college their help 
and support. Such men as these were capable of 
launching the college and of selecting the first fac¬ 
ulty to direct its movements so as to build on a solid 
foundation. In the choice of such men as Clark, 
Goessmann, Goodell and Stockbridge, to form the 
first “faculty of four.” they made no mistake. Clark, 
the administrator and inspirer of enthusiasm. Goess¬ 
mann the scientist, Goodell the scholar and teacher of 
languages and literature, and Stockbridge the prac¬ 
tical man of the'classroom and field, made a com¬ 
bination difficult to excel. The college opened its 
doors at the time when the country was feeling the 
boom which followed the Civil War, and this condi¬ 
tion. together with the newness of the system of 
education being inaugurated, helped to popularize 
the college during the first few years. The first two 
classes were relatively large, but beginning about 
1873 the college seemed to feel the general depres¬ 
sion that was affecting the country as a whole. 
WESTERN EXPANSION AND EASTERN DE¬ 
PRESSION.—During the early seventies the period 
of land exploitation in the Central West was being 
pushed with vigor, and a corresponding depression 
developed all over the East. This was a period of 
railroad extension and of industrial evolution. The 
many small manufacturing industries of the rural 
towns were rapidly being centered in the larger 
towns, and were being joined into large plants doing 
a big business. Before the end of the seventies the 
centering of the industries info large plants and the 
expansion of the West was bringing about a serious 
agricultural depression over the entire East. With 
the shipment of cheap grain from the West, grain 
farming and the fattening of cattle, which had prov¬ 
en profitable up to this time, was replaced with the 
growing of fruits and vegetables and the production 
ot dairy products. New markets had to he sought, 
and new machinery had to he invented and perfect¬ 
ed in order to produce and market economically this 
new class of products. Between 1875 and 1890 Mas¬ 
sachusetts had to find its place under a new system 
of agriculture. This was a slow and gradual pro¬ 
cess. Western competition, together with the cen¬ 
tering of the rural dwellers into cities and large 
towns, and the general encouragement of the manu¬ 
facturing industries by means of a high tariff, with 
free trade in raw materials, made all efforts at agri¬ 
cultural progress in the East difficult and discourag¬ 
ing. This period of agricultural depression was the 
very period when the college was passing through 
its first crisis. In the early eighties State support 
was nearly witheld and the college found itself at a 
low ebb in both equipment and students 
PROGRESS THROUGH THE FIELD OF EX¬ 
PERIMENTATION—At just this time of agricul¬ 
tural depression in the State the need of agricultural 
research was being felt by the farmers, which en¬ 
couraged the establishment of one of the first of 
the State experiment stations. The station was or¬ 
ganized in 1882, and did much to broaden the field 
of usefulness of the college and popularize the insti¬ 
tution with the farmers. Clark, Goessmann and 
Protecting Plants from Insects. Fig. 367. 
Stockbridge had paved the way for this new field 
or work through their earlier investigations, and the 
people were eager and anxious for any help from 
this new field of endeavor. During this same period 
much new farm machinery was invented and per¬ 
fected. The co-operative manufacture of dairy pro¬ 
ducts in central factories generally replaced home 
manufacture. Fruits, both large and small, were 
quite extensively planted all over New England. 
Thus the period of depression was also a period of 
evolution, and a new viewpoint by her people toward 
farming was slowly being evolved. The early nine¬ 
ties saw a new type of farming well established in 
the State and a new interest in the college was 
manifest. c. s. thelps. 
A Remedy for Blackhead in Turkeys 
SERIOUS LOSSES.—The discovery of a remedy 
for “blackhead” in turkeys comes to me from the 
Pacific coast. It not only cures the disease where 
it has been contracted, but it can be successfully 
used as a preventive. In the Eastern and Middle 
States probably much more than half of all the 
turkeys hatched, die of this disease. The loss 
must amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars, 
and as a consequence the public has to pay unrea¬ 
sonable prices to obtain this delicious food. Many 
farmers favorably situated to raise turkeys, will not 
do so because of the heavy losses from this disease. 
The discovery of the remedy was made by two 
doctors in San Diego, Cal., Drs. II. M. and Paul 
Wegeforth. 
DISEASE ON NEW GROUND.—Dr. H. M. Wege¬ 
forth established a poultry ranch some years ago in 
Paradise Valley, San Diego, where climatic condi¬ 
tions were ideal for poultry raising. On new ground 
where, so far as known no turkeys had ever been 
raised before 40 birds were raised the first year, 
no disease appearing. This stock came from Ohio. 
The year was 1914. The next year, without any 
new stock or eggs having been brought to the ranch, 
blackhead appeared and more than half of the 
young stock, and one of the old birds died. In 1916 
only one bird out of 80 hatched, lived, although 60 
July 9, 1921 
reached the age where they could roost in trees. 
Then the entire stock was sold and the ranch moved 
to a location where there had been no turkeys in 
20 years certain, if ever. 
