est ts OE = “ Fa pa ee ‘ oe es ees Serena eptrre Seon cai et= Be aa Aas Ci cgi RRS Sarit ~ « 40,0006 COPIES ALREADY SOLD. THE HORSE AND HIS DISEASES: embracing his History and Varieties, Breeding and Management, and Vices; with the Diseases to which he is subject, and the Remedies best adapted totheircure. To which are added Rarey’s Method ° of Taming Horses, and the Law of Warranty as applicable to the purchase and sale of the animal. By Rosert JEnninas, V.S., Author of ‘‘ Cattle and their Diseases ;’’ etg., etc. Illustrated, 12mo., Cloth. Price $1.25. WHAT IS. SAID OF IT. ‘The most full, thorough, practical, scientific treatise on this subject yet produced.” —North American and Gazette, Philadelphia. ““A sensible and practical treatise * * Very comprehensive in subject, and clear and forcible in the expression of its views. It will make an excellent companion for every owner and keeper of this noble animal.’’—Obdserver, New York. “It is not only a most attractive work, but is also most entertaining iu the matter it contains.’’—Zimes, Cincinnati. ‘‘This valuable work should be owned by every farmer and dealer in horse-flesh. * * It contains most valuable information.’’—Post, Pittsburgh. “This, we have no hesitation in saying, is one of the best works upon the subject ever published. * * * No one who owns a horse, or has any thing to do with his care and management, ought to be without such a work.’’—Maine Farmer, Augusta, Me. ‘* As a book of reference—when disease or accident renders just such works almost invaluable—we recommend it to those peculiarly interested.”’"—Rural New Yorker, Rochester, N. Y. ‘“We have read this work with great pleasure, and have no hesitancy in recom- mending it to the public as one of the most valuable works now in print.”’— Wilkes’s Spirtt of the Times, New York. ‘¢The author is our old and long time contributor, a man capable of writing a good book on this subject; and he has doneit. It is worth, to any owner of a horse, ten times the price.” —Ohio Farmer, Cleveland. {Ss Single copies of ‘‘The Horse and his Diseases,’’ or of ‘Cattle and their Diseases,’’ will be sent to any address, post paid, on receipt of price, $1.25 each. JOHN EH. POTTER, PustisHer, No. 617 Sansom Street, Philadelphia. IN PREPARATION AND WILL SOON BE READY, SHEEP, SWINE, AND POULTRY: Embracing the history and varieties of each; the best modes of breeding them ; their feeding and management; together with the diseases to which they are subject, and the appropriate remedies for each, by RoBerT JENNINGS, Y.S., author of ‘The Horse and his Diseases ;’’ “‘ Cattle and their Diseases,’ etc., etc. This work will form the third volume of a series, destined to prove acceptable Hand- Books for Farmers and Stock-raisers; and will be prepared upon the. same general - plan as the two volnmes already furnished by the same popular author. ane CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES: EMBRACING THEIR HISTORY AND BREEDS, CROSSING AND BREEDING, AND FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT; WITH THE DISEASES TO WHICH THEY ARE SUBJECT, AND THE REMEDIES BEST ADAPTED TO THEIR CURE. TO WHICH IS ADDED A LIST OF THE MEDICINES USED IN TREATING CATTLE. in, A, BY ROBERT JENNINGS, V.S, PROFESSOR OF PATHOLOGY AND OPERATIVE SURGERY IN THE VETERINARY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA ; LATE PROFESSOR QF VETERINARY MEDICINE IN THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE OF OHIO; SECRETARY OF THE AMERICAN VETERINARY ASSO- CIATION OF PHILADELPHIA}; AUTHOR OF ‘' THE HORSE 4 AND HIS DISEASES,” ETC., ETO. ——— EWS 2 Naf EZ, cs 7s as Th A oe rt nee “0 " sy it AC Se Zaza Ca CR er Numerous Prati PHILADELPHIA: JOHN E. POTTER, No. 617 SANSOM STREET. NEW YORK:—C. M. SAXTON, No. 25 PARK ROW. 1863. 82 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1863, by JOHN E. POTTER, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. PHILADELPHIA ° STEREOTYPED BY §. A. GEORGE, 607 SANSOM STREET. 269° hd) a a PREFACE. A MARKED interest has of late years been manifested in our country relative to the subject of breeding and rearing domestic cattle. This has not been confined to the dairyman alone. The greater portion of intelligent agriculturists have perceived the necessity of paying more attention than was formerly devoted to the improvement and perfection of breeds for the uses of the table as well. In this respect, European cattle-raisers have long taken the precedence of our own. The gratifying favor with which the author’s former publication, “The Horse and his Diseases,’ has been received by the public, has induced him to believe that a work, similar in spirit and general treatment, upon Cattle, would not be without interest for the agri- _ cultural community. In this belief, the present treatise has been prepared. The author has availed himself of the labors of others in this connec- tion ; never, however, adopting results and conclusions, no matter how strongly endorsed, which have been contradicted by his own observation and experience. In a field like the one in question, — assuredly, if anywhere, some degree of independent judgment will not be censured by those who are familiar with the sad conse- quences resulting from the attempted application of theories now universally exploded, but which in the day and generation of their originators were sanctioned and advocated by those who claimed to be magnates in this department. 5 6 PREFACE. To the following works, especially, the author acknowledges him- self indebted : American Farmer’s Encyclopcedia ; Stephens’s Book of the Farm; Flint’s Milch-Cows and Dairy Farming; Laurence on Cattle; Allen’s’ Domestic Animals; Youatt and Martin on Cattle ; Thomson’s Food of Animals; Allen’s Rural Architecture ; Colman’s Practical Agriculture and Rural Economy; Goodale’s Breeding of Domestic Animals; and Prof. Gamgee’s' valuable contributions to veterinary science. | Particular attention is requested to the division of “Diseases,’’ Under this head, as in his former work, the author has endeavored to detail the symptoms of the most common ailments of cattle in such a manner that every farmer and cattle-owner can at once — understand them, and also to suggest such procurable remedies as a wide experience has proved to be most efficacious. A generous space has been devoted to the consideration of that fatal epidemic, now generally known as “ Pleuro-Pneumonia,” as it has manifested itself in Hurope and this country, in the belief that a matter of such vital importance to the stock-raiser ought to re- ceive a complete exposition in a work like the present. As the author’s personal experience in connection with the treatment of this peculiar disease has been, perhaps, as large and varied as that of any American practitioner, he is not without the hope that his views upon the matter may prove productive of some benefit to others. ’ Should the present volume prove as acceptable to those interested as did his former work, the author will be abundantly satisfied that he has not mistaken in this instance the wants of the public. PHILADELPHIA, July, 1863. CONTENTS. HISTORY AND BREEDS OF CATTLE, ...ccccscorssscscecccsscccccsccccscovccscscsscnessecscessccsoese 13 Spare ye LE ISH) Xi ssasaue dev apacensumprsacavaacnsucensresasseacsisscagdicncsasecasesescesnacesevuncesecsaw)/ 10 AMERICAN CATTLE, sessceccccees seteesase Gusduddusasenssescectaccsscdesserdcreddsscgectasserseneccasestsc cay’ | PRUGTAVERSIITOs:scescdseddtareseusdessseapsscess scucuanedsetecatatacssseccdseseastuscscecscscreseccces ioe The Jersey,......» sscenscsssosscsesenneceseasesescsassace gacsngpecnesacssanenscnazessesseonscscses® - 30 MPNGISHOLE-EOTING na scssscsecdsesa Wedduesucsedacvesssecesspscsnercsstaascdsageesssunsrrencenvordss - 32 PETC PU LC Hy craves sap unanavinecusavaranemadandeacnsnnetesteasivenenssuncsdascacatensefesarceessseaeronce vila PTI MELGECLOL srastasscsasaaceetccs;runencottecnicanasnescecensanansiiancenacshanesacesssteapereresaes iOS The North-Devon,........ Racaasseaaudatcosanauceeansdenccannsancusesieseaccerevarsepenses aaneceus sie 41 MVATEU ENG EEL Gober vetee essa staat aca teal aaattcesaacoolvacecusasuuetsetasttuecsecucduurccuamecins . 48 PEMUOE AD VIRTORY GF CATEUES .ccsjasceucsscesosssnsesccdcsarestessscsccsencedcccseses senesensbpeatoes SOU “EST ETA GT Msak oe SIV NN UB OTC URE VP SE PERDUE RT Cay 2 51 Formation of Teeth,...... ooednern soncabeccecscoccsccascccesseseses-casccscenscensereces eneneeee 51 Points Of & GOOd COW,.s.se0rsccssscssssccoecrrees suadcesececaecasdeedessnesnsawsnesscecs essences Ola) THE MiLK-MrIRR08,.. 800009990009 999009 299999 999000 099909 999999 999908 0990099959009 000909 0090000 099050000000 61 CROSSING AND BREEDING,. cossemcoscnnese 9909009000009 090009009989 099900 099000 099000 099009000000 909008 V7 PREGNANCY, voces cssece 80 ce0evcccessnneee occa 000008 2e0ee F50000 080000 S880 RCCLns BU DE00IS2000 000008 800008 : 92 TREATMENT BEFORE CALVING,. 909 900000 0990089 000000090000000000 bn 990008000500900000000000 93 ‘FEEDING AND MANAGEMENT, 008 090699 090099 999088 690009 099900 890000 000909099000 990000000090000000000 97 SoILine, 800000 00000009000 000000 Batu LET eC eae ates ude aeteliue eedacoe acouebe cues ageeus ceess toazenioeae 800000 118 \ CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER,..s+sssssssescee cesses sesscssosscscsczazsevversecsescsevseseroas LOZ THE BARN,...cossseves magronoetocroncetescoc Rune eccosledcrsacestsdnecernasssonsaaedannccsaacanudenardewccesth AAU WVENIGIGIN Gaseuetonsnencecdnasscascanscnas cast wsacresenancasssriarasacencsacasescauoorseaessecsenetciessaseacareatt 0) RAISING OF CALVES,...-000 000000 SU ences sesbwelsteees Bbenevencessenseseesas AD wasececerscdenase Reweane 168 POINTS OF FAT CATTIE,....cccccscsocssccacccces sooes ec enanackodsaeesecsesce neocencUAncbosocAnenoLen 183 DIVING AND SUADGHTMMING, cssvsccccncevevssucccessssaccssssessccccassssnes sersscenscccsassestenses LOG 8 CONTENTS. \ DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES, |. ccsssucooiasaegsesseeansesnl soiocatenieec oe eee 205 ADOTEION,,....cccesscceessccoee Seeeenens Beeeseae Apuniesacauscacestss cecccapescianssnaeataedan seth eeeteee 206 PAP OPLORAVa suunpressesssncancvententeaerapnesceenascsanersuesscreceuenceseucscrsts seneanaunkenct acca 215 Black-Water,. BOS 200200000000 800000 000000 200000 980000 080008 090000 F8 0000 C90000 099000 009000 800000 008008 215 Bronchitis, ........000 Raamatenentsessracracsne cuss tsusdansness soles ansinesensscsee sacaaauisanassiennne 216 WONSWINPHON, ccccececcessnessaanstcncceres soasussscsssiocsensiecseauancnceaneras saeetepeseeeaeneses sermon OLY Za seecancnnvaccesaccresancsiccccesenes cabarsanarcntenscssesnccscarsecnennnceeets aversaseenuaeeeine 217 Cow-pox,. ©00000000 000000 000000000000 800000 000000 000008 000000 000000 000000 DGO00CNTO009 GE C000 OHs900000000 218 Diarrh@a,.....00 ©00000 000000 000000 600009 000000 000000 090000000000 000000 000000 000000 190000 000000 800000 219 Dysentery, © 2 D000CODOODODOOODOODEOOOD © © 000000000 000000000 000900000 000060280 0UGOSO0000 S0000CRUSG00000000 220 PINLGTILIG secaavesacenssccsscanernarses sectdecwuatiedccesiersccesversssuceseneeres ©e0000 000008 @eooence @o00 922, EIPIZOOLICS iesswnsesecessecesscenssctesserssnesdunesenscssenar Ladcawoseesisescheseeeeners Oa codes eee Epizootic Catarrh,,......00 eoa0e © 090000000000 000000 060000 100000900000 000000500000 000000 000000000000 234 Fardel,. 00000 000000000000 BAO ecoce © 00000 000000 000000 000000000000 000000 000800 000008050080 000008 00000 236 Onin the HOOts si: .ccssstossascssccesccccancasdecccssesoacs ccuwaserecccsancaace beseeeenceinteeeres » 237 Garget, overs. ©00000000500000000 000000000000000000 000000000 000008900 000000890 000000000000000008000000009 237 Gastro-enteritis,. e00 Lee Su Ui Le Ue A rr © c@es00000 238 EHOOHO ee ncnescc cere stacscocananescescecssnseseces eeocce 000500000000 cecvecceeengeccocnse e000 lesen oecccce 238 Hoove,. 000000 606000000000 000080 050000 000000800000 000000 000000 000000000000 00000e B00000 080000 eecccoceocee 239 Hydatids,... © 00000 000900 000000 000009 090000 080009 090000 090000 000000 000000 180000 900008 090000 000000 000008 240 Inflammation of the Bladder,.........ccsssccsecccesecscsecesennscescccscnsunsucaseucscesecise 241 Inflammation of the aN awercsanectscaswscase dovdaeuesseee ccdusdeusbaaneneeens seth die aveoe ead: Inflammation of the KidmeyS,.....scscsssssssscccesecesscnsseceesscrsscecosseeese Hexctuncevese DED Inflammation of the Liver, .....ccsccscssccscsssccsesnsensecserevcvsecscontesccneccscssscees 242 / Laryngitis,. © 00000 000000 000000000000 090008 000000 000000 000000000000 000008 098000 200500000000 COE000 00000 243 Lice,. 280 000000 006000000000 009000 200000 00000 © ©00000 000000000000 000000000000 009000 025000 080800 800000 S00000 244 NARS. wotpaswesereennctssenesaparcuntsccedansntusaineesdnaatarss carers snsanrenccs © 0 0G000000P CaccCRsee 244 IMITUETAIN scocevccscepoesecessscndssevatsuesrosssusssscoerirurcsshscewasuecnrslceacssstnsstnany eovccvoe e 246 Navel-ill, C00 BDOCep Eee OD +o LDED OL LaRL EEL LOLEED OL LEL NOL LLD LL LELD EDEL OE0L0S AO00EE HO EROS LOS COD eoece ° 247 Obstructions in the CHsOPhagus,. sce crecccesseee tieeeas setiecieelene cevenusitesecsiest ee eens 247 : Open VOLES). sresnyecorssqnesssnengeyanaqgssecctveneesoesegcn Gilly vuoeysier eqn: euaheuasspneaceesere =: 48 CONTENTS. _ 9 DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES—Continued. ALLITULL OM ceencacsnernerecesascranecrsddaeseecsccnes access eancsnpacescoccvsencusdeccuseccvasscesses 220 EC OMVEDELIM Seteecesuederdauessccerceseccenrensstdenscstscaceesuersnsccatsecdesdescssdesscuaseo i 2OiL Clea nsinoyeracsessesscasseccerssees spocmnndencns Rocaneicetchooracabbacepnceeascecos: eects dadade 253 Inversion of the Uterus,....... Pa Ava LU eS, Darah orc ee Mena g laa 253 Phrenitis, ........ Sedescaneenacesstss ners seeccondeeo: sescerereecesorscsees peneececcacranconuentaceseee 204 PPIGUITS aac ccncsbocccncnscconrsacesaanse etavaseveacdusessensdnctes EeSECOSAHERE COLO Seepansacetusesace 255 Pleuro-PHEUMONIA,.......200000008 paapancen macscsecctdasescess Sepennee Sabsene cueeeseseseneseses ee 256 IPNGUIMONI As casccsacacscesseasesccesse ScoLconnece Souenewacecadeceaceresss .. ae Haseaccoontee 300 Protrusion of the Bladder, ........sscccscessssers Sersteasess Seddcnecrscessunaustcuss@aasecet= 302 Puerperal Fever, ... 2000 Bececdecencecducteactcnesusencns peewee SECCECCCRROOLS Seseaevasts aLeceneoe 302 VIPAT LOM FN iv enacecanseatascscnccdeacanadaceddsacnnesuveeccocncsousnebreseeedusdelaateceseesustrecsess/iGUs Rabies, SR SHSHETETETSSESSESESESESHSSOSSSEHSOSSSSSSSOOSSOSEOSESSESOSEOD SOOCTCSETSHTOoOSSORGEOFS0080 @eoeesse00 304 HUCUMVV/ ALO Erctescicccersradercnncussatsstecestvesest ears somewhat large and thin ; horns slightly covered and rather flat, well:set on; a long, broad, muscular neck; chest wide, deep, and projecting ; shoulders fine, oblique, well formed into the chine; fore legs short, with upper arm large and powerful; barrel round, deep, well-ribbed horns; hips wide and level; back straight from the withers to the setting on of the tail, but short from hips to chine; skin soft and velvety to the touch; moderately thick hair, plentiful, soft, and mossy. The cow has the same points in, the main, but her head is finer, longer, and more tapering; neck thinner and lighter, and shoulders more narrow across the chine. The astonishing precocity of the short horns, their remark- able aptitude to fatten, the perfection of their forms, and the fineness of their bony structure, give them an advantage over most other races when the object of breeding is for the shambles. No animal of any other breed ‘ean so rapidly transform the stock of any section around him as the im- proved short horn bull. It does not, however, follow that the high-bred short horns are unexceptionable, even for beef. The very exaggeration, so to speak, of the qualities which make them so valuable for. the improvement of other and less perfect races, may become a fault when wanted for the table. The very rapidity with 36 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. which they increase in‘size is thought by some to prevent their meat from ripening up sufficiently before being hurried off to the butcher. The disproportion of the fatty to the* muscular flesh, found in this to a greater extent than in races coming more slowly to maturity, makes the meat of the thorough-bred short horn, in the estimation of some, less agreeable to the taste, and less profitable to the consumer ; since the nitrogenous compounds, true sources of nutriment, are found in less quantity than in the meat of animals not so highly bred. 3 In sections where the climate is moist, and the food abundant and rich, some families of the short horns may be valuable for the dairy ; but they are most frequently bred ex- clusively for beef in this country, and in sections where they have attained the highest perfection of form and beauty, sO. little is thought of their milking qualities that they are often not milked at all, the calf being allowed to run with the dam. THE DUTCH. This short horned race, in the opinion of many—as has been previously remarked—contributed largely, about a century ago, to build up the Durham or Teeswater stock. It has been bred with special reference to dairy qualities, and is eminently adapted to supply the wants of the dairy farmer. The cows of North Holland not only give a large quantity, but also a very good quality, so that a yield of sixteen to twenty-five Tee wine measure, at every milking, is not rare. The principles upon which the inhabitants of Holland practise, in selecting a cow from which to breed, are as THE DUTCH. oT follows: She should have, they say, considerable size—not less than four and a half or five feet girth, with a length of body corresponding ; legs proportionally short; a finely formed head, with a forehead or face somewhat concave; clear, large, mild and sparkling eyes, yet with no expression of wildness ; tolerably large and stout ears, standing out from the head; fine, well curved horns; a rather short, than long, thick, broad neck, well set against the chest and withers; the front part of the breast and shoulders must be broad and fleshy ; the low-hanging dewlap must be soft to the touch; the back and loins must be properly projected, somewhat broad, the bones not too sharp, but well covered with flesh ; the animal should have long curved ribs, which form a broad breast bone; the body must be round and deep, but not sunken into a hanging belly ; the ramp must not be uneven, the hip-bones should not stand out too broad and spreading, but all the parts should be level and well filled up; a fine tail, set moderately high up and tolerably long, but slender, with a thick, bushy tuft of hair at the end, hanging down below the hocks; the legs must be short and low, but strong in the bony structure; the knees broad, with flexible joints; the muscles and sinews must be firm and sound, the hoofs broad and flat, and the position of the legs natural, not too close and crowded; the hide, covered with fine glossy hair, must — be soft and mellow to the touch, and set loose upon the body. A large, rather long, white and loose udder, extending well back, with four long teats, serves also as a characteristic mark of a good milch cow. Large and prominent milk- veins must extend from the navel back to the udder; the belly of a good milch cow should not be too deep and hang- 38 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. ing. The color of the North Dutch cattle is mostly varie- gated. Cows with only one color are no favorites. Red or black variegated, gray and blue variegated, roan, spotted and white variegated cows, are especially liked THE HEREFORD. These cattle derive their name from a county in the western part of England.. Their general characteristics are white face, sometimes mottled; white throat, the white generally extending back on the neck, and sometimes, though rarely, still further along on the back. The color of the rest of the body is red, generally dark, but sometimes light. Highty years ago the best Hereford cattle were mottled or — roan all over; and some of the best herds, down to a com- paratively recent period, were either all mottled, or had the mottled or speckled face. | The expression of the face is mild and lively ; the forehead open, broad, and large; the eyes bright and full of vivacity ; the horns glossy, slender and spreading; the head small, though larger than, and not quite so clear as, that of the Devons; the lower jaw fine; neck long and slender; chest deep; breast-bone large, prominent, and very muscular; the shoulder-blade light; shoulder full and soft; brisket and loins large; hips well developed, and on a level with the chine; hind quarters long and well filled in; buttocks on a level with the back, neither falling off nor raised above the hind quarters; tail slender, well set on; hair fine and soft; body round and full; carcass deep and well formed, or cylindrical ; bone small; thigh short and well made; legs short and straight, and slender below the knee; as handlers very THE HEREFORD. 39 excellent, especially mellow to the touch on the back, the shoulder, and along the sides, the skin being soft, flexible, of medium thickness, rolling on the neck and the hips; hair bright; face almost bare, which is characteristic of pure Herefords. They belong to the middle horned division of the cattle of Great Britain, to which they are indigenous, and have been improved within the last century by careful selections. Hereford oxen are excellent animals, less active but stronger than the Devons, and very free and docile. The demand for Herefords for beef prevents their being much used for work in their native county, and the farmers there generally use horses instead of oxen. It is generally conceded that the qualities in which Here- fords stand pre-eminent among the middle-sized breeds are in the production of oxen and their superiority of flesh. On these points there is little chance of their being excelled. It should, however, be borne in mind that the best oxen are not produced from the largest cows; nor is a superior quality of flesh, such as is considered very soft to the touch, with thin skin. It is the union of these two qualities which often characterizes the short horns; but Hereford breeders—as a recent writer remarks—should endeavor to maintain a higher standard of excellence—that for which the best of the breed have always been esteemed—a moderately thick, mellow hide, with a well apportioned combination of softness with elasticity. A sufficiency of hair is also desirable, and if accompanied with a disposition to curl moderately, it is more in esteem; but that which has a harsh and wiry feel is objectionable. | 40 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. In point of symmetry and beauty of form, the well bred — Herefords may be classed with the improved short horns, though they arrive somewhat more slowly at maturity, and never attain such weight. Like the improved short horns, they are chiefly bred for beef, and their beef is of the best quality in the English markets, commanding the highest price of any,.except, perhaps, the West Highlanders. ‘The short horn produces more beef at the same age than the Hereford, but consumes more food in proportion. The Herefords are far less generally spread over England than the improved short horns. They have seldom been bred for milk, as some families of the latter have ; and it is not very unusual to find pure-bred cows incapable of supplying milk sufficient to nourish their calves. They have been imported to this country to some extent, and several fine herds exist in different sections ; the earliest importations being those of - Henry Clay, of Kentucky, in 1811. The want of care and attention to the udder, soon after calving, especially if the cow be on luxuriant grass, often ‘injures her milking properties exceedingly. The practice in the county of Hereford has generally been to let the calves suckle from four to six months, and bull calves often run eight months with the cow. But their dairy qualities are perhaps as good as those of any cattle whose fattening © properties have been so carefully developed; and, though it — is probable that they could be bred for milk with proper care and attention, yet, as this change would be at the expense of other qualities equally valuable, it would evidently be wiser to resort to other stock for the dairy, THE ‘NORTH DEVONS. 4l THE NORTH DEVONS. This beautiful race of middle horned cattle dates further back than any well established breed among us. It goes generally SSS SSS - under the simple name of Devon; but ae : a Dye the cattle \ ofthesouth- § ern part of | from whieh A NORTH DEVON STEER. the race derives its name, differ somewhat from those of the northern, having a larger and coarser frame, and far less tendency to fatten, though their dairy qualities are superior. The North Devons are remarkable for hardihood, symmetry and beauty, and are generally bred for work and for beef, rather than for the dairy. The head is fine and well set on; the horns of medium length, generally curved; color usually bright blood-red, but sometimes inclining to yellow; skin thin and orange-yellow; hair of medium length, soft and silky, making the animals remarkable as handlers; muzzle | of the nose white; eyes full and mild; ears yellowish, or orange-color inside, of moderate size; neck rather long, with little dewlap; shoulders oblique; legs small and straight, with feet in proportion ; chest of good width; ribs round and expanded ; loins of first-rate quality, long, wide, and fleshy ; hips round, of medium width ; ramp level; tail full near the 42, CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. setting on, tapering to the tip; thighs of the bull and ox muscular and full, and high in the flank, though in the cow sometimes thought to be light; the size medium, generally called small. The proportion of meat on the valuable parts is greater, and the offal less, than on most other breeds, while it is well settled that they consume less food in its produc- tion. The Devons are popular with the Smithfield butchers, and their beef is well marbled or grained. As working oxen, the Devons perhaps excel all other races in quickness, docility, beauty, and the ease with which they are matched. With a reasonable load, they are said to be . equal to horses as walkers on the road, and when they are no longer wanted for work they fatten easily and turn well. As milkers, they do not excel—perhaps they may be said not to equal—the other breeds, and they have a reputation of being decidedly below the average. In their native - country the general average of the dairy is one pound of butter a day during the summer. They are bred for beef and for work, and not for the dairy; and their yield \of milk is small, though of a rich quality. Several animals, however, of the celebrated Patterson herd would have been remarkable as milkers even among good milking stock. | Still, the faults of the North Devon cow, considered as a dairy animal, are too marked to be overlooked. The rotundity of form and compactness of frame, though they contribute to her remarkable beauty, constitute an objec- tion to her for this purpose: since it is generally admitted that the peculiarity of form which disposes an animal to take on fat is somewhat incompatible with good milking qualities. — On this account, Youatt—who is standard authority in such — NATIVE CATTLE. 43 matters—says that for the dairy the North Devon must be acknowledged to be inferior to several other breeds. The milk is good, and yields more than the average proportion of cream and butter; but it is deficient in quantity. He also maintains that its property as a milker could not be im- proved without producing a certain detriment to its grazing qualities. Distinguished Devon breeders themselves have come to the same conclusion upon this point. The improved North Devon cow may be classed, in this respect, with the . Hereford, neither of which has well developed milk-vessels— a point of the utmost consequence to the practical dairyman. NATIVE CATTLE. The foregoing comprise the pure-bred races in America; for, though other and well-established breeds—like the Gal- loways, the long horns, the Spanish, and others—have, at times, been imported, and have had some influence on our American stock, yet they have not been kept distinct to such an extent as to become the prevailing stock of any particular section. 