April 1 1907 
Fowl cholera is rapid in its invasion 
cand course. If the symptoms are noticed 
early the bird will be found dull and 
listless, rocking its body and dragging its 
legs as though they were cramped) when 
walking The feathers are ruffled and 
the wings droped The eyes are more 
or less sunken. the eyelids swoolen, and 
frequently an irritable condition of the 
latter exists, causing the bird to scratch 
the parts. Appetite is suspended, but 
there is frequent thirst, and inclination 
for warmth is manifested by the affected 
birds huddling together, or keeping in the 
sun. Diarrhoea is present throughout, 
being at first glairy and mucous, and sub- 
sequently white and frothy, or bubbling. 
As the malady proceeds the depression is 
more marked ; the eyelids are closed, the 
head carried low, and swollen from effusion 
of serum and congestion of the blood 
vessels. The gait is staggering, the evacu- 
-ations become very white, clearer, streaked 
with blood, and offensive The tail 
feathers, and also about the vent, are wet 
-and matted together: The mouth will he 
found full of dirty, sticky, or frothy. 
matter, and the same is frequently seen 
to issue from the nostrils The comb 
‘becomes flaccid and deepened in color 
towards its borders. All these s;mptoms 
-continue to increase in severity as a fatal 
termination approaches., The bird is dis- 
inclined to move, and either stands with 
its back raised, the wings being away from 
‘the body dropped, or squats on the 
‘ground withits beak in the earth and the 
wings spread out, the breathing is short 
Jaboured,and the crest swoollen and black 
‘in colour, the vision almost lost, the 
plumage lustreless, and finally the bird 
.dies in a state of stupor or convulsions. 
With some birds before death there are 
meryous movements, the respiration be- 
-comes labored and convulsive and shakes 
the body ; at intervals a harsh, guttural 
-ery is emited—a kind of hiccough. At 
the same time the feet and wings are 
.agitated and contorted, a little foamy 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
5 
saliva flows from the beak, a small quan- 
tity of white or greyish bubbling fiuid is 
expelled from the anus. and the bird 
perishes. In other cases there appears to 
be no convulsions, and it is not rare to 
find them dead on the nest without a 
straw having been disturbed. Others 
before death turn round as if attacked 
with vertigo. Insome there is a kind of 
vomiting of a glairy, yellowish-white 
fluid ; and the diarahoea, which is nearly 
always present, is either grey, white, 
‘yellow, or black in colour, or streaked 
with blood. The duration of cholera may 
vary from a few hours to two or three 
days. 
Treatment. 
Despite the fact that many authorities 
are unanimous in the conclusion that 
treatment is of little avail, they admit 
that if cholera can be detected in the early 
stage some cures may be effected; the 
following treatment being suggested :— 
Take 25 grains of pulverised camphor, 30 
grains of cayenne pepper, 48 grains of 
pulverised rhubarb, and 60 drops of 
laudanum’ mixed all together, and make 
it into eighteen pills, giving each bird 
sick one pill every three hours. 
Ducks for Export. 
We take the following from the 
“Journal of Agriculture,” contributed by 
Mr. A. Hart, Poultry Expert. 
The duck-breeding industry of the 
State at present offers very favorable 
prospects. We have one of the most 
suitable climates in the world for thig 
purpose. Our other advantages are 
equaliy favorable, and the: present. price 
of grain, root crops, milk and all other’ 
foods must be taken into consideration, 
and weigh largely in favour of this in- 
dustry. ; 
The local trade in ducklings could, no 
doubt be much increased by a necessary 
jmprovement in the breeds, quality, &,, 
of the birds rared. We have also an 
unlimited market in Great Britian and 
South Africa for  properly-fattened 
poultry of all kinds. Ducklings are 
specially suitable for the purpose of ex- 
port, and there is every reason to believe 
that this industry, if properly fostered and 
developed, will result in the establish _ 
ing of a very large and important trade in 
the near future. There is, however, one 
point which must be regarded as of the 
‘most tmportance in this industry, and 
that is the proper feeding of the ducklings 
intended for market or export. Lt does 
‘not matter how suitable the breed or 
cross may be, or how large the frame, if 
proper food is not given liberally such 
stock are worthless for the table, and 
failure is certain. 
The best months for export are from 
December to March. Ducklings sent in 
for export should not be Jess than 44 lb. 
each live weight They should be as 
uniform in size and quality as possible 
An Aylesbury and Pekin cross is prefer- 
able, the Aylesbury drake and Pekin 
ducks being the most favorable way of 
mating. 
For the first month they should be fed 
four times daily, aud after that three 
times. The food should be good .and 
sound. During the first week the food is 
given fairly dry and crumbly, and after 
that moist. Bran. pollard, vegetable and 
root crops are the staple foods, Skim 
milk should be used and all food scalded 
with boiling water and allowed to cool 
before feeding. Grit and green food 
should. be given liberally. Wheat and 
barley should be mixed with the soft food 
Care should be taken to have all the 
surroundings perfectly clean. The fat- 
tening process should be completed in 
from teu to twelve weeks. The cost of 
feeding should be about 1s 7d per pair. 
The weight of the ducklings at this age 
should be 9 or10 lbs. the pair. At the 
average price of 6d per lb. live weight, 
would return 4s 6d to 5s per pair. Adding 
the value of the eggs (which would be 
about 13d each ) to the cost of food, would 
make the outlay 1s 10d, leaving a margin 
of from 2s 8d to 3s 2d per pair. At the 
early part of the season, ducklings would 
bring up to 72d per lb for local consump- 
tion: but this would be for 4 limited 
number 
_ Mr. Hart says:—I would call atten: 
tion to the deterioration of ducks for 
table purposes through being crossed with 
the Indian Runners. The latter are 
certainly good layers, especially in the 
winter months, but they are altogether a 
failure from a table point of view and are 
sold at auction for very low prices. ‘They 
_are also useless as a cross with the larger 
varieties, and breeders should be careful 
not to introduce any of their blood into 
stock intended for breeding ducklings fur 
table or export purposes \ 