THE DISEASE ORGANISM.—Again no black¬ 
head appeared the first year, but the second year out 
of 210 hatched, all but. 72 died, most of them from 
blackhead. In 1919. out of 209 hatched all but 52 
died. Then the attention of the Wegefortlis was 
drawn to the discoveries of Dr Theobald Smith, at 
one time chief of the U. S. Bureau of Animal In¬ 
dustry. He had discovered the organism that pro¬ 
duced blackhead and named it “Amoeba Maleagridis,” 
and classified the disease as entero-hepatitis, or in¬ 
flammation of the liver and intestines. This or¬ 
ganism is closely related to that producing dysentery, 
in human beings. 
REMEDIAL MEASURES.—This suggested to the 
Wegefortlis that the same remedy which has proved 
so valuable in the treatment of human cases, namely, 
ipecac. Immediately they began trying the treat¬ 
ment. Part of the 52 young birds and some of the 
old ones had the disease.- Separating the sick from 
the well ones, the sick were given 10 drops of fluid 
extract of ipecac three times a day for three days, 
then twice a day for three days, then once a day for 
the same period. Of the 52 young birds, 32 had the 
disease 29 recovered. Of the five old birds, three 
recovered, the other two were too far go>ne when 
treatment was commenced. 
PREVENTION.—Then for the purpose of experi¬ 
menting as to whether the disease could be pre¬ 
vented the Wegefortlis bought IS healthy turkeys 
nearly full grown and divided them into three pens 
of six each. These birds were fed the ground-up 
liver and intestines of a turkey that had just died 
of blackhead. (It had been shown by Moore, 1876, 
that the disease could be transmitted in that way.) 
The birds in the first pen were given the fluid extract 
treatment. The second pen were given three tea¬ 
spoons of powdered ipecac in a quart of mash for 
three days. The birds in the third pen had no 
ipecac. No birds from the first two pens contracted 
the disease. In the third pen four died with it the 
other two remained healthy. Experiments were 
resumed in the Spring of 1920, powdered ipecac being 
given in the food. The dose was a teaspoonful of 
powdered ipecac in the mash twice a week, for each 
unit of 20 turkeys—no difference being made for 
age or - size. One hundred and six birds were 1 
hatched and allowed to run with the older turkeys 
over ground that was thoroughly infected with the 
disease, hit no hi a el-liead appeared, in the flock. Up 
to the time this report was written, no blackhead 
has appeared in the Wegeforth flock among either 
old or young turkeys. This treatment was tried on 
another ranch where there had been for several 
years very virulent attacks of the disease with the 
same result, the virtual disappearance of the disease. 
Of the absolute truth of the above statements I 
have no doubt, for they come from Robert R. 
McLean, Farm Service Department of the First Na¬ 
tion Bank of San Diego. geo. a. cosgrove. 
Poison for Grasshoppers 
EPORTS show that grasshoppers are very plen¬ 
tiful in many parts of the East, and farmers 
are asking how to kill them. Where it is possible 
to keep flocks of turkeys or geese, and let them run 
at large, ordinary “crops” of grasshoppers will be 
well cared for. Sometimes they come in such swarms 
that it is necessary to poison them. The Maine Ex¬ 
periment Station gives, in a recent bulletin, the fol¬ 
lowing advice about poisons and their use: 
Formula: Bran, 20 lbs.; Paris green (or white ar¬ 
senic powder), 1 lb.: syrup (common glucose syrup). 2 
qts.; amyl acetate (oil of banana). % oz.; water. 3*4 
gals. ( Caution : Do not add water until the day the 
mash is to be used.) 
Preparation.—Mix thoroughly the bran and Paris 
green or finely powdered white arsenic while dry. in a 
wash tub. Dissolve the syrup in the water and add the 
amyl acetate. Wet the bran and poison with the mix¬ 
ture. stirring at the same time so as to dampen the mash 
thoroughly. The bait when flavored with “oil of 
banana” lias been reported by some to be more appe¬ 
tizing, and thus to be eaten by more of the grasshop¬ 
pers. Some report as good results without molasses or 
other syrup as with it. 
Distribution.—The damp mash or bait should be sown 
broadcast in the infested areas early in the morning, at 
the time the grasshoppers are beginning to move about 
from their night’s rest. It should lie scattered in such a 
manner as to cover five acres with the amount of bait 
made by using the quantities of ingredients given in the 
formula. Since very little of the bran mash is eaten 
after it becomes dry. scattering it broadcast in the 
morning, and very thinly, places it where the largest 
number will find it in the shortest time. Sowing it in 
this manner also lessens the danger to birds, barnyard 
fowl or live stock of securing a sufficient amount of the 
poison to kill them. Inasmuch as the poisoned bait 
does not act quickly, it will be from two to four dayc 
before the grasshoppers are found dead, and these will 
be more numerous in the sheltered places. It does not 
require much of the poison to kill them. Even a : mall 
portion from one of the poisoned flakes will be sufficient 
to cause death. 