1 A large proportion, however—by‘ far the largest propor- tion, indeed—of the cattle known among us cannot be in- cluded under any of the races to which allusion has been made; and to the consideration of this class the present article is devoted. The term ‘‘breed”—as was set forth in the author’s treatise, “‘The Horse and his Diseases”—when properly understood, applies only to animals of the same species, possessing, besides the general characteristics of that species, other characteristics peculiar to themselves, which they owe 44 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. to the influence of soil, climate, nourishment, and the habits — of life to which they are subjected, and which they transmit | with certainty to their progeny. The characteristics of © certain breeds or families are so well marked, that, if an individual supposed to belong to any one of them were to produce an offspring not possessing them, or possessing them — only in part, with others not belonging to the breed, it would be just ground for suspecting a want of purity of ; - blood. | In this view, no grade animals, and no animals destitute of fixed peculiarities or characteristics which they share in common with all other animals of the class of which they are a type, and which they are capable of transmitting with | certainty to their descendants, can be recognized by breeders _ as belonging to any one distinct race, breed, or family. : The term “native” is applied to avast majority of our American cattle, which, though born on the soil, and thus in one sense natives, do not constitute a breed, race, or family, | as correctly understood by breeders. They do not posal characteristics peculiar to them all, which they transmit with | ! any certainty to their offspring, either of form, size, color, milking or working properties. But, though an animal may be made up of a mixture of j blood almost to impurity, it does not follow that, for specifiem purposes, it may not, as an individual animal, be one of the best of the species. Indeed, for particular purposes, animals | might be selected from among those commonly called | “natives” in New England, and “scrubs” at the west and south, equal, and perhaps superior, to any among the races produced by the most skillful breeding. NATIVE CATTLE. | 45 There can be no objection, therefore, to the use of the term “native,” when it is understood as descriptive of no own breed, but only as applied to the common stock of a country, which does not constitute a breed. But perhaps the entire class of animals commonly called “ natives” would be more accurately described as grades; since they are well known to have sprung from a great variety of cattle procured at different times and in different places on the continent of Kurope, in England, and in the Spanish West Indies, brought together without any regard to fixed principles of breeding, but only from individual convenience, and by accident. The first importations to this country were doubtless those taken to Virginia previous to 1609, though the exact date of their arrival is not known. Several cows were carried there from the West Indies in 1610, and in the next year no less than one hundred arrived there from abroad. vo : oe aN i | We ate “Ny YY ANS DRAFT OXEN. _ The earliest cattle imported into New England arrived in 1624. At the division of cattle which took place three years 46 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. after, one or two are distinctly described as black, or black © and white, others as brindle, showing that there was no uniformity of color. Soon after this, a large number of cattle were brought over from England for the settlers at Salem. These importations formed the original stock of Massachu- setts. | 3 | In 1725, the first importation was made into New York from Holland by the Dutch West India Company, and the — foundation was then laid for an exceedingly valuable race of animals, which subsequent importations from the same country, as well as from England, have greatly improved. The points and value of this race in its purity have been already adverted to under the head of the Dutch cattle. In 1627, cattle were brought from Sweden to the settle- ments on the Delaware, by the Swedish West India Company. In 1631, 1632, and 1633, several importations were made into New Hampshire by Captain John Mason, who, with Gorges, had procured the patent of large tracts of Jand in the vicinity of the Piscataqua river, and who imme- diately formed settlements there. The object of Mason was to carry on the manufacture of potash. For this purpose he employed the Danes; and it was in his voyage to and from Denmark that he procured many Danish cattle and horses, — which were subsequently scattered over that entire region,. | large numbers being driven to the vicinity of Boston and sold. ‘These Danish cattle are described as large and coarse, | of a yellow color; and it is supposed that they were pro- ‘ cured by Mason as being best capable of enduring the 4 severity of the climate and the hardships to which unt would be subjected. ¥ NATIVE CATTLE. AY _ However this may have been, they very soon spread among the colonists of the Massachusetts Bay, and have undoubtedly left their marks on the stock of the New England and the Middle States, which exist to some extent even to the present day, mixed in with an infinite multitude of crosses with the Devons, the Dutch cattle already alluded to, the black cattle of Spain and Wales, and the long horn and the short horn—most of which crosses were accidental, or due to local circumstances or individual convenience. Many of these cattle, the descendants of such crosses, are of a very high order of merit; but to which particular cross this is due, it is impossible to say. They generally make hardy, strong, and docile oxen, easily broken to the yoke and quick to work, with a fair tendency to fatten when well fed; while the cows, though often ill-shaped, are sometimes remarkably good milkers, especially as regards the quantity which they give. Indeed, it has been remarked by excellent judges of stock, that if they desired to select a dairy of cows for milk for sale, they would make their selection from cows commonly called native, in preference to pure-bred animals of any of the established breeds, and that they believed hey: should find such a dairy the most profitable. In color, the natives, made up as already indicated, are exceedingly various. The old Denmarks, which to a con- siderable extent laid the foundation of the stock of Maine and New Hampshire, were light yellow. The Dutch of New York and the Middle States, were black and white; the Spanish and Welsh were generally black ; the Devons, which are supposed to have laid the foundation of the stock of some 43 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES of the States, were red. Crosses of the Denmark with the 4 Spanish and Welsh naturally made a dark brindle; crosses of the Devon often made a lighter or yellowish brindle; © while the more recent importations of Jerseys and short horns have generally produced a beautiful spotted progeny. The deep red has long been a favorite color in New England; but the prejudice in its favor is fast giving way to more — variegated colors. | Among the earlier importations into this country were — also several varieties of hornless cattle, which have been — kept measurably distinct in some sections; or where they have been crossed with the common stock there has been a — tendency to produce hornless grades. These are not unfre- ~ quently known as “buffalo cattle.” They were, in many ~ cases, supposed to belong to the Galloway breed; or, which — a ee re is more likely, tothe Suffolk dun, a variety of the Galloway, © and a far better milking stock than the Galloways, from which it sprung. ‘These polled, or hornless cattle vary in color and qualities, but they are usually very good milkers when well kept, and many of them fatten well, and attain ~ good weight. ‘ The Hungarian cattle have also been imported, to some extent, into different parts of the country, and have been _ crossed upon the natives with some success.’ Many other strains of blood from different breeds have also contributed ‘ to build up the common stock of the country of the present day; and there can be no question that its appearance and — _ value have been largely improved during the last quarter of q a century, nor that improvements are still in progress which an” will lead to satisfactory results in the future. NATIVE CATTLE. . 49 But, though we already have an exceedingly valuable foundation for improvement, no one will pretend to deny that our cattle, as a whole, are susceptible of it in many respects... They possess neither the size, the symmetry, nor the early maturity of the short horns; they do not, as a _ general thing, possess the fineness of bone, the beauty of form and color, nor the activity of the Devons or the Here- fords; they do not possess that uniform richness of milk, united with generous quality, of the Ayrshires, nor the surpassing richness of milk of the Jerseys: but, above all, they do not possess the power of transmitting the many good qualities which they often have to their offspring—which is the characteristic of all well established breeds. It is equally certain, in the opinion of many good judges, that the dairy stock of the country has not been materially improved in its intrinsic good: qualities during the last thirty or forty years. This may not be true of certain sections, where the dairy has been made a special object of pursuit, and where the custom of raising the best male calves of the neighborhood, or those that came from the best dairy cows, and then of using only the best formed bulls, has long pre-_ -vailed. Although in this way some progress has, doubtless, been made, there are still room and need for more. More attention must be paid to correct principles of breeding before the satisfactory results which every farmer should strive to reach can be attained. _ Having glanced generally at the leading breeds of cattle in Great Britain, and examined, more in detail, the various breeds in the United States, the next subject demanding attention is, 4. 50 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF CATTLE. dvanee ~ / S if \ 1-49 \ Nu SKELETON OF THE OX AS COVERED BY THE MUSCLES. I, The upper jaw-bone. 2. The nasal bone, or bone of the nose. 3. The lachrymal bone. 4, The malar, orcheek bone. 5. The frontal bone, or bone of the forehead. 6. The horns, being processes or continuations of the frontal. 7. The temporal bone. 8. The parietal bone, low in the temporal fossa. 9. The occipital bone, deeply depressed below the crest or ridge of the head. 10. The lower jaw. 11. The grinders. 12. The nippers, found on the lower jaw alone. 13. The ligament of the neck, and its attachments. 14. The atlas. 16. The dentata. 17. The orbits of the eye. 18. The vertebre, or bones of the neck. 19. The bones of the back. 20. The bones of the loins. 21. The sacrum. 22. The bones of the tail. 23. The haunch and pelvis. 24. The eight true ribs. 25. The false ribs, with their cartilages. | 26. The sternum. 27. The scapula, or shoulder-blade. 28. The humerus, or lower bone of the shoulder. 29. The radius, or principal bone of the arm. 40. The ulna, its upper part forming the elbow. 41. The small bones of the knee. 42. The large metacarpal or shank bone. 43. The smaller or splint bone. 44. The sessa- moid bones. 45. The bifurcation at the pasterns, and the two larger pasterns to ‘each foot. 46. The two smaller pasterns to each foot. 47. The two coffin bones to each foot. 48. The navicular bones. 49. The thigh bone. 50. The patella, or bone ofthe knee. 51. The tibia, or proper leg bone. 52. The point of the hock. 53. The small bones of the hock. 54. The metatarsals, or larger bones of the hind leg. 55. The pasterns and feet. . Division. Vertebrata—possessing a back-bone. Ciass. Mammalia—such as give suck. FORMATION OF TEETH. 51 Ornper. Ruminantia—chewing the cud. Famity. With horns. Genus. Bovide—the ox tribe. Of this tribe there are eight species : Bos urus, the ancient bison. Bos bison, the American buffalo. Bos moschatus, the musk ox. _ Bos frontalis, the gayal. - Bos grunniens, the grunting ox. Bos caffer, the South African buffalo. Bos bubalus, the common buffalo. Bos taurus, the common domestic ox. GESTATION. The usual period of pregnancy in a cow is nine calendar months, and something over: at times as much as three weeks. With one thousand and thirty one cows, whose gestations were carefully observed in France, the average period was about two hundred and eighty-five days. FORMATION OF TEETH, It is of the utmost importance to be able to judge of the age of acow. Few farmers wish to purchase a cow for the dairy after she has passed her prime, which will ordinarily be at the age of nine or ten years, varying, of course, accord- ing to care, feeding, &c., in the earlier part of her life. The common method of forming an estimate of the age of cattle is by an examination of the horn. At three years old, as a general rule, the horns are perfectly smooth; after this, _aring appears near the nob, and annually afterward a new 52 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. one is formed, so that, by adding two years to the first ring, the age is calculated. This is a very uncertain mode of judging. The rings are distinct only in the cow; and it is well a » known that if a heifer goes to bull “Ih when she is two years old, or a ij little before or after that time, a . change takes place in the horn and the first ring appears ; so that a real three-year-old would carry the mark of a four-year-old. The rings on the horns of a bull are either not seen until five, or TEETH AT BIRTH. | they cannot be traced at all; while in the ox they do not appear till he is five years old, and then are often very indistinct. In addition to this, it is by no means an uncommon practice to file the horns, so as to make — m inn an NN ami \ in NN 4 them smooth, and to give the a \\\] animal the appearance of being 3 ‘ \ / much younger than it really is. \ This is, therefore, an exceedingly \ fallacious guide, and cannot be relied upon by any one with the degree of confidence desired. The surest indication of the age in cattle, as in the horse, is SECOND WEEK. , _ given by the teeth. The calf, at birth, will usually have two incisor or front teeth—in some cases just appearing through the gums; in FORMATION OF TEETH. 53 others, fully set, varying as the cow falls short of, or exceeds, her regular time of calving. If she overruns several days, THREE WEEKS. MONTH. the eeth will have set and attained considerable size, as appears in the cut representing teeth at birth. During the second week, a tooth will usually be added on each side, and Ny UAHOW GG Qq \ FIVE TO EIGHT MONTHS. TEN MCNTHS. the mouth will generally appear as in the next cut; and before the end of the third week, the animal will generally have six incisor teeth, as denoted in the cut representing 54 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. teeth at the third week; and in a week from that time the full number of incisors will have appeared, as seen in the | next cut. “Ny LIQ These teeth are temporary, MG \ and are often called milk-teeth. Their edge is very sharp; and as the animal begins to live upon more solid food, this edge becomes worn, showing the bony part of the tooth beneath, and indicates with considerable precision the length of time they TWELVE reer have been used. ‘The centre, or oldest teeth show the marks of age first, and often become somewhat worn before the corner teeth appear. At eight weeks, the four inner teeth are on the outer edge or line of the tooth, as inside this line; but, after this, the edge begins gradually to lose its sharpness, and to present a more flattened surface; while the next outer - : teeth wear down like the four | PIPTREN MONTHS. central ones; and at three months this wearing off is very apparent, till at four months all the incisor teeth appear worn, but the inner ones the most. Now the teeth begin slowly to diminish in size by a nearly as sharp as_ before. They appear worn not so much ar ag — = FORMATION OF TEETH, 55 kind of contraction, as well as wearing down, and the distance apart becomes more and more apparent. From the fifth to the eighth month, the inner teeth will usually appear as in the cut of the teeth at that time; and at ten months, this change shows \f more clearly, as represented in the next cut, and the spaces between them begin to show very plainly, till at a year old they ordinarily present the ap- pearance of the following cut; Pentru aaa and at the age of fifteen months, that shown in the next, where the corner teeth are not more than half the original size, and the centre ones still x smaller. The permanent teeth are now rapidly growing, and preparing to take the place of the milk- teeth, which are gradually ab- sorbed till they disappear, or are pushed out to give place to _the two permanent central inci- sors, which at a year and a half will generally present the ap- oe pearance indicated in the cut, which shows the internal structure of the lower jaw at this time, with the cells of the teeth, the two central. ones protruding into the mouth, the ‘next two pushing up, but not quite grown to the surface, 56 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. with the third pair just perceptible. These changes require F time ; and at two years past the jaw will usually appear as THREE YEARS PAST. FOUR YEARS PAST. | in the cut, where four of the permanent central incisors are _ seen. After this, the other milk-teeth decrease rapidly, but : are slow to disappear; and at three years old, the third pair ee LLL LZ FIVE YEARS PAST. TEN YEARS PAST. ; of permanent teeth are but formed, as represented in the cut; ' and at four years the last pair of incisors will be up, as in “a the cut of that age; but the outside ones are not yet fully : . | POINTS OF A GOOD cow. 57 grown, and the beast can hardly be said to be full-mouthed till the age of five years. But before this age, or at the age of four years, the two inner pairs of permanent teeth are beginning to wear at the edges, as shown in the cut; while at five years old the whole set becomes somewhat worn down at the top, and on the two centre ones a darker line appears in the middle, along a line of harder bone, as appears in the appropriate cut. Now will come a year or two, and sometimes three, when the teeth do not so clearly indicate the exact age, and the judgment must be guided by the extent to which the dark middle lines are worn. This will depend somewhat upon the exposure and feeding of the animal; but at seven years these lines extend over all the teeth. At eight years, another change begins, which cannot be mistaken. A kind of absorption begins with the two central incisors—slow at first, but perceptible—and these two teeth become smaller than the rest, while the dark lines are worn into one in all but the corner teeth, till, at ten years, four of the central incisors have become smaller in size, with a smaller and fainter mark, as indicated in the proper cut. At eleven, the six inner teeth are smaller than the corner ones; and at twelve, all become smaller than they were, while the dark lines are nearly gone, except in the corner teeth, and the inner edge is worn to the gum. POINTS OF A GOOD COW. After satisfaction is afforded touching the age of a cow, she should be examined with reference to her soundness of constitution. ~ (5 UL pp ~ oy, ae UG a WG be Y yi te A CHANCE FOR A SELECTION. ; hay or for pasture; and has been especially recommended for soiling purposes, on account of its early and luxuriant : 9 130 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. growth. It is often found on the borders of fields and 4 hedges, woods and pastures, and is sometimes very plenty in mowing-lands. After having been mown it shoots up avery — thick aftermath, and, on this account, partly, is regarded of nearly equal excellence with the common foxtail. It grows spontaneously on deep, sandy soils, when once naturalized. It has been cultivated to a considerable extent in this country, and is esteemed by those who know it mainly for its early, rapid, and late growth, making it very well calculated as a permanent pasture grass. It will succeed on tenacious clover soil. | ; The SwEEt-ScenTED VERNAL Grass is one of the earliest in spring and one of the latest in autumn ; and this habit of growth is one of its chief excellencies, as it is neither a nutritious grass, nor very palatable to stock of any kind, nor does it yield a very good crop. It is very common in New England and all over the Middle States, coming into old — worn-out fields and moist pastures spontaneously, and along — every roadside. It derives its name from its sweetness of — odor when partially wilted or crushed in the hand, and it is | this chiefly which gives the delicious fragrance to all new-— mown hay. It is almost the only grass that possesses a | strongly-marked aromatic odor, which is imparted to other grasses with which it iscured. Its seed weighs eight pounds © _to the bushel. In mixtures for permanent pastures it may be of some value. HUNGARIAN Grass, or millet, is an annual forage plant, introduced into France in 1815, and more recently into this country. It germinates readily, and withstands the drought remarkably, remaining green when other grasses are parched CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. £31 and dried up. It has numerous succulent leaves which furnish an abundance of sweet fodder, greatly relished by stock of all kinds. It attains its greatest luxuriance on soils of medium consistency and richness, but does very well on light and dry plains. ReEpD CLovenr is an artificial grass of the leguminous family, and one of the most valuable cultivated plants for feeding to dairy cows. It flourishes best on tenacious soils and stiff loams. Its growth is rapid, and a few months after sowing are sufficient to supply an abundant sweet and nutritious food. In the climate of New England, clover should be sown in the spring of the year, while most of the natural grasses do far better when sown in the fall. It is often sown with perfect success on the late snows of March or April, and soon finds its way down into the soil and takes a vigor- ous hold with its root. It is valuable not only as a forage plant, but as shading the ground, and thereby increasing its fertility. The introduction of clover among the cultivated plants of the farm has done more, perhaps, for modern agriculture than that of any other single plant. It is now considered indis- _ pensable in all good dairy districts. WuitE CLover, often called Honeysuckle, is also ae diffused over this country, to which it is undoubtedly indig- -enous. As a mixture in all pasture grasses it holds a very high rank, as it is exceedingly sweet and nutritious, and relished by all kinds of stock. It grows most luxuriantly in _ moist grounds and moist seasons, but easily accommodates _ itself to a great variety of circumstances. . With respect to the mixtures of grass-seeds most profitable ya yei san CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. _ for the dairy farmer, no universal rule can be given, as they depend very much upon the nature of the soil and the locality. The most important point to be observed, and the one as to which, probably, the greatest deficiency exists, is to use a large number of species, with smaller quantities of each than those most commonly used. 'Thisis Nature’s rule; for, in examining the turf of a rich old pasture, a large number of different species will be found growing together, while, if the turf of a field sown without two or three species ‘is examined, a far less number of plants is found to the square foot, even after the sod is fairly set. In the opinion of the most competent judges, no improvement in grass culture is more important than this. As an instance of what he would consider an improvement on the ordinary mixtures for permanent pastures, Mr. Flint, in his ‘‘Milch Cows and Dairy Farming,” suggests the following as likely to give satisfactory results, dependent, of course, to a considerable extent, on the nature and prepara- tion of the soil: Meadow Foxtail, flowering in May and June, 2 pounds. Orchard Grass, . Pea tae Pei Sys. Sweet-scented Vernal, “ eA priland: Maa ein Meadow Fescue, “ "May and June, 2a Redtop, Mi eo dune and duly. (2a June Grass, : ‘¢ May and June, 4 “ ‘Ttalian Rye Grass, “ * June, Be Perennial do., at te eS) Si el Timothy, i “" June and July. sa. Rough-stalked Meadow Grass, “ Toad aaa Perennial Clover, flowering in June, . Sue White Clover, tp “May to September 5-40“ < SSS CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. - 133 For mowing-lands the mixture would, of course, be some- what changed. The meadow foxtail and sweet-scented vernal would be left out entirely, and some six or eight pounds added to the Timothy and red clover. The proper time to lay down lands to grass in the latitude of New England is August or September, and no grain crop should be sown with the seed. Stiff or clayey pastures should never be overstocked, but when fed pretty close the grasses are far sweeter and more nutritious than when they are allowed to grow up rank and - coarse; and if, by a want of sufficient feeding, they get the start of the stock, and grow into rank tufts, they should be cut and removed, when a fresh grass will start up, similar to the aftermath of mowing-lands, which will be eaten with avidity. Grasses for curing into hay should be cut either at the time of flowering, or just before, especially if designed for milch cows. They are then more succulent and juicy, and, if properly cured, form the sweetest food. Grass cut in the blossom will make more milk than if allowed to stand later. Cuta little before the blossoming; it will make more than when in blossom, and the cows prefer it, which is by no means an unimportant consideration, since their tastes should always be consulted. Grass cut some- what green, and properly cured, is next to fresh, green grass in palatable, nutritive qualities. Every farmer knows the milk-producing properties of rowen, or second crop, which is generally cut before it ripens. f No operation on the farm is of greater importance to the dairyman than the cutting of his grass and the manner of curing hay; and in this respect the practice over the country 134 - CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. - generally is susceptible of very marked improvement. The chief object is to preserve the sweetness and succulence of the grass in its natural state, so far as possible; and this object cannot be attained by exposing it too long to the — scorching suns and drenching rains to which our climate is liable. Asa general thing, farmers try to make their hay - too much. 4 As to the best modes of curing clover, the following, — among others, is adopted by many successful farmers: What is mown in the morning is left in the swath, to be turned — over early in the afternoon. At about four o’clock, or while it is still warm, it is put into small cocks with a fork, and, if the weather is favorable, it may be housed on the fourth or fifth day, the cocks being turned over on the morning of the | day in which it is to be carted. By this method all the © heads and leaves are saved, and these are more valuable than — the stems. For hew milch cows in winter scarcely any food is better. It will cause them to give as great a flow of milk ) as any hay, unless it be good rowen. Inp1an Corn makes an exceedingly valuable fodder, both as a means of carrying a herd of milch cows through our — severe droughts of summer, and as an article for soiling cows kept in the stall. No dairy farmer will neglect to sow an extent in proportion to the number of cows which he keeps. The most common practice is, to sow in drills from two and a _ half to three feet apart, on Iand well tilled and thoroughly - manured, making the drills from six to ten inches wide with — the plough, manuring in the furrow, dropping the kernels 4 about two inches apart, and covering with the hoe. In this q mode of culture, the cultivator may be used between the — a GE eee CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. 