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Show EPliiT" FREEJjf MITES By Prof. Byron Alder Poultry Husbandman, Utah Agricultural Agricul-tural College. The mite lists a gray color with brown spots on its back when not filled with blood. It lives and breeds in cracks and corners in and around the perches and nests ; going on the fowls usually at night only long enough en-ough to suck its body full of blood, then crawing off to some secluded place. The accumulation of dropping and filth in a poorly ventilated, damp house affords very favorable conditions condi-tions for this very numerous enemy. Keep the building well ventilated and dean. Spray the entire inside twice a year with whitewash made in the ordinary way with one pint of crude oarbolic acid to each gallon of whitewash, white-wash, then paint the perches once a week with kerosene after adding about 6 ounces of carbolic acid to a gallon. Keep this mixture in a machine ma-chine oil can and soak thoroughly all cracks or corners that show any Indication In-dication of mites as often as they are seen, and the building and fowls will soon be free from one of the smallest but without doubt one of the worst of poultry pests. Lice live and breed on the bodies of the fowls and feed on the surface scales around the base of the feathers. If the fowls have a dust bath or dust wallow there will be but a few lice on their bodies. An occasional dusting dust-ing with some good lice powder, during dur-ing which the fowl is held by the legs, and the powder sifted from a perforated can and rubbed well into the feathers with the hand, will aid greatly, in freeing the bodies of the chickens from this pest. A geod powder pow-der may be made by taking one part cresol to three gasoline. Mix this thoroughly ,then add enough unfib-ered unfib-ered plaster, a little at a time, stirring continually, until all the liquid has been taken up, giving a tan or pinkish pink-ish powder. Blue ointment is also an excellent remedy for lice. This. is a poison and should be handled carefully. care-fully. Take a small piece about the size of a pea and rub it well into the base of the feathers on the abdomen abdo-men in the fluff just below the vent. Scaly leg, which is caused by a very tiny insect getting under the scales of the legs forcing them out and causing the legs to appear rough and knotty, is very common among the general purpose fowls. This disease is not noticed by many until the legs are swollen so much that the fowls can hardly walk. It is "easily controlled con-trolled by rubbing the legs in the early stages of the disease' with lard and kerosene equal parts, or by the application of vaseline or other oily mixtures. These pests do not often kill a fowl, but they sap the vitality and weaken a hen so that she lays few or no eggs, and is readily overcome by some minor ailments that would have little or no effect on a strong vigorous animal. All diseased birds should be isolated isolat-ed as soon as any ailment is noticed, so as not to endanger the rest of the flock, in case they should have a contagious disease. For colds or croup disinfect the drinking water by adding 4 or 5 drops of carbolic acid to each gallon of water wa-ter or the amount of permanganate of potash that will stay on a dime. Stir thoroughly. Keep the fowls in clean, sanitary quarters and thus have strong and vigorous birds. Do not overfeed or make the hens lazy. Avoid feeding rood with strong flavored or partially spoiled food of any kind. The following references are given for further study and more detailed information. Farmers bulletins may be obtained free as long as the supply lasts by applying to the V. S. Department De-partment of Agriculture, or to one o the Utah Congressmen in Washington, D. C. Farmers' Bullettin No. 244, Method of Feeding Poultry. Farmers' Buletin No. 2S7, Poultry Management. Farmers' Bulletin No. 528, Hints to Poultry Kaisers. Farmers' Bulletin No. 574, Poultry House Construction. Farmers' Bulletin No. 504, Shipping Eggs by Parcel Post. Utah Experiment Station Circular No. 14, Housing Farm Poultry. Growing weeds love a lazy farmer. A flower in tho front yard is worth a dozen in the forest. Farmers who plant their potatoes in the moon are likely to reap their harvest in the stars. In dry countries water is worth more than gold. But who would allow a stream of gold to go to waste as we all allow water to clo? Every day that alfalfa is allowed to stand after it is ready to cut takes money from the bank account. Proper niMirislimen for the family moans fewer doctor Mils as well ns greater efficiency. The Experiment Station of the Utah Aricultural College is printing bulletins bulle-tins for ymi. Do you get your copies? If not. write for them today. Do you use your agricultural agent? lie is being paid to serve you and 1 your neighbors. See that you get ; your share of his time. Does your library contain the best books on farming? A dollar invested in good reading may save you hu- dreds of dollars. |