135 ta rows when the corn is from six to twelve inches high, and, unless the ground is very weedy, no other after culture is needed. The first sowing usually takes place about the middle of May, and this is succeeded by other sowings, at intervals of a week or ten days, till July, in order to have a succession of green fodder; but, if it is designed to cut it up to cure for winter use, an early sowing is generally pre- ferred, in order to be able to cure it in warm weather, in August or early in September. Sown in this way, about three or four bushels of corn are required for an acre; since, if sown thickly, the fodder is better, the stalks smaller, and the waste less. The chief difficulty in curing corn cultivated for this purpose, and after the methods just spoken of, arises from the fact that it comes at a season when the weather is often colder, the days shorter, and the dews heavier, than when the curing of hay takes place. Nor is the curing of corn cut up green so easy and simple as that of the drying of stalks of Indian corn cut above the ear, as in the common practice of topping. The plant is then riper, less juicy, and cures more readily. The method sometimes adopted is to cut and tie into small bundles, after it is somewhat wilted, and then to stook upon the ground, where it is allowed to stand, subject to all the changes of weather, with only the protection of the stook itself. The stooks consist of bunches of stalks first bound into small bundles, and are made sufficiently large to prevent the wind from blowing them over. The arms are thrown ‘around the tops to bring them as closely together as possible, when the tops are broken over or twisted together, or other- 136 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. wise fastened, in order to make the stook “shed tne rain” as well as possible. In this condition they remain out until they are sufficiently dried to be put in the barn. Corn fodder is very excellent for young dairy stock. Common MItueT is another very valuable crop for fodder in soiling, or to cure for winter use, but especially to feed out during the usual season of drought. Many varieties of millet are cultivated in this country, the ground being pre- pared and treated as for oats. If designed to cut for green fodder, half a bushel of seed to the acre should be used; if to ripen seed, twelve quarts, sown broadcast, about the last of May or early in June. A moist loam or muck is the best soil adapted to millet; but very great crops have been grown on dry upland. It is very palatable and nutritious for milch cows, both green and when properly cured. The curing should be very much like that of clover, care being taken not to over-dry it. For fodder, either green or cured, it is cut before ripening. In this state all cattle eat it as readily as green corn, and a less extent will feed them. Millet is worthy of a widely-extended cultivation, particularly on dairy farms. Indian millet is another cultivated variety. Rye, as a fodder plant, is chiefly valuable for its early growth in spring. It is usually sown in September or October—from the middle to the end of September being, perhaps, the most desirable time—on land previously culti- vated and in good condition. If designed to ripen only, a bushel of seed is required to the acre, evenly sown; but, if intended for early fodder in spring, two or two and a half bushels of seed per acre should be used. On warm land the rye can be cut green the last of April or the first of May. f | as " Nf a 4 CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. LT Care should be taken to cut early; since, if it is allowed to advance too far towards maturity, the stalk becomes hard and unpalatable to cows. Oats are also sometimes used for soiling, or for feeding green, to eke out a scanty supply of pasture feed; and for this purpose they are valuable. They should be sown on well-tilled and well-manured land, about four bushels to the acre, towards the last of April or the first of May. If the whole crop is to be used as green fodder, five bushels of seed will not be too much for good, strong soil. They will be sufficiently grown to cut by the first of July, or in some sections earlier, depending upon the location. The CHINESE SuGAR-CANE also may deserve attention as a fodder plant. Experiments thus far made would seem to show that when properly cultivated, and cut at the right time, it is a palatable and nutritious plant, while many of the failures have been the result of too early cutting. For a fodder crop the drill culture is preferable, both on account of the larger yield obtained and because it is thus prevented from becoming too hard and stalky. Of the root crops the Potato is the first to be mentioned. This produces a large quantity of milk, though the quality is inferior. The market value of this root is, at times, too great to allow of feeding extensively with it, even in milk dairies, where it is most valuable as a food for cows; still, there are locations where it may be judicious to cultivate this root for dairy feed, and in all circumstances there is a certain portion of the crop of unmarketable size, which will be of value fed _to milch cows or swine. It should be planted in April or May, but in many sections in June, on good mellow soil, first 138 | CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. | thoroughly plowed and harrowed, then furrowed three feet apart, and manured in the furrows with a mixture of ashes, plaster of Paris, and salt. The seed may be dropped in the furrows, one foot apart, after the drill system—or in hills, two and a half or three feet apart—to be covered with the plough by simply turning the furrows back, after which the whole should be rolled with the field-roller, when it can be done. If the land is not already in good heart from continued cultivation, a few loads of barnyard manure may be spread, and plowed under by the first plowing. Used in this way it is far less liable to cause the rot, than when it is put in the hill. If a sufficient quantity of wood-ashes is not at hand, sifted coal-ashes will answer the purpose, and these are said to be valuable as a. preventive of rot. In this way, one man, two boys, and a horse can plant from three to four acres a day on mellow land. 7 By another method two acres a day on the sod have been planted. The manure is first spread upon the grass, and then a furrow made by a yoke of oxen and one man, another following after and dropping, a foot apart, along the outer edge of the furrow on the grass. By quick work, one hand can nearly keep up with the plow in dropping. When arrived at the end of the piece, a back furrow is turned up to — the potatoes, and a good plowman will cover nearly all without difficulty. On the return furrow, the man or boy, © who dropped follows after, covering up any that may be left or displaced, and smoothing off the top of the back-furrows when necessary. Potatoes thus planted have come out t finely. , h, CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. 139 The cost of cultivation in this mode, it must be evident, is but trifling, compared with the slower method of hand-plant- ing. It requires a skillful ploughman, a quick, active lad, and a good yoke of oxen, and the extent of the work will depend somewhat upon the state of the turf. The nutritive equivalent for potatoes in a hundred pounds of good hay is 319 pounds; that is, it will take 3.19 pounds of potatoes to afford the same amount of nourishment as one pound of hay. The great value of roots is as a change or condiment calcu- lated to keep the animal in a healthy condition. The Carrot is somewhat extensively fed, and is a valuable root for milch cows. This, like the potato, has been culti- vated and im- eT i te | proved from a | wild plant. Carrots require a deep, warm, mellow soil, thoroughly cul- tivated, but clean, and free A WEST HIGHLAND OX. from weed-seea. The difference between a very good profit and a loss on the crop depends much upon the use of land and manures perfectly free from foul seeds of any kind. Ashes, guano, seaweed, ground bones, and other similar substances, or thoroughly-rotted and fermented compost, will answer the purpose. After plowing deep, and harrowing carefully, the seed should be planted with a seed-sower, in drills about eighteen inches apart, at the rate of four pounds to the acre, about the 140 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES, middle of May. The difference between sowing on the fifteenth of May and on the tenth of June in New England is said to be nearly one-third in the crop on an average of years. In weeding, a little wheel-hoe is invaluable, as with ita large part of the labor of cultivation is saved. A skillful hand can run this hoe within a half an inch of the young plants without injury, and go over a large space in the course of a day, if the land was properly prepared in the first place. The American farmer should always plan to economize labor, which is the great item of expense upon a farm. By this is not meant that he should strive to shirk or avoid work, but that he should make the least amount of work accomplish the greatest and most profitable results. Labor- saving machinery on the farm is applied, not to reduce the number of hours of labor, or to make the owner a man of leisure—who is, generally, the unhappiest man in the world— but to enable him to accomplish the greatest results in the same time that he would be compelled to obtain smaller ones. Carrots will continue to grow and increase in size late into the fall. When ready to dig, plow around as. near to the outside rows as possible, turning away the furrow from the row. Then take out the carrots, pulling off the tops, and throw the carrots and tops into separate heaps on the plowed furrows. In this way a man and two boys can harvest and put into the cellar upwards of a hundred bushels a day. also largely cultivated as a field crop to feed to stock; and for this purpose almost numberless varieties are used, furnish- — ing a great amount of succulent and nutritious food, late into The Turnip, and the Swedish turnip, or ruta baga, are SE a ae - <7. CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. 141 winter, and, if well-kept, late into spring. The chief objec- tion to the turnip ‘is, that it taints the milk. This may be remedied—to a considerable extent, if not wholly—by the ‘use of salt, or salt hay, and by feeding at the time of milking, or immediately after, or by steaming before feeding, or put- ting a small quantity of the solution of nitre into the pail, and milking upon it. Turnips may be sown any time in June, in rich land, well mellowed by cultivation. Very large crops are obtained, sown as late as the middle of July, or the first of August, on an invertes sod. The Michigan, or double-mould-board plow leaves the land light, and in admirable condition to harrow, and drill in turnips. In one instance, a successful root-grower cut two tons of hay to the acre, on the twenty- third of June, and after it was removed from the land spread eight cords of rotten kelp to the acre, and plowed in; after which about three cords of fine old compost manure were used to the acre, which was sown with ruta baga seed, in drills, three feet apart, plants thinned to eight or ten inches in the drill. No after cultivation was required. On the fifteenth of November he harvested three hundred and seventy bushels of splendid roots to the acre, carefully measured off. cae The nutritive equivalent of Swedish turnips as compared with good meadow hay is 676, taking hay as a standard at 100; that is, it would require 6.76 pounds of turnips to furnish the same nutriment as one pound of good hay ; but fed in connection with other food—as hay, for example—perhaps five pounds of turnips would be about equal to one pound of hay 142 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. The English or round turnip is usually sown broadcast after some other crop, and large and valuable returns are ' often obtained. 'The Swede is sown in drills. Both of these — varieties are used for the production of milk. The chief objection to the turnip crop is that it leaves many kinds of soil unfit for a succession of some other crops, like Indian corn, for instance. In some sections, no amount. of manuring appears to make corn do well after turnips or ruta bagas. | Uh The Mancorp WoRTzEL, a variety of the:common beet, is. often cultivated in this country with great success, and fed to cows with advantage, furnishing a succulent and nutritive . food in winter and spring. ‘The crop is somewhat uncertain. When it does well, an enormous yield is often obtained ; but, not rarely, it proves a failure, and is not, on the whole, quite as reliable as the ruta baga, though a more valuable crop | when the yield is good. It is cultivated like the common | beet in moist, rich soils, three pounds of seed to the acre. The leaves may be stripped off, towards fall, and fed out, without injury to the growth of the root. Both mangolds — and. turnips should be cut with a root-cutter, before being fed out. ca The Parsnip is a very sweet and nutritious article of © fodder, and adds richness and flavor to the milk. It is worthy of extended culture in all parts of the country where — dairy husbandry is pursued. It is a biennial, easily raised — ) on deep, rich, well-cultivated and well-manured soils, often | yielding enormous crops, and possessing the decided advan-— tage of withstanding the severest winters. As an article of P spring feeding, therefore, it is exceedingly valuable. Sown CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. 143 in April or May, it attains a large growth before winter. hen, if desirable, a part of the crop may be harvested for inter use, and the remainder left in the ground till the frost is out, in March or April, when they can be dug as wanted, and are exceedingly relished by milch cows and stock of all inds. They make an admirable feed at the time of milking, and produce the richest cream, and the yellowest and finest- flavored butter, of any roots used among us. The best dairy farmers on the Island of Jersey often feed to their cows from thirty to thirty-five pounds of parsnips a day, in addition to hay or grass. Both practical experiment and scientific analysis prove this root to be eminently adapted to dairy stock, where the rich- ness of milk or fine-flavored butter is any object. For mere milk-dairies, it is not quite so valuable, probably, as the Swedish turnip. The culture is similar to that of carrots, a rich, mellow, and deep loam being best; while it has a great advantage over the carrot in being more hardy, and rather less liable to injury from insects, and more nutritive. For feeding and fattening stock it is eminently adapted. To be sure of a crop, fresh seed must be had, as it cannot be depended on for more than one year. For this reason the largest and straightest roots should be allowed to stand for seed, which, as soon as nearly ripe, should be taken out and spread out to dry, and carefully kept for use. For field culture, the hollow-crowned parsnip is the best and most profitable; but on thin, shallow soils the turnip-rooted variety should be used. Parsnips may be harvested like carrots, by plowing along the rows. Let butter or cheese dairy- 144 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. men give this crop a fair and full trial, and watch its effect i the quality of the milk and butter. 4 The Kout Rast is also cultivated to a considerable extent | in this country for the purpose of.feeding stock. It is sup- posed to be a hybrid between the cabbage and the turnip, and is often called the cabbage-turnip, having the root of the former, with a turnip-like or bulbous stem. The special reason for its more extensive cultivation among us is its wonderful indifference to droughts, in which it seems to. flourish best, and to bring forth the most luxuriant crops. — It also withstands the frosts remarkably, being a hardy plant,” It yields a somewhat richer quality of milk than the ordinary | turnip, and the crop is generally admitted to be as abundant and profitable. Very large crops of it have been produced by the ordinary turnip or cabbage cultivation. As in cab- bage-culture, it is best to sow the seed in March or April, in . a warm and well-enriched seed-bed; from which it is trans- planted in May, and set out after the manner of cabbages in ~ garden culture. It bears transplanting better than most : other roots. Insects injure it less than the turnip, dry 3 weather favors it, and it keeps well through winter. For these reasons, it must be regarded as a valuable addition to our list of forage plants adapted to dairy farming. It grows well on stronger soils than the turnip requires. | LinsrED Murat is the ground cake of flaxseed after the oil is pressed out. It is very rich in fat-forming principles, and : given to milch cows increases the quality of butter, ané. keeps them in condition. Four or five pounds a day are sufficient for cows in milk, and this amount will effect as ereat saving in the cost of other food, and at the same time CULTURE OF GRASSES FOR FODDER. 145 ake a very rich milk. It is extensively manufactured in his country, and largely exported, but it is worthy of more eneral use here. It must not be fed in too large quantities to milch cows, for it would be liable to give too great a tendency to fat, and thus affect the quantity of the milk. CorTon-SEED MEAL is an article of comparatively recent Bintroduction. It is obtained by pressing the seed of the cotton-plant, which extracts the oil, when the cake is crushed or ground into meal, which has been found to be a very valuable article for feeding stock. From analysis it is shown to be equal or superior to linseed meal. Practical experi- ments only are needed to establish it. It can be procured in market at a reasonable price. The Manvres used in this country for the culture of the above named plants are mostly such as are made on the farm, consisting chiefly of barnyard composts of various kinds, with often a large admixture of peat-mud. There are few farms that do not contain substances, which, if properly husbanded, would add very greatly to the amount of manure ordinarily made. The best of the concentrated manures, which it is ‘Sometimes necessary to use, for want of time and labor to prepare enough upon the farm, is, unquestionably, Peruvian guano. The results of this, when properly applied, are well known and reliable, which can hardly be said of any other artificial manure offered for the farmer’s notice. The chief objection to depending upon manures made off the farm is, in the first place, their great expense ; and in the second—which is equally important—the fact, that, though they may be made valuable, and produce at one time the best results, a ‘want of care in the manufacture, or designed fraud, may 146 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. make them almost worthless, with the impossibility of detect- : ing the imposition, without a chemical analysis, till it be- ~ comes too late, and the crop is lost. It is, therefore, safest to rely mainly upon the home manu- facture of manure. The extra expense of soiling cattle, saving and applying the liquid manure, and thus bringing — the land to a higher state of cultivation, when it will be capable of keeping more stock and furnishing more manure, would offer a surer road to success than a constant outlay for concentrated fertilizers. . THE BARN. The farm barn, next to the farm house, is the most im- portant structure of the farm itself, in the Northern and Middle States; and even at the South and Southwest, where. barns are less used, they are of more importance in the economy of farm management than is generally understood. Indeed, to the eyes of a person of taste, a farm or plantation appears incomplete, without good barn accommodations, as much as without good household appointments—and without them, no agricultural establishment can be complete in all its proper economy. | . The most thorough barn structures, perhaps, to be seen in. the United States, are those of the State of Pennsylvania, built by the German farmers of the lower and central coun- ties. They are large, and expensive in their construction; and, in a strictly economical point of view, are, perhaps, more : costly than is required. Yet, there is a substantial durability about them, that is exceedingly satisfactory, and, where the THE BARN. 147 pecuniary ability of the farmer will admit, they may well furnish models for imitation. In the structure of the barn, and in its interior accommo- — dation, much will depend upon the branches of agriculture to which the farm is devoted. A farm cultivated in grain chiefly requires but little room for stabling purposes. Storage for grain in the sheaf, and granaries, will require its room; while a stock farm requires a barn with extensive hay storage, and stables for its cattle, horses, and sheep, in all climates which do not admit of such stocks living through the winter in the field, as is the case in the great grazing districts west of the Alleghanies. Again, there are wide districts of country where a mixed husbandry of grain and stock is pursued, which require barns and outbuildings accommodating both. It may be well here to remark that many designers of barns, sheds, and other out-buildings for the accommodation of farm stock, have indulged in fanciful arrangements for the comfort and convenience of animals, which are so compli- cated that when constructed, as they sometimes are, the practical, common-sense farmer will not use them; and by reason of the learning which is required for their use, they are altogether unsuitable for the treatment and use which they generally receive from those who have the daily care of the stock for which they are intended, and for the rough usage which they experience from the animals themselves. A very pretty and plausible arrangement of stabling, feeding, and all the other requirements of a barn establishment may be thus got up by an ingenious theorist at the fireside, which will work charmingly as he dilates upon its good qualities, untried ; but, which, when subjected to experiment, will be 148 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES, utterly worthless for practical use. There can be no doubt that the simplest plan of construction, consistent with an economical expenditure of the material of food for the con- sumption of stock, is by far the most preferable. Another item to be considered in this connection, is the comparative value of the stock, the forage fed to them, and the labor expended in feeding and taking care of them. To illustrate: Suppose a farm to lie in the vicinity of a large town or city. Its value is, perhaps, a hundred dollars an acre. The hay cut upon it is worth fifteen dollars a ton, at the barn, and straw and coarse grains in proportion, and hired labor ten or twelve dollars a month. Consequently, the manager of this farm should use all the economy in his power, by the aid of cutting-boxes and other machinery, to make the least amount of forage supply the wants of his” stock; and the internal economy of his barn should be arranged accordingly, since labor is his cheapest item, and | food his dearest. Therefore, any contrivance by which to work up his forage the closest—by way of machinery, or manual labor—so that it shaJl serve the purposes of keeping his stock, is true economy; and the making and saving of manures are items of the first importance. His buildings and their arrangements throughout should, for these reasons, be constructed in accordance with his practice. If, on the other hand, lands are cheap and productive, and labor comparatively dear, a different practice will prevail. The farmer will feed his hay from the mow without cutting. The straw will be stacked out, and the cattle turned to it, to pick what they like of it, and make their beds of the re- _ mainder; or, if it is housed, he will throw it into racks, and : THE BARN. 149 the stock may eat what they choose. To do this requires but one-third, or one-half of the labor which is required by the other mode, and the saving in this makes up, and perhaps more than makes up, for the increased quantity of forage consumed. Again, climate may equally affect the mode of winter- feeding the stock. The winters may be mild. The hay may be stacked in the fields when gathered, or put into small barns built for hay storage alone; and the manure, scattered over the fields by the cattle, as they are fed from either of them, may be knocked to pieces with the dung-beetle, in the spring, or harrowed and bushed over the ground; and with the very small quantity of labor required in all this, such practice will be more economical than any other which can be adopted. In latitudes, however, in which it becomes necessary to stall-feed during several months of the year, barns are indis- pensable. These should be warm, and at the same time well ventilated. The barn should be arranged in a manner suita- _ ble to keeping hay and other fodder dry and sweet, and with reference to the comfort and health of the animals, and the economy of labor and manure. The size and finish will, of course, depend on the wants and means of the farmer or dairyman; but many little conveniences, it should not be forgotten, can be added at comparatively trifling cost. The accompanying cut of a barn is given merely as an illustration of a convenient arrangement for a medium-sized dairy, and not as being adapted to all circumstances or situa- tions. This barn is supposed to stand upon a side-hill or an inclined surface, where it is easy to have a cellar, if desired ; 150 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. and the cattle-room, as shown in the cut, is in the second 7 ot story, or directly over the cellar, the bottom of which should ; | lg ia ie SESS 1s i eh Ct alle BARN FOR THIRTY-FOUR COWS AND THREE YOKE OF OXEN. 5 — | — — | be somewhat dished, or lower in the middle than around the 7 outer sides, and carefully paved, or laid in cement. — q THE BARN. _ 151 On the outside is represented an open shed, m, for carts nd wagons to remain under cover, thirty feet by fifteen, hile 722711 are bins for vegetables, to be filled through cuttles from the floor of the story above, and surrounded by olid walls. The area of this whole floor equals one hundred feet by fifty-seven. &, is an open space, nearly on a level with the cow-chamber, through the door p._ §, stairs to the third story and to the cellar. ddd, passage next to the walls, five feet wide, and nine inches above the dung-pit eee, dung-pit, two feet wide, and seven inches below the floor where the cattle stand. The manure drops from this pit into the cellar below, five feet from the walls, and quite around the cellar. ccc, plank floor for cows, four feet six inches long. 006, stalls for three yoke of oxen, on a platform five feet six inches long. 17, calf-pens, which may also he used for cows in calving. 77, feeding-troughs for calves. The feeding-boxes are made in the form of trays, with parti- tions between them. Water comes in by a pipe, to cistern a. This cistern is regulated by a cock and ball, and the water flows by dotted lines, 000, to the boxes; each box being connected by lead pipes well secured from frost, so that, if — desired, each animal can be watered without leaving the stall, or water can be kept constantly before it. A scuttle, through which sweepings and refuse may be put into the cellar, is seen at f. g is a bin receiving cut hay from the third story, or hay-room. Ahhhhh, bins for grain-feed. iis a tunnel to conduct manure or muck from the hay-floor to the cellar. jj, sliding-doors on wheels. The cows all face toward the open area in the centre. This cow-room may be furnished with a thermometer, 152 ue AND THEIR DISEASES. clock, etc., and nace always be well ventilated by slidin, o| windows, which at the same time admit the light. a4 The next cut is a transverse section of the same cow- room; a being a walk behind the cows, five feet wide; 6, dung-pit : TRANSVERSE SECTION. with the platform where the cattle stand ; h, open area, forty- : three feet, by fifty-six. ; The story above the cow-room—as represented in the next : cut—is one hundred feet by forty-two; the bays for hay, ten : on each side, being ten feet front and fifteen feet deep; and } the open space, p, for the entrance of wagons, carts, ete., twelve feet wide. 0, hay-scales. c, scale beam. mmmmm m, Jadders reaching almost to the roof. JJ1, etc., scuttle-holes” for sending vegetables directly to the bins, J7J, ete., below. — aabb, rooms on the corners for storage. d, seuttles ; four of which are used for straw, one for cut hay, and one for muck for the cellar. m and the other small squares are eighteen-feet. posts. f, passage to the tool-house, a room one hundred feet long by eighteen wide. 09, stairs leading to the scaffold in the roof of the tool-house. 77, benches, g, 7 floor. h, boxes for hoes, shovels, spades, picks, iron bars, i old iron, ete. jj, bins for fruit. &, scuttles to put apples into wagons, etc., in the shed below. One side of this tool- h house may be used for plows and large implements, hay- . rigging, harness, etc. | j Proper ventilation of the cellar and the cow-room avoids THE BARN. 153 he objection that the hay is liable to injury from noxious ases. ROOM OVER THE COW-ROOM. ' The excellent manure-cellar beneath this barn extends only 154 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. under the cow-room. It has a drive-way through doors on each side. No barn-cellar should be kept shut up tight, even in cold weather. The gases are consis me x not only to afféct the health of the stock, but also to injurl me quality of the hay. ‘To prevent this, while securing the: furnished with good-sized ventilators on me top, for ie twenty-five feet of its length, and with wooden tubes leadin o from the cellar to the top. ‘ There should also be windows on different sides of the cellar to admit the free circulation of air. With these pre-_ cautions, together with the use of absorbents in the shape of # Joam and muck, there will be no danger of rotting the timbers of the barn, or of risking the health of the cattle o (i the quality of the hay. } iG The temperature at which the cow-room should be kept is somewhere from fifty to sixty degrees, Fahrenheit, The practice and the opinions of successful dairymen differ some-~ what on this point. Too great heat would affect the health and appetite of the herd; while too low a temperature is. f equally objectionable, for various reasons. a The most economical plan for room in tying cattle in their stalls, is to fasten the rope or chain, whichever is used—the t wooden stanchion, or stanchel, as it is called, to open and P shut, enclosing the animal by the neck, being objectionable— into a ring, which is secured by a strong staple into a post. | This prevents the cattle from interfering with each other : _ while a partition effectually prevents any-contact from the: animals on each side of it, in the separate stalls. a .. MILKING. ay en too! There is no greater benefit for cattle, after coming into inter-quarters, than a systematic regularity in every thing ertaining to them. Every animal should have its own articular stall in the stable, where it should always be kept. he cattle should be fed and watered at certain fixed hours f the day, as near as may be. If let out of the stables for ater, unless the weather is very pleasant—when they may € permitted to lie out for a short time—they should be mediately put back, and not allowed to range about with e outside cattle. They are more quiet and contented in eir stables than elsewhere, and waste less food than if ermitted to run out; besides being in every way more omfortable, if properly bedded and attended to, as every ne will find upon trial. The habit which many farmers ave, of turning their cattle out of the stables in the morning, all weathers—letting them range about in a cold yard, ooking and annoying each other—is of no possible benefit, nless it be to rid them of the trouble of cleaning the stables, hich pays more than twice its cost in the saving of manure. he outside cattle, which occupy the yard—if there are any are all the better that the stabled ones do not interfere ith them. They become habituated to their own quarters, s do the others, and all are better for being, respectively, in eir proper places. MILKING. The manner of milking exerts a more powerful and lasting fluence on the productiveness of the cow than most farmers * re aware. That a slow and careless milker soon dries up e best of cows, every practical farmer and dairyman knows; 156 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. but a careful examination of the beautiful structure of the udder will serve further to explain the proper mode of milk- ing, in order to obtain and keep up the largest yield. , 4 The udder of a cow consists of four glands, disconnected from each other, but all contained within one bag or cellular membrane ; and these glands are uniform in structure. Each gland consists of three parts: the glandular, or a or receiving part. The inate forms by far the neal portion of the udder. It appears to the naked eye composed of a mass of yellowish grains; but under the yl it in the reservoir, or pede and the sphincter at the = of the teat retains it there until it is wanted for use. This must not be understood, however, as asserting that all the milk drawn from the udder at one milking is contained | in the receptacle. The milk, as it is secreted, is conveyed to | : the receptacle, and when that is full, the larger tubes begin | to be filled, and next the smaller ones, until the whole become gorged. When this takes place, the secretion of the milk ceases, and absorption of the thinner or more watery part commences. Now, as this absorption takes place more readily in the smaller or more distant tubes, it is invariably found that the milk from these, which comes last into the | ‘ receptacle, is much thicker and richer than what was’ first | drawn off. This milk has been significantly styled afterin 4 or strippings; and should this gorged state of the tubes MILKING. 157 permitted to continue beyond a certain time, serious mischief will sometimes occur; the milk becomes too thick to flow through the tubes, and soon produces, first irritation, then inflammation, and lastly suppuration, and the function of the gland is materially impaired or altogether destroyed. Hence, the great importance of emptying these smaller tubes regu- larly and thoroughly, not merely to prevent the occurrence of disease, but actually to increase the quantity of milk; for, so long as the smaller tubes are kept free, milk is constantly forming; but whenever, as has already been mentioned, they become gorged, the secretion of milk ceases until they are emptied. The cow herself has no power over the sphincter at the end of her teat, so as to open it, and relieve the over- charged udder ; neither has she any power of retaining the milk collected in the reservoirs when the spasm of the sphincter is overcome. Thus is seen the necessity of drawing away the last drop of milk at every milking; and the better milker the cow, the more necessary this is. What has been said demonstrates, also, the impropriety of holding the milk in cows until the udder is distended much beyond its ordinary size, for the sake of showing its capacity for holding milk—a device to hich many dealers in cows resort. Thus much of the internal structure of the udder. Its xternal form requires attention, because it indicates different roperties. Its form should be spheroidal, large, giving an dea of capaciousness ; the bag should have a soft, fine skin, nd the hind part upward toward the tail be loose and elastic. There should be fine, long hairs scattered plentifully over the surface, to keep it warm. ‘The teats should not seem to be 158 © CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. contracted, or funnel-shaped, at the inset with the bag. In © the former state, teats are very apt to become corded, or — spindled ; and in the latter, too much milk will constantly — be pressing on the lower tubes, or receptacle. They should — drop naturally from the lower parts of the bag, being neither too short, small, or dumpy, or long, flabby, and thick, but, perhaps, about three inches in length, and so thick as just to — fill the hand. They should hang as if all the quarters of the — udder were equal in size, the front quarters projecting a little — forward, and the hind ones a little ‘more dependent. Hach — quarter should contain about equal quantities of milk; though, in the belief of some, the hind quarters contain rather the most. Largely developed milk-veins—as the subcutaneous veins _ along the under part of the abdomen are commonly called— _ are regarded as a source of milk. This is a popular error, for the milk-vein has no connection with the udder; yet, although the office of these is to convey the blood from the fore part of the chest and sides to the inguinal vein, yet a. large milk-vein certainly indicates a strongly developed vas- cular system—one favorable to secretions generally, and to that of the milk among the rest. : Milking is performed in two ways, stripping and handling. Stripping consists in seizing the teat firmly near the root between the face of the thumb and the side of the fore-finger, — the length of the teat passing through the other fingers, and ! in milking the hand passes down the entire length of the : teat, causing the milk to flow out of its point in a forcible { stream. The action is renewed by again quickly elevating — the hand to the root. of the teat. Both hands are employed : MILKING. 159 ‘at the operation, each having hold of a different teat, and being moved alternately. The two nearest teats are com- monly first milked, and then the two farthest. Handling is done by grasping the teat at its root with the fore-finger like a hoop, assisted by the thumb, which lies horizontally over the fore-finger, the rest being also seized by the other fingers. Milk is drawn by pressing upon the entire length of the teat in alternate jerks with the entire palm of the hand. Both. hands being thus employed, are made to press alternately, but so quickly following each other that the alternate streams of milk sound to the ear like one forcible, continued stream. This continued stream is also produced by stripping. Strip- ping, then, is performed by pressing and passing certain fingers along the teat; handling, by the whole hand doubled, or fist, pressing the teat steadily at one place. Hence the origin of both == names. : Ofthesetwo [= i modes, hand- Aa “ | \\| aN S (ee ‘S we it is tho more * natural method & —imitating, as 46847 it does, the < suckling of the THE PREFERABLE METHOD. Oa Dy) calf. When a calf takes a teat into its mouth, it makes the tongue and palate by which it seizes it, play upon the teat ‘by alternate pressures or pulsations, while retaining the teat ea in the same position. It is thus obvious that handling is 160 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. somewhat like sucking, whereas stripping is not at all like it. Itis said that stripping is good for agitating the udder, the agitation of which is conducive to the withdrawal of a large quantity of milk; but there is nothing to prevent the agitation of the udder as much as the dairymaid pleases, while holding in the other mode. Indeed, a more constant vibration could be kept up in that way by the vibrations of the arms than by stripping. Stripping, by using an uncon- strained pressure on two sides of the teat, is much more apt to press it unequally, than by grasping the whole teat in the palm of the hand; while the friction occasioned by passing the finger and thumb firmly over the outside of the teat, is more likely to cause heat and irritation in it than steady and full grasp of the entire hand. 'To show that this friction causes an unpleasant feeling even to the dairymaid, she is obliged to lubricate the teat frequently with milk, an to wet it at first with water; whereas the other mode require no such expedients. And as a further proof that stripping i a mode of milking which may give pain to the cow, it canno be employed, when the teats are chapped, with so much eas to the cow as handling. The first requisite in the person that milks is, of course the utmost cleanliness. Without this, the milk is unendura ble. The udder should, therefore, be carefully cleaned befor the milking commences. Milking should be done fasé, to draw away the milk as quick] as possible, and it should be continued as long as there is a drop of milk to bring away. This is an issue which canno be attended to in too particular amanner. If any milk igg left, it is re-absorbed into the system, or else becomes caked MILKING. 16] and diminishes the tendency to secrete a full quantity after- ward. Milking as dry as possible is especially necessary with young cows with their first calf; as the mode of milking and the length of time to which they can be made to hold out, will have very much to do with their milking qualities ‘as long as they live. Old milk left in the receptacle of the teat soon changes into a curdy state, and the caseous matter not being at once removed by the next milking, is apt to irritate the lining membrane of the teat during the operation, especially when the teat is forcibly rubbed down between the finger and thumb in stripping. The consequence of this repeated irritation is the thickening of the lining membrane, which at length becomes so hardened as to close up the orifice at the end of the teat. The hardened membrane may be easily felt from the outside of the teat, when the teat is said to be corded. After this the teat becomes deaf, as it is -ealled, and no more milk can afterward be drawn from the quarter of the udder to which the corded teat is attached. The milking-pail is of various forms and of various materials. The Dutch use brass ones, which are brilliantly scoured every time they are in use. ‘Tin pitchers are used in some places, while pails of wood in cooper-work are em- ployed in others. A pail of oak, having thin staves bound together by bright iron hoops, with a handle formed by a stave projecting upward, is convenient for the purpose, and may be kept clean and sweet. One nine inches in diameter at the bottom, eleven inches at the top, and ten inches deep, with an upright handle or leg of five inches, has a capacious enough mouth to receive the milk as it descends; and a sufficient height, when standing on the edge of its bottom on 11 162 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. the ground, to allow the dairy-maid to grasp it firmly with her knees while sitting on a small three-legged stool. Of course, such a pail cannot be milked full; but it should be large enough to contain all, the milk which a single cow can. give at a milking; because it is undesirable to rise from a cow before the milking is finished, or to exchange one dish for another while the milking is in progress. The cow being a sensitive and capricious creature, is, oftentimes so easily offended that if the maid rise from her before the milk is all withdrawn, the chances are that she will not again stand quietly at that milking; or, if the vessel used in milking is taken away and another substituted in its place, before the milking is finished, the probability is that. she will hold her milk—that is, not allow it to flow. This is a curious property which cows possess, of holding up or keeping back their milk. How it is effected has never been satisfactorily ascertained; but there is no doubt of the fact that when a cow becomes irritated, or frightened from any cause, she can withhold her milk. Of course, all cows are not affected in the same degree; but, as a proof how sensi- tive cows generally are, it may be mentioned that very few will be milked so freely by a stranger the first time, as by one to whom they have been accustomed. There is one side of a cow which is usually called the milking stde—that is the cow’s left side—because, somehow, custom has established the practice of milking her from that side. It may have been adopted for two reasons: one, because we are accustomed to approach all the larger domes- ticated animals by what we call the near side—that is, the animal’s left side—ds being the most convenient one for Me MILKING. 163 ourselves; and the other reason may have been, that, as most people are right-handed, and the common use of the right hand has made it the stronger, it is most conveniently employed in milking the hinder teats of the cow, which are often most difficult to reach on account of the position of the hind legs and the length of the hinder teats, or of the breadth of the hinder part of the udder. The near side is most commonly used in this country and in Scotland; but in many parts of England the other side is preferred. Whichever side is selected, that should uniformly be used, as cows are very sensitive to changes. In Scotland it is a rare thing to see a cow milked by any other person than a woman, though men are very commonly employed at it in this country and in England. One never sees a man milking a cow without being impressed with the idea that he is usurping an office which does not become him ; and the same thought seems to be conveyed in the terms usually applied to the person connected with cows—a dairy- maid implying one who milks cows, as well as performs the other duties connected with the dairy—a dairy-man meaning one whoowns a dairy. ‘There can be but little question that the charge of this branch of the dairy should generally be entrusted to women. They are more gentle and winning than men. The same person should milk the same cow regularly, and not change from one to another, unless there are special reasons for it. Cows are easily rendered troublesome on being milked ; and the kicks and knocks which they usually receive for their restlessness, only render them more fretful. If they cannot be overcome by kindness, thumps will never make them 164 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. better. The truth is, restless habits are continued in them by the treatment which they receive at first, when, most probably, they have been dragooned into submission. Their teats are tender at first; but an unfeeling, horny hand tugs at them at stripping, as if the animal had been accustomed to the operation for years. Can the creature be otherwise than uneasy And how can she escape the win- cing but by flinging out her heels ?—Then hopples are placed on the hind fetlocks, to keep her heels down. The tail must then be held by some one, while the milking is going on; or the hair of its tuft be converted into a double cord, to tie the tail to the animal’s leg. Add to this the many threats and scoldings uttered by the milker, and one gets a not very exaggerated impression of the “ breaking-in.” Some cows, no doubt, are very unaccomodating and pro- voking; but, nevertheless, nothing but a rational course — toward them, administered with gentleness, will ever render | them less so There are cows which are troublesome to milk | for a few times after calving, that become quite quiet for the remainder of the season; others will kick pertinaciously at — the first milking. In this last case the safest plan—instead of hoppling, which only irritates—is for the dairy-maid to © thrust her head against the flank of the cow, and while stand- | ing on her feet, stretch her hands forward, get hold of the teats” the best way she can, and send the milk on the ground; and | in this position it is out of the power of the cow to hurt her. 1) These ebullitions of feeling at the first milking after calving, © arise either from feeling pain in a tender state of the teat, © vw | i most probably from inflammation in the lining membrane of — | ") ; fs)" the receptacle ; or they may arise from titillation of the skin ee = = MILKING. 165 | of the udder and teat, which becomes the more sensible to the affection from a heat which is wearing off. At the age of two or three years the milking glands have not become fully developed, and their largest development will depend very greatly upon the management after the first calf. Cows should have, therefore, the most milk-producing food; be treated with constant gentleness; never struck, or spoken harshly to, but coaxed and caressed; and in ninety- nine cases out of a hundred, they will grow up gentle and quiet. The hundredth had better be fatted and sent to the butcher. Harshness is worse than useless. Be the cause of irritation what it may, one thing is certain, that gentle discipline will overcome the most turbulent temper. Nothing does so much to dry a cow up, especially a young cow, as the senseless treatment to which she is too often subjected. The longer the young cow, with her first and second calf, is made to hold out, the more surely will this habit be fixed upon her. Stop milking her four months before the next calf, and it will be diffieult to make her hold out to within four or six weeks of the time of calving afterward. Induce her, if possible, by moist and succulent food, and by careful milking, to hold out even up’ to the time of calving, if you desire to milk her so long, and this habit will be likely to be fixed upon her for life. But do not expect to obtain the full yield of a cow the first year after calving. Some of the very best cows are slow to develop their best qualities; and no cow reaches her prime till the age of five or six years. The extreme importance of care and attention to these points cannot be overestimated. The wild cows grazing on the plains of South America, are said to give not more than 166 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. three or four quarts a day at the height of the flow; and many an owner of large herds in Texas, it is said, has _ too little milk for family use, and sometimes receives his supply of butter from the New York market. There is, therefore, a constant tendency in milch cows to dry up; and it must be guarded against with special care, till the habit of yielding a large quantity, and yielding it long, becomes fixed in the young animal, when, with proper care, it may easily be kept up. ; Cows, independently of their power to retain their milk in the udder, afford different degrees of pleasure in milking them, even in the quietest mood. Some yield their milk in a copious flow, with the gentlest handling that can be given them; others require great exertion to draw the milk from them even in streams no larger than a thread. The udder of the former will be found to have a soft skin and short teats; that of the latter will have a thick skin, with long rough teats. The one feels like velvet; the other is no more pleasant to the touch than untanned leather. To induce quiet and persuade the animal to give down her milk freely, it is better that she should be fed at milking-time with cut feed, or roots, placed within her easy reach. If gentle and mild treatment is observed and persevered in, the operation of milking, as a general thing, appears to be a pleasure to the animal, as it undoubtedly is; but, if an opposite course is pursued—if at every restless movement, caused, perhaps, by pressing a sore teat, the animal is harshly spoken to—she will be likely to learn to kick as a habit, and it will be difficult to overcome it ever afterward. Whatever may be the practice on other occasions, there can THE RAISING OF CALVES. 167 ‘be no doubt that, for some weeks after calving, and in the height of the flow, cows ought, if possible, to be milked regu- larly three times a day—at early morning, noon, and night. Every practical dairyman knows that cows thus milked give a larger quantity of milk than if milked only twice, though it may not be quite so rich; and in young cows, no doubt, it has a tendency to promote the development of the udder and milk-veins. A frequent milking stimulates an increased secretion, therefore, and ought never to be neglected in the milk-dairy, either in the case of young cows, or very large milkers, at the height of the flow, which will commonly be for two or three months after calving. There being a great difference in the quality as well as in the quantity of the milk of different cows, no dairyman should neglect to test the milk of each new addition to his dairy stock, whether it be an animal of his own raising or one brought from abroad. A lactometer—or instrument for testing the comparative richness of different species of milk —is very convenient for this purpose; but any one can set the milk of each cow separately at first, and give it athorough trial, when the difference will be found to be great. Hconomy will dictate that the cows least to the purpose should be dis- posed of, and their places supplied with better ones. THE RAISING OF «CALVES. It has been found in practice that calves properly bred and raised on the farm have a far greater intrinsic value for that farm, other things being equal, fhan any that can be pro- cured elsewhere ; while on the manner in which they are raised will depend much of their future usefulness and profit. 168 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. These considerations should have their proper weight in, | shall be kept, or sold to the butcher. But, rather than raise a calf at hap-hazard, and simply because its dam was cele- brated as a milker, the judicious farmer will prefer to judge | of the peculiar characteristics of the animal itself. This will often save the great and useless outlay which has sometimes | been incurred in raising calves for dairy purposes, which a more careful examination would have aes as unpromising. 4 generally be distinctly seen, particularly at the end of ten | One ne week 5 SK VES Hz SS—_~ ay SS ei SS SSS SSS SSS SS Y S; S SS Pe ai Daae e i ° ° v “9 Se" gs ties, will give” "=== OME Indication | ez== of the future ca-_ SX pacities of the: i Ny e 4 sip animal, and these — Fh Mie o> a Ley __ 4 Yn pd. MiP Veg DAS Cop y we —~ a fggpseS should be care-_ a Wi wll My fully studied. If we except the 1 MATERNAL AFFECTION. manure of young: stock, the calf is the first product of the cow, and as such-demands our attention, whether it is to be” THE RAISING OF CALVES. 169 raised or hurried off to the shambles. The practice adopted in raising calves differs widely in different sections of the country, being governed very much by local circumstances, as the vicinity of a milk-market, the value of milk for the dairy, the object of breeding, whether mainly for beef, for work, or for the dairy, etc. ; but, in general, it may be said, that, within the range of thirty or forty miles of good veal- markets, which large towns furnish, comparatively few are raised at all. Most of them are fattened and sold at ages varying from three to eight or ten weeks ; and in milk-dairies still nearer large towns and cities they are often hurried off at one or two days, or, at most, a week old. In both of these cases, as long as the calf is kept it is generally allowed to suck the cow, and, as the treatment is very simple, there is nothing which particularly calls for remark, unless it be to condemn the practice entirely, upon the ground that there is a more profitable way of fattening calves for the butcher, and to say that allowing the calf to suck the cow at all is objec- tionable on the score of economy, except in cases where it is rendered necessary by the hard and swollen condition of the udder. If the calf is so soon to be taken away, it is better that the cow should not be suffered to become attached to it at all; since she is inclined to withhold her milk when it is removed, and thus a loss is sustained. The farmer will be governed by the question of profit, whatever course it is decided to adopt. In raising blood-stock, however, or in raising beef cattle, without any regard to economy of milk, the system of : suckling the calves, or letting them run with the cow, may 170 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. and will be adopted, since it is usually attended with some, what less labor. — The other course, which is regarded as the best where the. calf is to be raised for the dairy, is to bring it up by hand. ‘This is almost universally done in all countries where the raising of dairy cows is best understood—in Switzerland, Holland, some parts of Germany, and England. It requires rather more care, on the whole ; but it is decidedly preferable, since the calves cost less, as the food can be easily modified, and the growth is not checked, as is usually the case when the calf is taken off from the cow. Allusion is here made, of course, to sections where the milk of the cow is of some | account for the dairy, and where it is too valuable to be devoted entirely to nourishing the calf. In this case, as soon as the calf is dropped the cow is allowed to lick off the slimy moisture till it is dry, which she will generally do from instinct, or, if not, a slight sprinkling of salt over the body _of the calf will immediately tempt her. The calf is left to suck once or twice, which it will do as soon as it is able to Stand. It should, in all cases, be permitted to have the first, milk which comes from the cow, which is of a turbid, yellow- ish color, unfit for any of the purposes of the dairy, but somewhat purgative and medicinal, and admirably and wisely designed by Nature to free the bowels and intestines of the new-born animal from the mucous, excrementitious matter always existing in it after birth. Too much of this new milk may, however, be hurtful even to the new-born calf, while it “should never be given at all to older calves, The best course would seem to be—and such is in accordance with the expe- rience of the most successful stock-raisers—to milk the cow _ THE RAISING OF CALVES. 171 dry immediately after the calf has sucked once, especially if the udder is painfully distended, which is often the case, and to leave the calf with the cow during one day, and after that to feed it by putting the fingers into its mouth, and gently * bringing its muzzle down to the milk ina pail or trough, when it will imbibe in sucking the fingers. No great diffi- eulty will be experienced in teaching the calf to drink when taken so young, though some take to it much more readily than others. What the calf does not need should be given to the cow. Some, however, prefer to milk immediately after calving; and, if the udder is overloaded, this may be the best course, though the better practice appears to be, to leave the cow as quietly to herself as possible for a few hours. The less she is disturbed, as a general thing, the better. The after-birth should be taken from her immediately after it is dropped. It is customary to give the cow, as soon as convenient after calving, some warm and stimulating drink—a little meal stirred into warm water, with a part of the first milk which comes from her, seasoned with a little salt. In many cases the calf is taken from the cow immediately ; and before she has seen it, to a warm, dry pen out of her sight, and there rubbed till it is thoroughly dry; and then, when able to stand, fed with the new milk from the cow, which it should have three or four times a day, regularly, for the first fortnight, whatever course it is proposed to adopt. afterwards. It is of the greatest importance to give the young calf a thrifty start. The milk, unless coming directly from the cow, should be warmed. Some object to removing the calf from the cow in this way, 172 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES, on the ground of its apparent cruelty. But the objection to letting the calf suck the cow for several days, as they do, or | indeed of leaving it with the cow for any length of time, is, : ‘that she invariably becomes attached to it, and frets and | withholds her milk when it is at last taken from her. She probably suffers much more, after this attachment is once | formed, at the removal of the object of it, than she does at its being taken at first out of her sight. The cow’s memory — is far more retentive than many suppose; and the loss and — | injury sustained by removing the calf after it has been — allowed to suck her for a longer or shorter period are never known exactly, because it is not usually known how much | milk the calf takes; but it is, without doubt, very considera- ble. If the udder is all right, there seems to be no good ' reason for leaving the calf with the cow for two or three | days, if it is then to be taken away. The practice in Holland is to remove the calf from its mother even before it has been licked, and to take it into a corner of the barn, or into another building, out of the cow’s — sight and hearing, put it on soft, dry straw, and rub it dry with some hay or straw, when its tongue and gums are slightly rubbed with salt, and the mucus and saliva removed — from the nostrils and lips. After this has been done, the — calf is made to drink the milk first taken as it comes from. the mother. It is slightly diluted with water, if taken last from the udder ; but, if the first of the milking, it is given i Just as itis. ‘The calf is taught to drink in the same manner 4 as in this country, by putting the fingers in its mouth, and 4 bringing it down to the milk, and it soon gets so as to drink ] unaided It is fed, at first, from four to six times a day, or a a Sa a Sa a tp ge SSS Aly Sedans Sales 7m ign ‘THE RAISING OF CALVES. 173 even oftener; but soon only three times, at regular intervals. ‘Its food for two or three weeks is clear milk, as it comes warm and fresh from the cow. This is never omitted, as the milk during most of that time possesses certain qualities which are necessary to the calf, and which cannot be effectu- ally supplied by any other food. In the third or fourth week the milk is skimmed, but warmed to the degree of fresh milk ; though, as the calf grows a little older, the milk is given cold, while less care is taken to give it the milk of its own mother, that of other cows now answering equally well. In some places, calves are fed on buttermilk at the age of two weeks and after; but the change from new milk, fresh from the cow, is made gradually, some sweet skimmed milk and warm water being first added to it. At three weeks old, or thereabouts, the calf will begin to eat a little sweet, fine hay, and potatoes cut fine, and it very soon becomes accustomed to this food. Many now begin to give linseed-meal mixed into hot water, to which is added some skim-milk or buttermilk; and others use a little bran cooked in hay-tea, made by chopping the hay fine and pouring on boiling-hot water, which is allowed to stand awhile on it. An egg is frequently broken into such a mixture. Others still take pains at this age to have fresh linseed-cake, broken into pieces of the size of a pigeon’s egg ; putting one of these into the mouth after the meal of milk has been finished, and when it is eager to suck at any thing in its way. It will very soon learn to eat linseed-meal. A little sweet clover is put in-its way at the age of about three weeks, and it will soon begin to eat that also. . In this manner the feeding is continued from the fourth to % 174 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. the seventh week, the quantity of solid food being gradually increased. In the sixth or seventh week the milk is by degrees withheld, and water or buttermilk used instead; and soon after this, green food may be safely given, increasing it gradually with the hay to the age of ten or twelve weeks, when it will do to put them upon grass alone, if the season is favorable. A lot as near the house as possible, where they can be easily looked after and frequently visited, is the best. Calves should be gradually accustomed to all changes; and even after having been turned out to pasture, they ought ' to be put under shelter if the weather is not dry and warm. The want of care and attention relative to these little details will be apparent sooner or later; while, if the farmer gives his personal attention to these matters, he will be fully paid in the rapid growth of his calves. It is especially necessary to see that the troughs from which they are fed, if troughs are used, are kept clean and sweet. But there are some—even among intelligent farmers—who make a practice of turning their calves out to pasture at the tender age of two or three weeks—and that, too, when they have sucked the cow up to that time—and allow them nothing in the shape of milk and tender care. This, certainly, is the poorest possible economy, to say nothing of the mani- fest cruelty of such treatment. The growth of the calf is checked, and the system receives a shock from so sudden a change, from which it cannot soon recover. The careful Dutch breeders bring the calves either skimmed milk or buttermilk to drink several times a day after they are turned to grass, which is not till the age of ten or twelve weeks; and, if the weather is chilly, the milk is warmed for them. THE RAISING OF CALVES. 175 They put a trough generally under a covering, to which the calves may come and drink at regular times. Thus, they are kept tame and docile. In the raising of calves, through all stages of their growth, great care should be taken neither to starve nor to over-feed. A calf should never be surfeited, and never be fed so highly , that it cannot be fed more highly as it advances. The most important part is to keep it growing thriftily without getting too fat, if it is to be raised for the dairy, ’ The calves in the dairy districts of Scotland are fed on the milk, with seldom any admixture; and they are not permitted to suck their dams, but are taught to drink milk by the hand from a dish. ‘They are generally fed on milk only for the first four, five, or six weeks, and are then allowed from two to two and a half quarts of new milk each meal, twice in the twenty-four hours. Some never give them any other food when young except milk, lessening the quantity when the calf begins to eat grass or other food, which it generally does when about five weeks old, if grass can be had; and withdrawing it entirely about the seventh or eighth week of the calf’s age. But, if the calf is reared in winter, or early in spring, before the grass rises, it must be supplied with at least some milk until it is eight or nine weeks old, as a calf will not so soon learn to eat hay or straw, nor fare so well on them alone as it will on pasture. Some feed their calves reared for stock partly with meal mixed in the milk after the third or fourth week. Others introduce gradually some new whey into the milk, first mixed with meal; and, when the calf gets older, they withdraw the milk, and feed it on whey and porridge. Hay-tea, juices of peas and beans, or ee, 176 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. pea or bean-straw, linseed beaten into powder, treacle, etc., have all been sometimes used to advantage in feeding calves; but milk, when it can be spared, is, in the judgment of the Scotch breeders, by far their most natural food. In Galloway, and other pastoral districts, where the calves are allowed to suck, the people are so much wedded to their own customs as to argue that suckling is much more nutri- tious to the calves than any other mode of feeding. That it induces a greater secretion of saliva, which, by promoting digestion, accelerates the growth and fattening of the young animal, cannot be doubted; but the secretion of that fluid may likewise be promoted by placing an artificial teat in the mouth of the calf, and giving it the milk slowly, and at the natural temperature. In the dairy districts of Scotland, the dairymaid puts one of her fingers into the mouth of the calf when it is fed, which serves the purpose of a teat, and will have nearly the same effect as the natural teat in inducing the secretion of saliva. If that, or an artificial teat of leather, be used, and the milk be given slowly before it is cold, the secre- tion of saliva may be promoted to all the extent that can be necessary; besides, secretion is not confined to the mere period of eating, but, as in the human body, the saliva is formed and part of it swallowed at all times. As part of the saliva is sometimes seen dropping from the mouths of the calves, it might be advisable not only to give them an arti- ficial teat when fed, but to place, as is frequently done, a lump of chalk before them to lick, thus leading them to swallow the saliva. The chalk would so far supply the want of salt, of which cattle are often so improperly deprived, and it would also promote the formation of saliva. Indeed, calves are THE RAISING OF CALVES. Lusi very much disposed to lick and suck every thing which comes within their reach, which seems to be the way in which Nature teaches them to supply their stomachs with saliva. But though sucking their dams may be most advantageous in that respect, yet it has also some disadvantages. The cow 5 ae: is always more| ‘ injured than the i calf is benefited an by that mode of = \ = ——S= 4 = ; ZA, 2 ‘ a y % { \ : car aii feeding. She be- “= Toi a vznneg RT? wwe x } Z i Se, Comes So fond of Ta oa one AG AN ): : Pian x BNE NRT Boe > Saati’ Se wi, the calf that she yw sa Tati an yo 2 =—— aw FROLICKSOME. does not, for a ‘ long time after, yield her milk freely to the dairyman. The calf does not When young draw off the milk completely, and when it is taken off by the hand, the cow withholds a part of her milk, and, whenever a cow’s udder is not completely emptied every time she is milked, the lactic secretion—as before stated—is thereby diminished. Feeding of calves by hand is also, in various respects, ad- vantageous. Instead of depending on the uncertain, or per- haps precarious supply of the dam; which may be more at first than the young animal can consume or digest, and at other times too little for its supply, its food can, by hand- feeding, be regulated to suit the age, appetite, and the pur- poses for which the calf is intended; other admixtures or Substitutes can be introduced into the milk, and the quantity gradually increased or withdrawn at pleasure. This is highly necessary when the calves are reared for stock. The milk is 12 178 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. in that case diminished, and other food introduced so gradually that the stomach of the young animal is not injured as it ‘is. ’ when the food is too suddenly changed. And, in the case of feeding calves for the butcher, the quantity of milk is not limited to that of the dam—for no cow will allow a stranger- - ealf to suck her—but it can be increased, or the richest or poorest parts of the milk given at pleasure. Such are, substantially, the views upon this subject which are entertained by the most judicious farmers in the first dairy districts of Scotland. : In those districts—where, probably, the feeding and management of calves are as well and as judiciously con- ducted as in any other part of Great Britain—the farmers’ wives and daughters, or the female domestics, have thie prin- cipal charge of young calves; and they are, doubtless, much better calculated for this duty than men, since they are more inclined to be gentle and patient. The utmost gentleness— as has been already remarked, in another connection—should always be observed in the treatment of all stock; but especially of milch cows, and calves designed for the dairy. Persevering kindness and patience, will, almost invariably, overcome the most obstinate natures; while rough and un- gentle handling will be repaid in a quiet kind of way, per- haps, by withholding the milk, which will always have a tendency to dry up the cow; or, what is nearly as bad, by kicking and other modes of revenge, which often contribute to the personal discomfort of the milker. The disposition of the cow is greatly modified, if not, indeed, wholly formed, by her treatment while young; and therefore it is best to handle © calves as much as possible, and make pets of them, lead them i ee ‘THE RAISING OF CALVES. 179 with a halter, and caress them in various ways. Calves managed in this way will always be docile, and suffer them- selves to be approached and handled, both in the pasture and in the barn. | With respect to the use of hay-tea—often used in this country, but more common abroad, where greater care and attention are usually bestowed upon the details of breeding —Youatt says: “At the end of three or four days, or per- haps a week, or near a fortnight, after a calf has been dropped, . and the first passages have been cleansed by allowing it to drink as much of the cow’s milk as it feels inclined for, let the quantity usually allotted for a meal be mixed, consisting, for the first week, of three parts of milk and one part of | hay-tea. The only nourishing infusion of hay ts that which as made from the best and sweetest hay, cut by a chaff-cutier into pieces about two inches long, and put into an earthen vessel; over this, boiling water should be poured, and the whole allowed to stand for two hours, during which time it ought to be kept carefully closed. After the first week, the proportions of milk and hay-tea may be equal; then com- posed of two-thirds of hay-tea and one of milk; and at length, one-fourth part of milk will be sufficient. This food should be given to the calf in a lukewarm state at least three, if not four times a day, in quantities averaging three quarts at a meal, but gradually increasing to four quarts as the calf grows older. Toward the end of the second month, beside — the usual quantity given at each meal—composed of three parts of the infusion and one of milk—a small wisp or bundle of hay is to be laid before the calf, which will gradually come to eat it; but, if the weather is favorable, as in the month of 180 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. May, the beast may be turned out to graze in a fine, sweet pasture, well sheltered from the wind and sun. This diet ‘may be continued until toward the latter end of the third month, when, if the calf grazes heartily, each meal may be reduced to less than a quart of milk, with hay-water; or skimmed milk, or fresh buttermilk, may be substituted for new milk. At the expiration of the third month, the animal will. hardly require to be fed by hand; though, if this should still be necessary, one quart of the infusion given daily—which, during the summer, need not be warmed—will suffice.” The hay-tea should be made fresh every two days, as it soon loses its nutritious quality. This and other preparations are given, not because they are better than milk,—than which nothing is better adapted to fatten a calf, or promote its growth,—but simply to economize by providing the simplest and cheapest substitutes. Ex- perience shows that the first two or three calves are smaller than those which follow; and hence, unless they are pure-bred, and to be kept for the blood, they are not generally thought to be so desirable to raise for the dairy as the third or fourth, and those that come after, up to the age of nine or ten years. Opinions upon this point, however, differ. According to the comparative experiments of a German agriculturist, cows which as calves had been allowed to suck their dams from two to four weeks, brought calves which weighed only from thirty-five to forty-eight pounds; while others, which as calves had been allowed to suck from five to | eight weeks, brought calves which weighed from sixty to eighty pounds. It is difficult to see how there can he so THE RAISING OF CALVES. 181 great a difference, if, indeed, there be any; but it may he worthy of careful observation and experiment, and as such it is stated here. The increased size of the calf would be due to the increased size to which the cow would attain; and if as a calf she were allowed to run in the pasture with her dam for four or five months, taking all the milk she wanted, she would doubtless be kept growing on in a thriving con- dition. But taking a calf from the cow at four or even eight weeks must check its growth to some extent; and this may be avoided by feeding liberally, and bringing up by hand. After the calf is fully weaned, there is nothing very pecu- liar in the general management. A young animal will require for the first few months—say up to the age of six months—an average of five or six pounds daily of good hay, or its equivalent. At the age of six months, it will require from four and a half to five pounds; and at the end of the year, from three and a half or four pounds of good hay, or its equivalent, for every one hundred pounds of its live weight; or, in other words, about three and a half or four per cent. of its live weight. At two years old, it will re- quire three and a half, and some months later, three per cent. of its live weight daily in good hay, or its equivalent. In- dian-corn fodder, either green or cured, forms an excellent and wholesome food at this age. | The heifer should not be pampered, nor yet poorly fed or half starved, so as to receive a check in her growth. An abundant supply of good healthy dairy food and milk will do all that is necessary up to the time of her having her first cealf—which should not ordinarily be till the age of three years, though some choose to allow them to come in at two, 182 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. or a little over, on the ground that it early stimulates the secretion of milk, and that this will increase the milking propensity through life. This is undoubtedly the case, as a general rule; but greater injury is at the same time done by checking the growth, unless the heifer has been fed up to large size and full development from the start—in which case she may perhaps take the bull at fifteen or eighteen months with- out injury. Even if a heifer comes in at two years, it is generally deemed desirable to let her ran barren for the follow- ing year, which will promote her growth and more perfect development. | The feeding which young stock often get is not such as is calculated to make good-sized or valuable cattle of them. They are often fed on the poorest of hay or straw through the winter, not infrequently left exposed to cold, unprotected and unhoused, and thus stinted in their growth. This is, surely, the very worst economy, or rather it is no economy at all. Properly viewed, it is an extravagant wastefulness which no farmer can afford. No animal develops its good points under such treatment; and if the starving system is to be followed at all, it had better be after the age of two or three years, when the animal’s constitution has attained the strength and vigor which may, possibly, enable it to resist ill - treatment. To raise up first-rate milkers, it is absolutely necessary to feed on dairy food even when they are young. No matter how fine the breed is, if the calf is raised on poor, short feed, it will never be so good a milker as if raised on better keep- ing; and hence, in dairy districts, where calves are raised at all, they ought to be allowed the best pasture during the SS aS POINTS OF FAT CATTLE. 183 summer, and good, sweet and wholesome food during the winter. POINTS OF FAT CATTLE. Whatever theoretical objections may be raised against over-fed cattle, and great as may be the attempts to dispar- age the mountains of fat,—as highly-fed cattle are sometimes designated,—there is no doubt of the practical fact, that the best butcher cannot sell any thing but the best fatted beef; and of whatever age, size, or shape a half-fatted ox may be, he is never selected by judges as fit for human food. Hence, a well-fatted animal always commands a better price per pound than one imperfectly fed, and the parts selected as the primest beef are precisely the parts which contain the largest ~ deposits of fat. The rump, the crop, and the sirloin, the very favorite cuts,—which always command from twenty to twenty-five per cent. more than any other part of the ox,— are just those parts on which the largest quantities of fat are found; so that, instead of the taste and fashion of the age being against the excessive fattening of animals, the fact is, practically, exactly the reverse. Where there is the most fat, there is the best lean; where there is the greatest amount of muscle, without its share of fat, that part is accounted inferior, and is used for a different purpose; in fact, so far from fat’s being a disease, it is a condition of muscle, neces- sary to its utility as food,—a source of luxury to the rich, and of comfort to the poor, furnishing a nourishing and healthy diet for their families. Fattening is a secretive power which grazing animals possess, enabling them to lay by a store of the superfluous 184 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES food which they take for seasons of cold or.scarcity. It collects round the angular bones of the animal, and gives the appearance of rotundity; hence the tendency to deposit fat is indicated, as has been stated, by a roundness of form, as opposed to the fatness of a milk-secreting animal. But its greatest use is, that it is a store of heat-producing aliment, laid up for seasons of scarcity and want. The food of animals, for the most part, may be said to consist of a sac- charine, an oleaginous, and an albuminous principle. To the first belong all the starchy, saccharine, and gummy parts of the plants, which undergo changes in the digestive organs similar to fermentation before they can be assimilated in the system; by them also animal heat is sustained. In indolent animals, the oily parts of plants are deposited and laid up as fat; and, when vigor and strength fail, this is taken up sintt also used in breathing to supply the place of the consumed saccharine matter. The albuminous, or gelatinous principle of plants is mainly useful in forming muscle; while the ashes of plants, the unconsumable parts, are for the supply, mainly, of bone, hair, and horn, but also of muscle and of blood, and to supply the waste which continually goes on. Now, there are several qualities which are essentially characteristic of a disposition to fatten. There have not, as yet, been any book-rules laid down, as in the case of M. Guénon’s indications of milking-cows; but there are, never- theless, marks so definite and well understood, that they are comprehended and acted upon by every grazier, although they are by no means easy to describe. It is by skillful acumen that the grazier acquires his knowledge, and not by theoretical rules; observation, judgment, and experience, POINTS OF FAT CATTLE. 185 /powerful perceptive faculties, and a keen and minute com- ‘parison and discrimination, are essential to his success. The first indication upon which he relies, is the touch. It is the absolute criterion of quality, which is supposed to be SACRUM | 1p on SHOUL ; Le ERENT Thum mua cROeS TT Hill ( HH Wh i ii “want L i RS \ iy | hy pry ih il \ i —— ——SS—= —— —= Ss SSS SS —- —=—~S = _ i i : MG. 2 Bt qi | wa Ne \ Wn ey, = oN a! M Dp SRS . WSs | POINTS OF CATTLE. the keystone of perfection in all animals, whether for the pail or the butcher. The skin is so intimately connected with the internal organs, in all animals, that it is questionable whether even our schools of medicine might not make more use of it in a diagnosis of disease. Of physiological tenden- cies in cattle, however, it is of the last and most vital im- portance. It must neither be thick, nor hard, nor adhere firmly to the muscles. If it is so, the animal is a hard grazer, a difficult and obstinate feeder—no skillful man will purchase it—such a creature must go to a novice, and even to him at a price so low as to tempt him to become a purchaser. On the other hand, the skin must not be thin, like paper, nor flaccid, nor loose in the hand, nor flabby. ~ 186 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. This is the opposite extreme, and is indicative of delicateness, bad, flabby flesh, and, possibly, of inaptitude to retain the fat. It must be elastic and velvety, soft and pliable, present- ing to the touch a gentle resistance, but so delicate as to give pleasure to the sensitive hand—a skin, in short, which seems at first to give an indentation from the pressure of the fingers, but which again rises to its place by a gentle elas- ticity. 5 The hair is of nearly as much importance as the skin. A hard skin will have straight and stiff hair; it will not have a curl, but be thinly and lankly distributed equally over the surface. A proper grazing animal will have a mossy coat, not absolutely curled, but having a disposition to a graceful curl, a semifold, which presents a waving inequality ; but as different from a close and straightly-laid coat, as it is from one standing off the animal at right angles, a strong symptom of disease. It will also, in a thriving animal, be licked here and there with its tongue, a proof that the skin is duly per- forming its functions. i There must be, also, the full and goggle eye, bright and | pressed outward by the fatty bed below; because, as this is a part where Nature always provides fat, an animal capable of developing it to any considerable extent, will have its indica. tions here, at least, when’ it exists in excess, | _ So much for feeding qualities in the animal, and their con- formations indicative of this kindly disposition. Next come such formations of the animal itself as are favorable to the | growth of fat, other things being equal. There must be size | where large weights are expected. Christmas beef, for j instance, is expected to be large as well as fat, _ The symbol : POINTS OF FAT CATTLE. 187 f festivity should be capacious, as well as prime in quality. ut it is so much a matter of choice and circumstance with he grazier, that profit alone will be his guide. The axiom ill be, however, as a general rule, that the better the grazing oil the larger the animal may be; the poorer the soil, the maller the animal. Small animals are, unquestionably, uch more easily fed, and they are well known by experi- need men to be best adapted to second-rate feeding pastures. But, beyond this, there must be breadth of carcass. This is indicative of fattening, perhaps, beyond all other qualifi- ations. If rumps are favorite joints and produce the best rice, it is best to have the animal which will grow the longest, the broadest, and the best rump; the same of crop, and the same of sirloin; and not only so, but breadth is essential to the consumption of that quantity of food. which is necessary to the development of a large amount of fat in the animal. Thus, a deep, wide chest, favorable for the respiratory and circulating functions, enables it to consume a large amount of food, to take up the sugary matter, and to deposit the fatty matter,—as then useless for respiration, but afterwards to be prized. A full level crop will be of the same physiological utility; while a broad and open frame- work at the hips will afford scope for the action of the liver and kidneys. | There are other points, also, of much importance; the head must be small and fine; its special use is indicative of the quick fattening of the animal so constructed, and it is also indicative of the bones being small and the legs short. For constitutional powers, the beast should have his ribs extended well towards the thigh-bones or hips, so as to leave 188 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. as little unprotected space as possible. There must be no angular or abrupt points ; all must be round, and broad, and parallel. Any depression in the lean animal will give a deficient deposit of flesh and fat at that point, when sold to the butcher, and thus deteriorate its value; and hence the animal must be round and full. But either fancy, or accident, or skill—it is unnecessary to decide which—has associated symmetry with quality and conformation, as a-point of great importance in animals calculated for fattening; and there is no doubt that, to a certain extent, this is so. The beast must be a system of mathematical lines. To the advocate of symmetry, the set- ting-on of a tail will be a condemning fault; indeed the ridge of the back, like a straight line, with the outline of the belly exactly parallel, viewed from the side, and a depth and Squareness when viewed from behind,—which remind us of a geometrical cube, rather than a vital economy,—may be said to be the indications of excellence in a fat ox. The points | of excellence in such an animal are outlined under the sub- sequent head, as developed in the cutting up after slaughter. Now, these qualities are inherent in some breeds; there may be cases and instances in all the superior breeds, and in most there may be failures. DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. It is necessary that cattle which have been disposed of to the dealer or butcher, or which are intended to be driven to. market, should undergo a preparation for the journey. ° if they were immediately put to the road to travel, from feed ing on grass or turnips, when ieee bowels are full of undi- DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. 189 gested vegetable matter, a scouring might ensue which ould render them unfit to pursue their journey; and this omplaint is the more likely to be brought on from the strong ropensity which cattle have to take violent exercise upon eeling themselves at liberty after along confinement. They, in fact, become light-headed whenever they leave the barn or enclosure, so much so that they actually “‘frisk and race and leap,” and their antics would be highly amusing, were it not for the apprehension that they may hurt themselves against some opposing object, as they seem to regard nothing before them. On being let out for the first time, cattle should be put for awhile into a larger court, or on a road well fenced with enclosures, and guarded by men, to romp about. Two or three such allowances of liberty will render them quiet ; and, in the mean time, to lighten their weight of carcass, they should have hay for a large proportion of their food. ‘These precautions are absolutely necessary for cattle which have been confined in barns; otherwise, accidents may befall them on the road, where they will at once break loose. Even at home serious accidents sometimes overtake them, such as the breaking down of a horn, casting off a hoof, spraining a ten- don, bruising ribs, and heating the whole body violently ; and, of course, when any such ill luck befalls, the animal affected must be left behind, and become a drawback upon the value of the rest, unless kept for some time longer. Having the cattle prepared for travel, the drover takes the road very slowly for the first two days, not exceeding seven or eight miles a day. At night, in winter, they should be put into an open court, and supplied with hay, water, and a 190 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. very few turnips; for, if roots are suddenly withdrawn from them,—since it is taken for granted that these have formed a staple portion of their food,— shrunken up into smaller dimen- 4 ZS sions—a state very much ies YIN SA E yy) ) YY be He \\ WG) \ in market. After the first two days they may proceed faster, la SO AS | Wi = Say twelve or thirteen miles a a A\\\ \ 7 y\’ AaN\t f ZY ytieraacs LG YY Vi Uy Ch iy, ly Ly day, if very fat; and fifteen, if moderately so. When the G Ye ty Gy A FRONTISPIECE. _ journey is long and the beasts — get faint from travel, they should have corn to support them. In frosty weather, when the roads become very hard, they are apt to become shoulder-shaken, an effect of founder; and if sleet falls during the day, and becomes frozen upon them at night, they may become so chilled as to refuse food, and their bellies will become against a favorable appearance shrink rapidly away. Cattle should, if possible, arrive the day before in the neighborhood of a distant market, and be supplied with a good feed of roots and hay, or grass, to make them look fresh and fill them up again; but if the market is at but short distance, they can travel to it early in the morning. In driving cattle the drover should have no dog, which will only annoy them. He should walk either before or behind, as he sees them disposed to proceed too fast or to loiter upon | the road; and in passing carriages, the leading ox, after a little experience, will make way for the rest to follow. On putting oxen on a ferry-boat the shipping of the first one DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. 191 nly is attended with much trouble. A man on each side hould take hold of a horn, or of a halter made of any piece f rope, should the beast be hornless, and two other men, one n each side, should push him up behind with a plece of rope 1eld between them as a breeching, and conduct him along the lank into the boat; if it have low gunwales, a man will be equired to remain beside him until one or two more of the attle follow their companion, which they will most readily o. From neglecting this precaution jn small ferry-boats, he first beast sometimes leaps into the water, when it be- omes a difficult task to prevent some of the rest doing the ame thing. Whatever time a lot of cattle may take to go to a market, hey should never be overdriven. There is great difference of management in this respect among drovers. Some like 0 proceed upon the road quietly, slowly, but surely, and to reach the market in a placid, cool state. Others, again, drive smartly along for some distance, and then rest to cool awhile, when the beasts will probably get chilled and have a staring coat when they reach their destination ; while others like to enter the market with their beasts in an excited state, imagining that they then look gay; but distended nostrils, loose bowels, and reeking bodies are no recommendations to a purchaser. Good judges are shy of purchasing cattle in a heated state, because they do not know how long they may have been in it; and to cover any risk, will give at least five dollars a head below what they would have offered for them in a cool state. Some drovers have a habit of thumping at the hindmost beast of the lot with a stick while on the road. This is a censurable practice, as the flesh, where it is ~ 192 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. thumped, will bear a red mark after the animal has bee slaughtered,—the mark receiving the appropriate name of blood-burn,—and the flesh thus affected will not take on salt and is apt to putrefy. A touch up on the shank, or an tendonous part, when correction is necessary, is all that ij required ; but the voice, in most cases, will answer as well. The flesh of overdriven cattle, when slaughtered, never be comes properly firm, and their tallow has a soft, melted ap- pearance. A few large oxen in one lot look best ina market on position rather above the eye of a spectator. Whena large lot is nearly alike in size and appearance, they look best and most level on a flat piece of ground. Very large fat oxen never look better than on ground on the same level with the Spectator. An ox, to look well, should hold his head on a line with the body, with lively ears, clear eye, dewy nose, a well-licked hide, and should stand firmly on the ground on all his feet. These are all symptoms of high health and good condition. Whenever an ox shifts his standing from one foot to another, he is foot-sore, and has been driven far. Whenever his head hangs down and his eyes water, he feels ill at ease inwardly. When his coat stares, he has been overheated some time, and has got a subsequent chill. All these latter symptoms will be much aggravated in cattle that have been fed in a barn. : Cattle are made to fast before being slaughtered. The time they should stand depends upon their state on their arrival at the shambles. If they have been driven a con- siderable distance in a proper manner, the bowels will be in a tolerably empty state, so that twelve hours may suffice 5 DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. _ 193 but if they are full and just off their food, twenty-four hours will be required. Beasts that have been overdriven, or much struck with sticks, or in any degree infuriated, should mot be immediately slaughtered, but allowed to stand on dry food, such as hay, until the symptoms disappear. These precautions are absolutely necessary that the meat may be preserved in the best state. The mode of slaughtering cattle varies in different coun- ries. In the great slaughter-houses at Montmartre, in Paris, they are slaughtered by bisecting the spinal cord of the cer- ical vertebra ; and this is accomplished by the driving of a sharp-pointed chisel between the second and third vertebre, with a smart stroke of a mallet, while the animal is standing, when it drops, and death or insensibility instantly ensues, and the blood is let out immediately by opening the blood- vessels of the neck. The plan adopted in England is, first to bring the ox down on his knees, and place his under-jaw upon the ground by means of ropes fastened to his head and passed through an iron ring in the floor of the slaughter- house. He is then stunned with a few blows from an iron axe made for the purpose, on the forehead, the bone of which s usually driven into the brain. The animal then falls upon bis side, and -the blood is let out by the neck. Of the two modes, the French is apparently the less cruel, for some oxen require many blows to make them fall. Some butchers, however, allege that the separation of the spinal cord, by | roducing a general nervous convulsion throughout the body, prevents the blood from flowing as rapidly and entirely out of it as when the oxis stunned in the forehead. The skin is then taken off to the knees, when the legs are disjointed, and 13 194 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. Pe also off the head. The carcass is then hung up by the tendons of the hough on a stretcher, by a block and tackle, worked by a small winch, which retains in place what rope it winds up by means of a wheel and ratchet. . After the carcass has hung for twenty-four hours, it should be cut down by the back-bone, or chine, into two sides. This is done either with the saw, or chopper; the saw making the neatest job in the hands of an inexperienced butcher, though it is the most laborious; and with the chopper is the quickest, but by no means the neatest plan, especially in the hands of a careless workman. In London, the chine is equally divided between both sides; while in Scotland, one side of a carcass of beef has a great deal more bone than the other, all the spinous processes of the vertebre being left upon it. The bony is called the lying side of the meat. In London, the divided processes in the fore-quarters are broken in the middle when warm, and chopped back with the flat side of the chopper, which has the effect of thickening the fore and middle ribs considerably when cut up. ‘The London butcher also cuts the joints above the hind knee, and, by making some incisions with a.sharp knife, cuts the tendons there, and drops the flesh of the hind-quarter on the flank and loins, which causes it to cut up thicker than in the Scotch mode. In opening the hind-quarter he also cuts the aitch bone, or pelvis through the centre, which makes the rump look better. Some butchers in the north of England score the fat of the closing of the hind-quarter, which has the effect of making that part of both heifer and ox look like the udder of an old cow. There is far too much of this scoring practised in Scotland, which prevents the pieces from retain- DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. 195. ing—which they should, as nearly as possible—their natural appearance. In cutting up a carcass of beef the London butcher displays great expertness; he not only discriminates between the qualities of its different parts, but can cut out any piece to gratify the taste of his customers. In this way he makes the best use of the carcass and realizes the largest value for it, while he gratifies the taste of every grade of customers. A figure of the Scotch and English modes of cutting up a carcass of beef will at once show the difference ; and upon being informed where the valuable pieces lie, an opinion can be formed as to whether the oxen the farmer is breeding or eeding possess the properties which will enable him to emand the highest price for them. The sirloin is the principal roasting-piece, making a very andsome dish, and is a universal favorite. It consists of wo portions, he Scotch and nglish sides ; Haale SPARE RIF BSUTTOCK\ 400CK SIRLOIN Ze BONE | 28 FORE SEY \ SEY THICK | LARGE BOUND | FLANK he former is SHOULDER WINEHOLES) §XLYAR € ; h bove the lum- ar bones, and Ss somewhat ard in ill-fed attle ; the latter onsists of the muscles under these bones, which are generally - SCOTCH MODE OF CUTTING UP BEEF. overed with fine fat, and are exceedingly tender. The etter the beast is fed, the larger is the under muscle, better overed with fat, and more tender to eat. The hook-bone ind the buttock are cut up for steaks, beef-steak pie, or é 196 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. minced collops, and both these, together with the sirloin, bring the highest price. The large round and the small round are both-well known as excellent pieces for salting and boiling, and are eaten cold with great relish, The hough is peculiarly suited for Boiling down for soup, having a large proportion of gelatinous matter. Brown soup is the princi- pal dish made of the hough, but its decoction forms an ex- cellent sfock for various dishes, and will keep in a state of jelly for a considerable time. The thick and the thin flank are both admirable pieces for salting and boiling. The tail, insignificant as it may seem, makes a*soup of a very fine flavor. Hotel-keepers have a trick of seasoning brown soup or rather beef-tea, with a few joints of tail, and passing it off for genuine ox-tail soup. These are all the pieces which constitute the hind-quarter; and it will be seen that they are valuable both for roasting and boiling, not containing a single coarse piece. In the fore-quarter, is the spare rib, the six ribs of the back end of which make an excellent roast, and when taken from the side opposite to the lying one, being free of the bones of the spine, it makes a large one; and it also makes excel- lent beefsteaks and beefsteak pie. The two runners and the nineholes make salting and boiling pieces; but, of these, the nineholes is much the best, as it consists of layers of fat and lean without any bone; whereas the fore parts of the runners have a piece of shoulder-blade in them, and every piece con- nected with that bone is more or less coarse-grained. The brisket eats very well boiled fresh in broth, and may be cooked and eaten with boiled greens or carrots. Th shoulder-lyar is a coarse piece, and fit only for boiling fres era ae ae DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. 197 to make into broth or beef-tea. The nap, or shin, is + analogous to the hough of the hind-leg, but not so rich and fine, there being much less gelatinous matter in it. The neck makes good broth; and the sticking-piece is a great favorite with some epicures, on account of the pieces of rich fat init. It makes an excellent stew, as also sweet barley- broth, and the meat eats well when boiled in it. These are all the pieces of the fore-quarter; and it will be seen that they consist chiefly of boiling-pieces, and some of them none of the finest—the roasting-piece being confined to the six ribs of the spare rib, and the finest boiling-piece, corned, only to be found in the nineholes. The loin is the principal roasting-piece; the rump is the favorite steak-piece; the aitch-bone, the favorite stew; the buttock, the thick flank, and the thin flank are all excellent boiling- pieces when corned; the hock and the shin make soup and afford stock for tlie various require- ments of the culi- nary art; and the tail furnishes ox-tail soup—a favorite English ENGLISH MODE OF CUTTING UP BEEF. luncheon. These are all the pieces of the hind-quarter, and they are valuable of their respective kinds. In the fore-quarter, the fore-rib, middle-rib, and chuckle- “rib are all roasting-pieces, not alike good; but in removing the part of the shoulder-blade in the middle-rib, the spare- 198 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. ribs below make a good broil or roast; the neck makes soup, being used fresh, boiled; the back end of the brisket is boiled, : corned, or stewed; the leg-of-mutton piece is coarse, but is | as frequently stewed as boiled; the shin is put to the same use as the shin and hock of the hind-quarter. On comparing the two modes of cutting-up, it will be ob-— served that in the English there are more roasting-pieces than in the Scotch, a large proportion of the fore-quarter being used in that way. The plan, too, of cutting the loin between the rump and aitch-bone in the hind-quarter, lays open the steak-pieces to better advantage than in the Scotch bullock. Extending the comparison from one part of the carcass to the other, in both methods, it will be seen that the most valuable pieces—the roasting—occupy its upper, and the less valuable—the boiling—its lower part. Every beast, therefore, that lays on beef more upon the upper part of its body is more valuable than one that ee the same quantity of flesh on its lower parts. It is deemed unnecessary to enter into details as to the modes of cutting-up most in vogue in this eee as there is a needlessly great want of uniformity. Of the qualities of beef obtained from the different breeds of cattle in England, there is no better meat than from the West Highlanders for fineness of grain and cutting up into convenient pieces for family use. The Galloways and Angus, when fattened in English pastures, are great favorites in the London market. The Short Horns afford excellent steaks, — being thick of flesh, and the slice deep, large and juicy, and their covered flanks and nineholes are always thick, juicy, and well-mixed. The Herefords are somewhat similar to the Short DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. 199 Horns, and the Devons, may, perhaps, be classed among the Galloways and Angus, while the Welsh cannot be compared to the West Highlanders. Taking, then, the breeds of Scotland as suppliers of good beef, they seem to be more valuable for the table than those of England. There are, perhaps, not sufficient data in existence to de- termine the true proportion of offal of all kinds to the beef of any given fat ox; but approximations have been made, which may serve the purpose until the matter is investigated by direct experiment, under various circumstances. The dead weight bears to the live weight a ratio varying between .571 and .605 to 1; and on applying one or the other multi- plier to the cases of the live weight, a pretty correct approximation is reached. The tallow is supposed to he eight one-hundredths of the live weight; so that the multi- pplier is the decimal .08. The hide is supposed to be five one-hundredths of the live weight; so to obtain its weight, a multiplier, .05, is used. The other offals are supposed to ‘be in a proportion of about one-fourth of the live weight; so that the multiplier, .28, is as near as can be proposed under existing experience. Beef is the staple animal food of this country, and it is used in various states—fresh, salted, smoked, roasted, and boiled. When intended to be eaten fresh, the ribs will keep the best, and with care will keep five or six days in summer, and in winter ten days. ‘The middle of the Join is the next best, and the rump the next. The round will not keep long, unless it is salted. The brisket is the worst, and will not keep more than three days in summer, and in winter a week. In regard to the power of the stomach to digest beef, that 200 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. which is eaten boiled with salt only, is digested in two hours _ and forty-five minutes. Beef, fresh, lean, and rarely-roasted, — and a beefsteak broiled, takes three hours to digest; that - fresh, and dry-roasted, and boiled, eaten with mustard, is digested in three and a half hours. Lean fresh beef fried, requires four hours, and old hard salted beef boiled, does not digest in less than four and a quarter hours. Fresh beef-suet boiled takes five and a half hours. The usual mode of preserving beef is by salting; and, when intended to keep for a long time, such as for the use of shipping, it is always salted with brine; but for family use it should be salted only with good salt; for brine dispels the juice of meat, and saltpetre only.serves to make the meat dry, and give it a disagreeable and unnatural red color. Various experiments have been made in curing beef with — salt otherwise than by hand-rubbing, and in a short space of time; and also to preserve it from putrefaction by other means than salt. Some packers ‘put meal in a copper which is rendered air-tight, and an air-pump then creates a vacuum within it, thereby extracting all the air out of the — meat; then brine is pumped in by pressure, which, entering into every pore of the meat formerly occupied by the air, is said to place it in a state of preservation in a few minutes. The carcass of an ox was preserved, in France, for two years from putrefaction by injecting four pounds of saline mixture — , into the carotid artery. Whether any such contrivance can | be made available for family purposes, seems doubtful. ‘ Cattle, when slaughtered, are useful to man in various — other ways than by affording food from their flesh,—their 4 offal of tallow, hides, and horns, forming extensive articles DRIVING AND SLAUGHTERING. 201 of commerce. Of the hide, the characteristics of a good one for strong purposes are strength in its middle, or butt, as it called, and lightness in the edges, or offal. A bad hide is the opposite of this—thick in the edges and thin in the middle. . water before ap- plying the mus- Ups Ws OE ae AN ABERDEENSHIRE POLLED BULL. tard. The animal should not be bled. Give upon the tongue, or in drink, half-drachng doses of nitrate of potassa, every three or four hours, until relief is obtained. If suffo- cation threatens, the operation of tracheotomy is the only resort. Cloths saturated with cold water, wrapped around the neck so as to cover the larynx, frequently afford relief. A purgative will also be found useful. LICH. Cattle are very subject to lice, particularly when they are neglected, half-starved, and in poor condition. Good care - and good feeding—in connection with the treatment recom- mended in mange, to which the reader is referred—will com- prise all that is requisite. MANGE. Mange, or leprosy, is one of the most unpleasant and diffi- eult diseases to manage of all the ailments to which cattle are subject requiring the nicest care and attention to render MANGE. Q45 it easy of cure. An animal badly nursed will not, under the most skillful treatment, quickly recover. Its causes are, in the main, due to poor food, which produces a debilitated con- | dition of the system, and in connection with a want of i cleanliness, causes a development of the acari, or minute insects, exciting very great irritation upon the skin and caus- | ing the cow to rub herself against every object with which, she comes in contact. The hair falls off; a scurfy appear ance of the skin is perceptible; and the animal is poor in condition and in milk. The great trouble in treating this disease springs from its contagious character; for, no sooner is the animal, oftentimes, once free from the acari than! it comes in contact with some object against whicla it has pre- viously been rubbing, when the acari which were left upon that object are again brought in contact wih the animal, and the disease is reproduced. ~ If, immeuiately after the proper applications are made, the animal is removed to other quarters, and not allowed to return to the former ones for six or eight weeks, there is, generally, speaking, but little trouble in treating the disease. | Take the animal upon a warm, sunny day, and with a scrubbing-brush cleanse the skin thoroughly with Castile- soap and water; when dry, apply in the same manner the following mixture; white hellebore, one ounce; sulphur flower, three ounces; gas-water, one quart; mix all well together. One or two applications are, generally, all that will be required. Give internally one of the following pow- ders in the feed, night and morning: flowers of sulphur, two ounces; black antimony, one ounce; nitrate of potassa, one ounce; mix, and divide into eight powders. 946 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. MURRAIN. | _ This is one of the most malignant diseases to which cattle \ are liable. Fortunately, however, true murrain is compara- \ tively rare in this great stock-raising country. | The entire system seems to partake of the disease. The {inst indication of its approach is a feverish condition of the - s\ ystem, attended with a frequent and painful cough; the pitlse is small, hard, and rapid. As the disease advances, th é respiration becomes disturbed ; the flanks heave; vesicu- Jat eruption is observed upon the teats, mouth, and feet; the ho1-ns are cold; the animal is sometimes lame; constipation and, sometinnes, diarrhea are accompanying symptoms; - foeces black \and fetid; the eyes weep and become much swollen; greiit tenderness along the spine; a brown or bloody discharge from the nose and mouth; the animal moans incessantly, \grinds his teeth, rarely lies down, but to get up again quickly: ; finally, the breath becomes very offen- sive; tumors make their appearance in various parts of the body, whicl,, in favorable cases, suppurate, and discharge a fetid matter. Treatment. cite one fourth of a pound of Hpsom-salts, with one dr achm of Jamaica ginger, twice a day, for two or three days. A bottle, of porter, twice a day, -will be found serviceable. Very little medicine is required internally in this disease, but much depends upon good nursing. Hxter- nal applications are chiefly to be depended upon. A solu- tion of chloride of lime should be applied to the eruptions, or a solution of the chloride of zine, twenty grains to an ~ ounce of water; or, oO” sulphate of zinc, two drachms to a NAVEL-ILL—-OBSTRUCTIONS IN GULLET. 244 pint of water; or pulverized charcoal applied to the parts will be found useful. NAVEL-ILL. Inflammation of the navel in calves occasionally occurs, causing redness, pain, and sudden swelling in the part affected. This disease, if not promptly attended to, speedily carries off the creature. Treatment.—Foment ae part well with warm hop-tea; after which, the application of a cloth, well saturated with lead-water and secured by bandages, should be applied. In- ternally, doses of Epsom-salts, of two ounces each, dissolved in half a pint of water, should be given until the bowels are acted upon. After the inflammation has subsided, to coun- teract the weakness which may follow, give @ bottle of porter two or three times a day. - OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE GisOPHAGUS. Choking in cattle is of common occurrence, in consequence of turnips, potatoes, carrots, or other hard substances, be- coming lodged in the esophagus, or gullet. These obstructions can sometimes be removed by careful manipulations with the hand; but, where this can not be accomplished, the flexible probang should be employed. ‘This is a long India-rubber tube, with a whalebone stillet running through it, so as to stiffen it when in use. This instrument is passed down the animal’s throat, and the offending substance is thus pushed down into the stomach. se 948 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. - OPEN JOINTS. Opening of the joint generally results from accidents, from puncturing with sharp substances, from kicks, blows, ete. These injuries cause considerable nervous irritation in the system, and sometimes cause lock-jaw and death. Treatment.—Close up the wound as speedily as possible. The firing-iron will sometimes answer the purpose very well. The author depends more upon the application of collodion— as recommended in his work upon “The Horse and His Diseases” for the same trouble—than upon any other remedy. It requires care in its application, in order to make it adhere firmly. Shoemakers’-wax, melted and applied, answers a very good purpose. PARTURITION. In natural labor—as has been suggested in a former part of this work—the aid of man is rarely required in bringing away the calf. But it not infrequently happens that, from malformation or wrong presentation, our assistance is re- quired in order to deliver the animal. The brute force, which has been far too often heretofore resorted to, should no longer be tolerated, since the lives of many valuable animals have been sacrificed by such treat- ment. Very often, by gentle manipulation with the greased hand, the womb can be so dilated as to afford a comparatively easy exit for the fcetus. If, however, the calf is presented wrong, it must be pushed back and placed in its proper position, if possible. In natural labor, the fore-legs, with the head lying between PARTURITION. 249 them, are presented; in which position—unless deformity, either in the pelvis of the cow, or in the fetus, exists—the calf is passed with little difficulty, and without assistance. It sometimes happens that the head of the fetus is turned backward. When this happens, the attendant should at once strip himself to the waist, bathe his arms and hands with a little sweet-oil, or lard, and introduce them into the vagina, placing a cord around both fore-feet, and then, pushing them back, search for the head, which is to be brought forward to its proper position. The feet are next to be brought up with it. No force should be used, except when the cow herself makes the effort to expel the calf; otherwise, more harm than good may be done. A case of this kind recently occurred in the author’s practice, being the third within a year. The subject was a cow belonging to William Hance, Esq., of Bordentown, New Jersey. After she had been in labor for some twenty hours, he was called upon to see her. Upon inquiry, he found that several persons had been trying, without success, to relieve her. ‘She was very much prostrated, and would, doubtless, have died within two or three hours, had no relief been afforded. The legs of the fetus protruded as far as the knees; the head was turned backward, and with the body, pressed firmly into the vagina, so that it was impossible to return it, or to bring the head forward. ‘The operation of embryotomy was, therefore, at once performed, by cutting away the right shoulder, which enabled the operator, with the aid of his appropriate hooks, to bring the head forward, when the calf came away without further trouble,—the whole operation not requiring fifteen minutes. The uierus was 950 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. then washed out, and the animal placed in as comfortable a position as possible, and a stimulating draught given, com- _ posed of two ounces of nitric ether, one ounce of tincture of opium, and a half pint of water. This was followed with a few doses of Fleming’s tincture of aconite, ten drops in a little water, every few hours. In a few days the animal had entirely recovered. Occasionally, the head comes first, or i head and one leg. In such cases, a cord should be slipped around the jaw and leg, and these then pushed back, so as to allow the other leg to be brought up. When this cannot be done, the fatus can, in most cases, be removed in the original position. Breech, side, back, and other presentations sometimes occur; in all of which instances, the fetus must be turned in such a position that it can be brought away with as little trouble as possible. When this cannot be accomplished, the only resort is embryotomy, or cutting up of the foetus, which operation can only be safely performed by the quali- fied veterinary surgeon. Since writing the above, another case has occurred in the author’s practice. The cow—belonging to Samuel Barton, Hsq., near Bordentown, New Jersey—had been in labor some eighteen hours; upon an examination of the animal, the ealf was found to be very much deformed, presenting back- wards,—one of the hind-legs having been pulled off by the person or persons assisting her previous to the author’s arrival. Finding it impossible to deliver her in the usual way, emrbyotomy was in this instance employed. By this means, after taking out the intestines, lungs, ete., of the fetus, and cutting away its hind-quarters, the fore-parts — ! PARTURITION. 251 were brought away. ‘The head presented a singular appear- ance; the under jaw was so twisted as to bring the front teeth on the side of the face; the spinal column or back- bone, was turned twice around, resembling a spiral string; the front legs were over the back; the ribs were much con- torted ; the hind-parts were as much deformed ; and, taken altogether, the deformity was the most singular which: has been brought under the author’s observation. Free Marrins.—It has long been supposed by stock- breeders, that if a cow produce twins, one of which is a male and the other a female, the female is incapable of pro- ducing young, but that the male may be a useful animal for breeding purposes. Many instances have occurred when the twin sister of a bull has never shown the least desire for the male. This indifference to sexual commerce arises, doubtless, from the animal’s being hut imperfectly developed in the organs of generation. This fact has been established by the investi- gations of Mr. John Hunter, who had three of these animals slaughtered for anatomical examination. The result is thus reported: ‘The external parts were rather smaller than is customary in the cow. The vagina passed on, as in the cow, o the opening of the urethra, and then it began to contract into a small canal, which passed on into the division of the uterus into the two horns; each horn passed along the edge of the broad ligament laterally toward the ovaria. “At the termination of these horns were placed both the varies and the testicles. Both were nearly of the same ize, which was about as large as a small nutmeg. To the varia, I could not find any Fallopian tube. 1 won CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. “To the testicles were vasa deferentia, but they were im- perfect. The left one did not come near the testicle; the right one only came close to it, but did not terminate in the body called the epididymis. 'They were both pervious and 0 ened into the vagina, near the opening of the urethra. “On the posterior surface of the bladder, or between the uterus and the bladder, were the two bags, called vesicule semi- nales in the male, but much smaller than they are in the bull. _ The ducts opened along with the vasa deferentia. This animal, then, had a mixture of all the parts, but all of them were im- perfect.” Well-authenticated cases have, however, occurred where the female has bred, and the offspring proved to be good milkers. There are several instances on record of cows’ giv- ing birth to three, four, and even five calves at a time. There were on exhibition, in 1862, at Bordentown, New J ersey, three free martins, two sisters and a brother, which were beautiful animals. These were from a cow belonging to Mr. Joab Mershon, residing on Biles Island, situated in the Delaware River, a short distance above Bordentown. They were calved November Ist, 1858, and were therefore nearly four years of age. They had never shown the least desire for copulation. Their aggregate weight was 4300 pounds. We extract the following from the London Veterinarian, for 1854 :—“A cow, belonging to Mr. John Marshall, of Rep- ton, on Wednesday last, gave birth to jive, live healihy calves, all of which are, at the time I write, alive and vigorous, and have every appearance of continuing so. They are all nearly . of a size, and are larger and stronger than could be supposed. Four of them are bull-calves. PARTURITION. 953 ‘‘TMhe dam is by no means a large one, is eleven years old, of a mongrel breed, and has never produced more than one — offspring at any previous gestation. I saw her two days after she had calved, at which time she was ruminating, and _ did not manifest any unusual symptoms of exhaustion. I may mention that the first four calves presented naturally ; the fifth was a breech-presentation.” CLEANSING.—The placenta, or after-birth, by which the fetus is nourished while in embryo, should be removed soon after calving. Generally, it will come away without any | assistance. This is what is called ‘cleansing after calving.” When, however, it remains for some time, its function having been performed, it becomes a foreign body, exciting uterine contractions, and therefore injurious. The sooner, then, it is removed, the better for the animal as well as the owner. To accomplish this, the hand should be introduced, and, by pulling gently in various directions, it will soon yield and come away. Should it be allowed to remain, it rapidly decomposes, producing a low, feverish condition of the system, which greatly interferes with the general health of the animal. INVERSION OF THE UTERUS.—The uferus is sometimes turned inside out after calving. This is, generally, the result of debility, or severe labor. The uterus should be replaced as carefully as possible with the hands, care being taken that no dirt, straw, or other foreign substance adheres to it. Should it again be expelled, it would be advisable to quiet the system by the use of an anesthetic, as chloroform, or—which is much safer—chloric ether. As soon as the animal is under the influence of this, the uéerus may be again replaced. ‘The i 954 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. hind-quarters should be raised as high as possible, in order to favor its retention. The animal should have a little gruel and a bottle of porter given to her every five or six hours, and the vulva should be bathed frequently with cold water. PHRENITIS. Inflammation of the brain is one of those dreadful diseases to which all animals are liable. It is known to the farmer as frenzy, mad staggers, ete. The active symptoms are preceded by stupor; the animal stubbornly stands in one position ; the eyes are full, red, and fiery ; respiration rapid; delirium soon succeeds; the animal, bellowing, dashes wildly about, and seems bent on mischief, rushing madly at every object which comes in its way. ! The causes of this disease are overwork in warm weather, a plethoric condition of the system, and too stimulating food. Prof. Gamgee, of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, relates a case resulting from the presence within the external meatus of a mass of concrete cerumen, or wax, which induced in- flammation of the ear, extending to the brain. Treatment.—As this is attended with considerable risk, ? \ unless it is taken prior to the frenzied stage, bleeding almost piirge. Take one ounce of Barbadoes aloes, and ten to fifteen drops of Creton-oil; mix the aloes with one pint of water and the oils , using the mixture asa drench. One pound of Epsom- salts will answer the purpose very well, in cases where the aloes and) oil cannot be readily obtained. Application of bags of broken i ice to the head, is very beneficial. Spirits of turpentine, or mustard, together with spirits of hartshorn and \ \ a ai est ‘to fainting should be resorted to, and followed by a brisk PLEURISY. 255 water should be well rubbed in along the spine, from the neck to the tail. ‘PLEURISY. This is an inflammation of the pleura, or the serous ‘membrane which lines the cavity of the chest, and which is deflected over the lungs. Inflammation of this membrane rarely occurs in a pure form, but is more generally associated with inflammation of the tissue of the lungs. If this disease is not attended to at an early period, its usual termination is in hydrothorax, or dropsy of the chest. The same causes which produce inflammation of the lungs, of the bronchia, and of the other respiratory organs, produce also pleurisy. Symptoms.—The respiration is quick, short, and painful ; pressure between the ribs produces much pain; a low, short, ‘painful cough is present; the respiratory murmur is much diminished,—in fact, it isscarcely audible. This condition is rapidly followed by effusion, which may be detected from the dullness of the sounds, on applying the ear to the lower part of the lungs. ‘The febrile symptoms disappear; the animal for a few days appears to improve, but soon becomes weak, languid, and often exhausted from the slightest exertion. Treatment.—The same treatment in the early stage is enjoined as in inflammatory pheumonia, which the reader will consult—counter-irritation and purgatives. Bleeding never should be resorted to. When effusion takes place, it is necessary to puncture the sides with a trochar, and draw away the fluid, giving internally one of the following purges three times a day: rosin, eight ounces; saltpetre, two ounces: mix, and divide into eight powders. Half-drachm doses of 256 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. — the iodide of potash, dissolved in water, to be given three times daily, will be found useful in this disease. See PLBEURO-PNEUMONTSA. ee ee ee This disease, as its name implies, is an inflammatory con-_ 7 dition of the lungs and the pleura, or the enveloping mem-— brane of the lungs and the lining membrane of the chest. Tt is sometimes called contagious, infectious, and epizootic pleuro-pneumonia,—contagious or infectious, from its sup-- posed property of transmission from the diseased to the healthy animal. | A contagious character the author is not ready to assign | to it,—contagious, as he understands it, being strictly applica- | ble to those diseases which depend upon actual contact with” the poison that it may be communicated from one animal to. = ee loner does not ne-| cessarily im- ply the actual ay (i SEs = i Lesh OE ANNES touching of c vi », the animals ZZ —- gz themselves; ‘ for it may be communi- cated from the TAKING AN OBSERVATION. poison left in the trough, or other places where the diseased animal has’ been brought in contact with some object, as is often the case in glanders in the horse; the matter discharged from the nose, and left upon the manger, readily communicating PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. O57 that disease to healthy animals coming in contact with it. Contagious diseases, therefore, travel very slowly, starting, as they do, at one point, and gradually paeeaie over a large district, or section of country. : This disease is, however, regarded by the author as infec- tious ; by which term is meant that it is capable ‘of being communicated from the diseased to the healthy animal through the medium of the air, which has become contami- nated by the exhalations of poisonous matter. - The ability to inoculate other animals in this way is necessarily confined to a limited space, sometimes not extending more than a few yards. ‘Infectious diseases, accordingly, spread with more rapidity than contagious ones, and are, consequently, more to be dreaded; since we can avoid the one with compara- tively little trouble, while the other often steals upon us when we regard ourselves as beyond its nen, carrying death and destruction in its course. The term by which this disease is known, is a misnomer.. Pleuro-pneumonia proper is neither a contagious, nor an infectious disease ; hence, the denial of medical men that this so-called pleuro-pneumonia is a contagious, or infectious disease, has been the means of unnecessarily exposing many animals to its poisonous influence. In the Recuéil de Médécine Vétérinaire, for 1833, will be found a very interesting description of this fatal malady. The author, M. Lecoy, Assistant Professor at the Veterinary School of Lyons, France, says: “There are few districts in the arrondissement of Avesnes where more cattle are fattened — than in that of Soire-le-Chateau. The farmers being unable to obtain a sufficient supply of cattle in the district, are 17 . / 958 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. obliged to purchase the greater part of them from other provinces; and they procure a great number for grazing from Franche Comté. The cattle of this country are very handsome; their forms are compact; they fatten rapidly ; and they are a kind of cattle from which the grazer would derive most advantage, were it not that certain diseases absorb, by the loss of some of the animals, the profits of the rest of the herd. Amongst the diseases which most fre- quently attack the cattle which are brought from the North, there is one very prevalent in some years, and which is the more to be dreaded as it is generally incurable; and the slaughter of the animal, before he is perceptibly wasted; is the only means by which the farmer can avoid losing the whole value of the beast. “This disease is chronic pleuro-pneumonia. The symp- toms are scarcely recognizable at first, and often the beast is ill for a long time without its being perceived. He fattens well, and when he is slaughtered the owner is astonished to find scarcely half of the lungs capable of discharging the function of respiration. When, however, the ox has not sufficient strength of constitution to resist the ravages of disease, the first symptom which is-observed is diminution, or irregularity of appetite. Soon afterwards, a frequent, dry cough is heard, which becomes feeble and painful as the disease proceeds. ‘The dorso-lumbar portion of the spine (loins) grows tender; the animal flinches when the part is pressed upon, and utters a peculiar groan, or grunt, which the graziers regard as decisive of the malady. . “ Quickly after this, the movements of the flanks become irregular and accelerated, and the act of respiration is accom- PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 959 panied by a kind of balancing motion of the whole body. The sides of the chest become as tender as the loins, or more so; for the animal immediately throws himself down, if pressed upon with any force. The elbows become, in many subjects, more and more separated from the sides of the chest. The pulse is smaller than natural, and not considera- bly increased. The muzzle is hot and dry, alternately.# The animal lies down as in a healthy state, but rumination is partially or entireiy suspended. The feces are harder than they should be; the urine is of its natural color and quantity ; the mouth is often dry; and the horns and ears retain their natural temperature. “This first stage of the disease sometimes continues during a month, or more, and then, if the animal is to recover, or at least, apparently so, the symptoms gradually disappear. First of all, the appetite returns, and the beast begins to acquire a little flesh. The proprietor should then make haste and get rid of him; for it is very rare that the malady, however it may be palliated for a while. does not reappear with greater intensity than before. “In most cases, the disease continues to pursue its course toward its termination without any remission,—every symp- tom gradually increasing in intensity. The respiration be- comes more painful; the head is more extended; the eyes are brilliant; every expiration is accompanied with a grunt, and by a kind of puckering of the angles of the lips; the cough becomes smaller, more suppressed, and more painful ; the tongue protrudes from the mouth, and a frothy mucus is ‘ abundantly discharged; the breath becomes offensive; a purulent fluid of a bloody color escapes from the nostrils ; 260 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. diarrhea, profuse and fetid, succeeds to the constipation ; the animal becomes rapidly weaker; he is a complete skeleton, and at length he dies. “Examination after death discloses slight traces of in- flammation in the intestines, discoloration of the liver, and a hard, dry substance contained in the manyplus. The lung adhere to the sides and to the diaphragm by nu- merous bands, evidently old and very firm. ‘The substance of the lungs*«often presents a reddish-gray hepatization — throughout almost its whole extent. At other times, there are tubercles in almost every state of hardness, and in that of suppuration. The portion of the lungs that is not hepa- tized is red, and gorged with blood. Besides the old adhe- sions, there are numerous ones of recent date. The pleura is not much reddened, but by its thickness in some points, its adhesion in others, and the effusion of a serous fluid, it proves how much and. how long it has participated in the inflammatory action. The trachea and the bronchia are slightly red, and the right side of the head is gorged with blood. Pui subject in which, during life, I could scarcely feel the beating of the heart, I found the whole of the left lobe of the lungs adhering to the sides, and completely hepa- tized. In another, that had presented no sign of disease of the chest, and that for some days before his death vomited the little fodder which he could take, the whole of that por- tion of the esophagus that passed through the chest was surrounded with dense false membranes, of a yellowish hue, ranging from light to dark, and being in some parts more than an inch in thickness, and adhering closely to the mus- PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 261 cular membrane of the tube, without allowing any trace to be perceived of that portion of the mediastinal pleura on which this unnatural covering was fixed and developed. “The cattle purchased in Franche Comté are brought to Avesnes at two periods of the year—in autumn and in the spring. Those which are brought in autumn are much more subject to the disease than those which have arrived in the spring ; and it almost always happens that the years in which it shows itself most generally are those in which the weather was most unfavorable while the cattle were on the road. The journey is performed by two different routes,—through _ Lorraine and through Champagne,—and the disease frequently appears in cattle that have arrived by one of these routes. The manner in which the beasts are treated, on their arrival, may contribute not a little to the development of the malady. These animals, which have been driven long distances in bad weather, and frequently half starved, arrived famished, and therefore the more fatigued, and some of them lame. Cal- culating on their ravenous appetite, the graziers, instead of giving them wholesgme food, make them consume the worst that the farm contains,—musty and mouldy fodder; and it is usually by the cough, which the eating of such food nec- essarily produces, that the disease is discovered and first de- veloped. “Ts chronic pleuro-pneumonia contagious? The farmers believe that it is, and I am partly of their opinion. When an animal falls sick in the pasture, the others, after his removal, go and smell at the grass where he has lain, and which he has covered with his saliva, and, after that, new gases succeed to the first. It is true that this fact is not 962 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. conclusive, since the disease also appears in a great number of animals that have been widely separated from each other. But I have myself seen three cases in which the cattle of the country, perfectly well before, have fallen ill, and died with the same symptoms, excepting that they have been more acute, after they have been kept with cattle affected with this disease. This circumstance inclines me to think that the disease is contagious; or, at least, that, in the progress of it, the breath infects the cow-house in which there are other animals already predisposed to the same disease. I am in- duced to believe that most of the serious internal diseases are communicated in this manner, and particularly those which affect the organs of respiration, when the animals are shut up in close, low, and badly-ventilated cow-houses.” [ Rec. de Méd. Vét. Mai, 1833. | No malady can be more terrible and ruinous than this among dairy-stock; and its spread all over the country, to- gether with its continuance with scarcely any abatement, must be attributed to the combination of various causes. The chief are: first, the very contagious,or infectious nature of the disorder; second, inattention on the part of Govern- ment to the importation and subsequent sale of diseased animals; and, third, the recklessness of purchasers of dairy or feeding cattle. This disease may be defined as an acute inflammation of the organs of the chest, with the development of a peculiar and characteristic poison, which is the active element of in- fection or contagion. It is a disease peculiar to the cattle tribe, notwithstanding occasional assertions regarding obser- vations of the disease among horses, sheep, and other PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 263 animals,—which pretended observations have not been well attested. The infectious, or contagious nature of this virulent malady is incontestibly substantiated by an overwhelming amount of evidence, which cannot be adduced at full length here, but which may be classified under the following heads: first, the constant spreading of the disease from countries in which it rages to others which, previously to the importation of diseased animals, had been perfectly free from it. This may be proved in the case of England, into which country it was carried in 1842, by affected animals from Holland. Twelve months after, it spread from England to Scotland, by means of some cattle sold at All-Hallow Fair, and it was only twelve months afterward that cattle imported as far north as Inver- ness took the disease there. Lately, a cow taken from England to Australia was observed to be diseased upon landing, and the evil results were limited to her owner’s stock, who gave the alarm, and ensured an effectual remedy against a wider spread. Besides, the recent importation of pleuro- pneumonia into the United States from Holland appears to have awakened our agricultural press generally, and to have convinced them of the stubborn fact that our cattle have been decimated by a fearfully infectious, through probably prevent- able, plague. A letter from this country to an English author says: ‘Its (pleuro-pneumonia’s) contagious charac- ter seems to be settled beyond a doubt, though some of the Y.S. practitioners deny it, which is almost as reasonable as it would be to deny any other well-authenticated historic fact. Hvery case of the disease is traceable to one of two sources; either to Mr. Chenery’s stock in Belmont (near 264 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. Boston, Massachusetts), into which the disease was introduced Fe ge eg pe by his importation of four Dutch cows from Holland, which | arrived here the 23d of last May; or else to one of the three calves which he sold to a farmer in North Brookfield, Mas- sachusetts, last June.” : 2dly. Apart from the importation into countries, we have this certain proof—to which special attention was drawn several years ago—that cattle-dealers’. farms, and public — markets, constitute the busy centres of infection. Most anxious and careful inquiries have established the proposition that in breeding-districts, where the proprietors of extensive dairies—as in Dumfries, Scotland, and other places—abstain from buying, except from their neighbors, who have never ~ had diseases of the lungs amongst their stock, pleuro-pneu- monia has not been seen. There is a wide district in the © vicinity of Abington, England, and in the parish of Craw- ford, which has not been visited by this plague, with the exception of two farms, into which market-cattle had been imported and thus brought the disease. 3dly. In 1854 appeared a Report of the Researches on Pleuro-Pneumonia, by a scientific commission, instituted by the. Minister of Agriculture in France. This very able pamphlet was edited by Prof. Bouley, of Alfort, France. The mem- bers of the commission belonged to the most eminent veterinarians and agriculturists in France. Magendie was President; Regnal, Secretary ; besides Rayer, the renowned comparative pathologist ; Yvart, the Inspector-General of the Imperial Veterinary Schools; Renault, Inspector of the — Imperial Veterinary Schools; Delafond, Director of Alfort College; Bouley, Lassaigne, Baudemont, Doyére, Manny de PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 265 Morny, and a few others representing the public. If such a commission were occasionally appointed in this country for similar purposes, how much light would be thrown on subjects of paramount importance to the agricultural community ! Conclusions arrived at by the commission are too import- ant to be overlooked in this connection. The reader must peruse the Report itself, if he needs to satisfy himself as to the care taken in conducting the investigations : but the fore- going names sufficiently attest the indisputable nature of the facts alluded to. ‘In instituting its experiments, the commission had in view the solving of the following questions :— Istly. Is the epizodtic pleuro-pneumonia of cattle suscepti- ble of being transmitted from diseased to healthy animals by cohabitation ? | 2dly. In the event of such contagion’s existing, would all the animals become affected, or what proportion would resist the disease ? 38dly. Amongst the animals attacked by the disease, how many recover, and under what circumstances? How many succumb? 4thly. Are there any animals of the ox species decidedly free from any susceptibility of being affected from the conta- gion of pleuro-pneumonia ? 5thly. Do the animals, which have been once affected by a mild form of the disease, enjoy immunity from subsequent attacks ? 6thly. Do,the animals, which have once been affected by the disease in its active form, enjoy such immunity ? To determine these questions, the commission submitted 266 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. at different times to the influence of cohabitation with diseased animals forty-six perfectly healthy ones, chosen from districts in which they had never been exposed to a similar influence. Of these forty-six animals, twenty were experimented on at Pomeraye, two at Charentonneau, thirteen at Alfort, and eleven, in the fourth experiment, at Charentonneau. Of this number, twenty-one animals resisted the disease when first submitted to the influence of cohabitation, ten suffered slightly, and fifteen took the disease. Of the fifteen affected, four died, and eleven recovered. Consequently, the animals which apparently escaped the disease at the first trial amounted to 45.65 per cent., and those affected to 21.73 per cent. Of these, 23.91 per cent. recovered, and 8.69 per cent. died. But the external appearances in some instances proved deceptive, and six of the eleven animals of the last experiment, which were regarded as having escaped free, were found, on being destroyed, to bear distinct evidence of having been affected. This, therefore, modifies the foregoing calculations, and the numbers should stand thus :— 15 enjoy immunity, or - 82.61 per cent. 10 indisposed, i 2130p 17 animals cured, iat! 36.99 4% A dead, cc 898 « Of the forty-two animals which were exposed in the first ‘experiments at Pomeraye and Charentonneau, and which escaped either without becoming affected, or recovering, eighteen were submitted to a second trial; and of these eighteen animals, five had, in the first experiment, suffered from the disease and had recovered; five had now become affected; and four had been indisposed. The four animals PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 267 submitted to the influence of contagion a third time, had been affected on the occasion of the first trial. None of the eighteen animals contracted the disease during these renewed exposures to the influence of contagion. From the results of these experiments, the commission drew the following conclusions :— lstly. The epizoédtic pleuro-pneumonia is susceptible of being transmitted from diseased to healthy animals by co- habitation. 2dly. All the animals exposed do not take the disease; some suffer slightly, and others not at all. 3dly. Of the affected animals, some recover and others die. Athly. The animals, whether slightly or severely affected, possess an immunity against subsequent attacks. These are the general conclusions which the commission deemed themselves authorized to draw from their experi- ments. The absolute proportion of animals which become affected, or which escape the disease, or of those which die and which recover, as a general rule, cannot be deduced from . the foregoing experiments, which, for such a purpose, are too limited. 'The commission simply state the numbers resulting from their experiments. From these it transpires that forty- five of the animals became severely affected with pleuro- pneumonia, and twenty-one per cent. took the disease slightly, making the whole sixty-six per cent. which were more or less severely attacked. Thirty-four per cent. re- mained free from any malady. ‘The proportion of animals which re-acquired their wonted appearance of health amounted to eighty-three per cent., whereas seventeen per cent. died. Many minor points might be insisted on, but it is sufficient 268 _ CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. here to say, that the most careful analysis of all facts has proved to practical veterinarians, as well as to experienced agriculturists, and must prove to all who will calmly and dispassionately consider the point, that pleuro-pneumonia is pre-eminently an infectious, or contagious disease. Symptoms.—From the time that an animal is exposed to the contagion to the first manifestation of Symptoms, a certain period elapses. . This is the period of incubation. It varies from a fortnight to forty days, or even several months, The first signs, proving that the animal has been seized, can scarcely be detected by any but a professional man ; though, if a proprietor of cattle were extremely careful, and had pains-taking individuals about his stock, he would invariably notice a slight shiver as ushering in the disorder, which for several days, even after the shivering fit, would limit itself to slight interfer- ese ence in breath- << —zaw will ing, readily de- AN \ S za Cae Ks OZ = Se ‘tected on aus- Zi Ws =e : - cultation. Per- haps a cough might be no-— ticed, and that the appetite and THE TWINS. milk-secretion. diminished. The animal becomes costive, and the shivering fits recur. The cough becomes more constant and oppressive ; the pulse full and frequent, usually numbering about eighty per minute at first, and rising to upwards of one hundred. © The temperature of the body rises, and all the symptoms of PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 269 acute fever set in. A moan, or grunt, in the early part of the disease indicates a dangerous attack, and the alae nast (cartilages of the nose) rise spasmodically at each inspiration ; the air rushes through the inflamed windpipe and bronchial tubes, so as to produce a loud, coarse respiratory murmur ; and the spasmodic action of the abdominal muscles indicates the difficulty the animal also experiences in the act of expira- tion. Pressure over the intercostal (between the ribs) spaces, and pressing on the spine, induce the pain so characteristic of pleurisy, and a deep moan not infrequently follows such an experiment. The eyes are bloodshot, mouth clammy, skin dry and tightly bound to the subcutaneous textures, and the urine is scanty and high-colored. Upon auscultation, the characteristic dry, sonorous rdle of ordinary bronchitis may be detected along the windpipe, and in the bronchial tubes. A loud sound of this description is, not infrequently, detected at the anterior part of either side of the chest; whilst the respiratory murmur is entirely lost, posteriorly, from consolidation of the lungs. A decided leathery, frictional sound is detected over a considerable portion of the thoracic surface. ‘As the disease advances, and gangrene, with the production of cavities in the lungs, ensues, loud, cavernous rdles are heard, which are more or less circumscribed, occasionally attended by a decided metal- lic noise. When one lobe of the lungs is alone affected, the morbid sounds are confined to one side, and on the healthy side the respiratory murmur is uniformly louder all over. By carefully auscultating diseased cows from day to day, interesting changes can be discovered during the animal’s © lifetime. Frequently, the abnormal sounds indicate progres- 270 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. sive destruction ; but, at other times, portions of the lungs that have been totally impervious to air, become the seat of sibilant rdles, and gradually, a healthy respiratory murmur proves that, by absorption of the materials which have been plugging the tissues of the lungs, resolution is fast advancing. Some very remarkable cases of this description have been encountered in practice. Unfortunately, we often find a rapid destruction of the tissues of the lungs, and speedy dissolution. In other instances, the general symptoms of hectic, or consumption, attend lingering cases, in which the temperature of the body becomes low, and the animal has a dainty appetite, or refuses all nourishment. It has a discharge from the eyes, and a fetid, sanious discharge from the nose. Not infrequently, it coughs up disorganized lung-tissue and putrid pus. Great prostration, and, indeed, typhus symptoms, set in. There : is a fetid diarrhcea, and the animal sinks in the most emaci- ated state, often dying from suffocation, in consequence of. the complete destruction of the respiratory structures. Post moriem appearances.—In acute cases, the cadaverous lesions chiefly consist in*abundant false membranes in the trachea, or windpipe, and closure of:the bronchial tubes by plastic lymph. The air-vesicles are completely plugged by . this material, and very interesting specimens may be obtained by careful dissection, in the shape of casts of the bronchial tubes and air-vesicles, clustered together like bunches of © grapes. On slicing the lungs in these cases, hepatization is — observed, presenting a very peculiat appearance, which is, in | a great measure, due to the arrangement of the lung-tissue in : cattle. The pulmonary lobules are of a deep-red or brown | PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. O71 color, perfectly consolidated, and intersected or separated, one from the other, by lighter streaks of yellowish-red lymph, occupying the interlobular, areolar tissue. In the more chronic cases, the diseased lobes and lobules are found partly separated from the more healthy structures. This occurs from gangrene, and putrefactive changes, or in Some instances, from the ulcerative process, so constantly Bobserved in the segregation of dead from living tissues. m Abscesses are not infrequently found in different parts of the lungs. Sometimes circumscribed, at others connected with bronchial tubes, and not infrequently communicating with the pleural cavity. True empyema is not often seen ; but, at all times, the adhesions between the costal and visceral pleura are extensive, and there is much effusion in the chest. In dressed carcasses of cows that have been slaughtered from pleuro-pneumonia, even though the disease has not been far advanced, it will be found that the butcher has care- fully scraped the serous membrane off the inner surface of the ribs, as it would otherwise be impossible for him to give the pleura its healthy, smooth aspect, from the firm manner in which the abundant false membranes adhere to it. The direased lungs sometimes attain inordinate weight. They have been known to weigh as much as sixty pounds. Treatment.—The veterinary profession is regarded by many who have sustained heavy losses from pleuro-pneumonia, as deeply ignorant, because its members cannot often cure the disease. Persons forget that there are several epidemics which prove equally difficult to manage on the part of the physician, such as cholera, yellow fever, etc. The poison in these contagious, epizodtic diseases is so virulent that the O72 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. animals may be regarded as dead from the moment they are attacked. Its elimination from the system is impossible, and medicine cannot support an animal through its tardy, ex-— hausting, and destructive process of clearing the system of so potent a virus. All antiphlogistic means have failed, such as blood-letting and the free use of evacuants. Derivatives, in the form of mustard-poultices, or more active blisters, are attended with good results. Stimulants have proved of the greatest service; and the late Prof. Tessona, of Turin, strongly recommended, from the very onset of the disease, the administration of strong doses of quinine. Maffei, of Ferrara, states that he has obtained great benefit from the employment of ferruginous tonics and manganese in the very — acute stage of the malady, supported by alcholic stimulants. Recently, the advantages resulting from the use of sulphate of iron, both as a preventive and curative, have been ex- hibited in France. It would appear that the most valuable depurative method of treatment yet resorted to is by the careful use of the Roman bath. Acting, like all other sud- | orifics in cases of fever and blood diseases, it carries off by the skin much of the poison, without unduly lowering the vital powers. | | Prevention.—The rules laid down in Denmark, and indeed in many other places, appear the most natural for the pre- vention of the disease. If they could be carried out, the disease must necessarily be stopped; but there are practical and insuperable difficulties in the way of enforcing them, : Thus, a Dr. Warneke says, prevention consists in “the avoidance of contagion ; the slaughter of infected beasts ; the prohibition of keeping cattle by those whose cattle have » a@ PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. Dag e: been slaughtered, for a space of ten weeks after the last case occurring ; the disinfection of stalls vacated by slaughter- ing; the closing of infected places to all passing of cattle ; especial attention to the removal of the dung, and of the remains of the carcasses of slaughtered beasts; and, finally, undeviating severity of the law against violators.” Dr. Williams, of Hasselt, suggested and carried out, in 1851, the inoculation of the virus of pleuro-pneumonia, in order to induce a mild form of the disease in healthy animals, and prevent their decimation by the severe attacks due to contagion. He met with much encouragement, and perhaps more opposition. Didot, Corvini, Ercolani, and many more accepted Dr. Williams’s facts as incontestable, and wrote, advocating his method of checking the spread of so destfuc- tive a plague. | ! : The first able memoir which contested all that has been said in favor of inoculation, appeared in Turin, and was written by Dr. Riviglio, a Piedmontese veterinary surgeon. This was supported by the views of many others. Prof. Simonds wrote against the plan, and, in 1854, the French commission, whose report has been before mentioned, con- firmed, in part, Riviglio’s views, though, from the incomplete- ness of the experiments, further trials were recommended. Inoculation is performed as follows: A portion of diseased lung is chosen, and a bistoury or needle made to pierce it so as to become charged with the material consolidating the lung, and this is afterward plunged into any part, but, more par- ticularly, toward the point of the tail. If operated severely, and higher up, great exudation occurs, which spreads upward, ‘invades the areolar tissue round the rectum and other pelvic 18 274 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. organs, and death soon puts an end to the animal's excruciat- : ing suffering. If the operation is properly performed with lymph that is not putrid, and the incisions are not made too — deep, the results are limited to local exudation and swelling, general symptoms of fever, and gradual recovery. The most common occurrence is sloughing of the tail; and in London, at the present time, dairies are to be seen in which all the cows have short-tail stumps. Dr. Williams and others have gone too far in attempting to describe a particular corpuscle as existing in the lymph of pleuro-pneumonia. All animal poisons can be alone dis- — covered from their effects. In structure and chemical con-— stitution, there is no difference, and often the most potent — poifons are simple fluids. The Belgian Commission, ap-— pointed to investigate the nature and influence of inoculation for pleuro-pneumonia, very justly expressed an opinion that Dr. Williams had not proved that a specific product, dis- tinguished by anatomical characters, and appreciable by the - microscope, existed in this disease. | The all-important question, “(Is inoculation of service?” has to the satisfaction of most been solved. The Belgian and French commissions, the observations of Riviglio, Simond, Herring, and many others, prove that a certain degree of preservative influence is derived by the process of inoculation. — It does not, however, arrest the progress of the disease. It certainly diminishes to some extent—though often very | slightly so—the number of cases, and, particularly, of severe ones. This effect has been ascribed to a derivative action, independent of any specific influence, and, indeed, similar to that of introducing setons in the dewlap. y PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 215 In London, some dairymen have considerable faith in inoculation, though its effect is uncertain, and the manner of its working a mystery. The best counsel, in the premises, which can be given to the keeper of dairy stock is, to select his own animals from healthy herds, and strictly to avoid public markets. In many instances, a faithful observance of these injunctions has been sufficient to prevent the invasion of this terrible disease. [Gamgee. ] : The existence of this disease in the United States was not generally known until the year 1859, when Mr. Chenery, of Belmont, near Boston, Massachusetts, imported several cows from Holland, which arrived in the early part of the spring of that year. Some of the animals were sick when they arrived, but the true nature of the disease was not at that time suspected. Several of them were so bad that they were earried in trucks to Mr. Chenery’s barn. Some two months passed away before the character of the disease was dis- covered. Upon the facts becoming known, the citizens of Massa- chusetts became panic-stricken, as the disease was rapidly spreading over that State. An extra session of the Legisla- ture was speedily convened, when a Joint Special Commit- tee was appointed, to adopt and carry out such measures as in their judgment seemed necessary for the extirpation of this monster, pleuro-pneumonia. The Committee met in the Hall of the House of Represen- tatives, Thursday, May, 31, 1860, to receive evidence as to the contagious or infectious character of the disease, in order to determine concerning the necessity of legislative action. P 276 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. Mr. Walker, one of the commissioners appointed by the Governor, made the following statement: ‘‘The disease was introduced into North Brookfield from Belmont. Mr. Curtis Stoddard, a young man of North Brookfield, went down, the very last of June, last year, and purchased three calves of Mr. Chenery, of Belmont. He brought these calves up in the cars to Brookfield. On their way from the depot to his house, about five miles, one of the calves was observed to falter, and when he got to his house, it seemed to be sick, and in | two or three days exhibited very great illness; so much so, that his father came along, and, thinking -he could take — better care of it, took the calf home. He took it to his own barn, in which there were about forty head of cattle; but it grew no better, and his son went up and brought it back again to his own house. In about ten days after that, it died. His father, who had had the calf nearly four days, in about a fortnight afterward observed that one of his oxen was sick, and it grew worse very fast and died. Two weeks after, a second also sickened, and died. Then a third was attacked and died, the interval growing wider from the attack of one animal to that of another, until he had lost eight oxen and cows. Young Stoddard lost no animal by the infection,—that is, no one died on his hands. Prior to the appointment of this Commission, about the first of No- vember,—for reasons independent of this disease, which I don’t suppose he then knew the nature of,—he sold off his stock. He sold off eleven heifers, or ‘young animals, and retained nine of the most valuable himself; which shows that he did not then know any thing was the matter with them. “These nine were four oxen, and five young cattle. The PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. Dat Ge four he took to his father’s, three of the others to his uncle’s, and the remaining two to his father-in-law’s ; distribu- ting them all among his friends,—which furnishes another proof that he did not suppose he was doing any mischief. He disposed of his herd in that way. From this auction, these eleven animals went in different directions, and wherever they went, they scattered the infection. Without a single failure the disease has followed those cattle; in one case, more than two hundred cattle having been infected by one which was sold at Curtis Stoddard’s auction, when he was entirely ignorant of the disease. “When the commission was appointed, they went and ex- amined his cattle, and were satisfied that they were diseased, —at least, some of them. They examined his father’s herd, and found that they were very much diseased; and when we came to kill Curtis Stoddard’s cattle, seven of the nine head were diseased. ‘Two were not condemned, because the law says, ‘Cattle not appearing to be diseased, shall be appraised.’ Nevertheless, it proved that these animals were diseased ; so that his whole herd was affected. ‘Tn regard to Leonard Stoddard’s cattle, he lost fourteen of his animals before the commissioners went to his place. They took eighteen more, all of which were diseased,—most of them very bad cases,—indeed, extreme cases. That left eight heads, which were not condemned, because not appear- ing to be diseased. Here I remark, that when this disease is under the shoulder-blade, it cannot be detected by percussion. The physicians did not say that the animal was not diseased, but that they did not see sufficient evidence upon which to condemn. Such animals were to he paid for, upon the ground 278 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. of their not appearing to be diseased. Nevertheless, it is proper to state that the remaining eight which were not con- demned, were suspected to be diseased, and we told Mr. Stoddard that we had the impression that they were diseased, notwithstanding appearances. He said, ‘There is a three- year-old animal that has never faltered at all. She has never manifested the slightest disease. If you will kill her, and she is diseased, I shall make up my mind that I have not a well animal in my stalls.’ We killed the animal, and found her to be badly diseased. | “Thus, the first two herds were all infected by the disease ; and in the last of Curtis Stoddard’s oxen which we killed, we found a cyst in the lungs of each. One of these lungs is now in this building, never having been cut open, and medi- cal men can see the cyst which it contains. I have said in what manner Mr. Curtis Stoddard’s cattle spread the infec- tion. | “In regard to Mr. Leonard Stoddard’s: in the first place, he kept six or eight oxen which he employed in teaming. He was drawing some lumber, and stopped over night, with his oxen, at Mr. Needham’s. Needham lost his whole herd. He lost eight or ten of them, and the rest were in a terrible condition. Seven or eight more were condemned, and his whole herd was destroyed, in consequence of Mr. Stoddard’s stopping with him over night. Mr. Stoddard sold an animal to Mr. Woodis of New Braintree. He had twenty-three fine cows. It ruined his herd utterly. Seven or eight animals’ died before the commissioners got there. Mr. L. Stoddard also sold a yoke of cattle to Mr. Olmstead, one of his neighbors, who had a very good herd. They stayed only PLEURO-PNEUMONIA, ' 279 , five days in his hands, when they passed over to Mr. Doane. In these five days they had so infected his herd that it was one of the most severe instances of disease that we have had. One third were condemned, and another third were passed over as sound, whether they were so, or not. They did not appear to be diseased. The cattle that were passed from Mr. Stoddard through Mr. Olmstead to Mr. Doane, were loaned by Mr. D. to go to a moving of a building from Oakham to New Braintree. They were put in with twenty- two yoke of cattle, and employed a day and a half. It has since been proved that the whole of these cattle took the contagion. They belonged to eleven different herds, and of course, each of these herds formed a focus from which the disease spread. Now, in these two ways the disease has spread in different directions. “But, when the commissioners first commenced, they had no idea that the disease extended further than those herds in which there were animals sick. Hence, their ideas and the ideas of those who petitioned for the law, did not extend at all to so large a number of herds as have since been proved to be diseased, because they only judged of those who mani- fested disease. As soon as we began in that circle, we found a second cirele of infection, and another outside of that; and by that time it had branched off in various | direc- tions to various towns. It assumed such proportions that it was very evident that the commissioners had not the funds to perform the operations required by the law. The law con- fines the commissioners to one operation,—killing and bury- ing. No discretionary power is given at all. The commis- sioners became entirely dissatisfied with that condition of 280 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES, things, re other measures besides merely killing and burying, are quite as necessary and important. When they arrived at that point and discovered to what extent the in- fection had spread, they stopped killing the- herds, and I believe there has not been a herd killed for twenty days. “The policy was then changed to circumscribing the disease, by isolating the herds just as fast as possible and as_ surely as possible. A man’s herd has been exposed. There is no other way than to go and examine it, and take the diseased animals away. Then he knows the animals _are diseased, and his neighbors know it. That has been the business of the commissioners for the last twenty days; and the facts that they have no discretionary power what-— ever, and that they were entirely circumscribed in their | means, and that it was hard for the farmers to lose their stock and not be paid for it,-~induced them to petition the Governor, in connection with the Board of Agriculture, for the calling of a session of the Legislature, to take measures - for the extinction of the disease.” ee y _ In response to a question, ‘“ Whether any animals that had | once been affected, had afterward recovered ?”——the same gentleman stated that instances had occurred where cattle had been sick twice, and had, apparently, fully recovered ; they ruminated readily, and were gaining flesh. Upon exami- | nation, however,. they were pronounced diseased, and, when killed, both lungs were found in a hopeless case, very badly | diseased. | Dr. George B. Loring, another of the commissioners, | stated that eight hundred and forty-two head of cattle had, at that time, Pee killed, and that, from a careful estimate, ee = Sei BL ni | i pane PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 281 there still remained one thousand head, which should either be killed, or isolated for such a length of time as should es- tablish the fact that they had no disease about them. Twenty thousand dollars and upwards had already been appraised as the value of the cattle then killed. : As to disinfecting measures, the farmers who had lost cattle were requested to whitewash their barns thoroughly, and some tons of a disinfecting powder were purchased for the advantage of the persons who wished to-use it. An early application was advised, that the barns might be in readiness for hay the then coming season. The practice adopted by the commissioners was, to ap- praise the cattle whenever a herd was found which had been exposed, and a surgeon was appointed to pass judgment upon the number of diseased animals. After that judgment, the remaining animals that were pronounced sound were killed, and passed to the credit of the owner, after an appraisement made by these persons. The fair market-prices were paid, “averaging about thirty-three dollars a head. At the time of the meeting of the committee, some seventy cattle had. died of the disease. . An examination was made of some of the animals killed, and the following facts obtained :— | Case 1.—This cow had been sick for nineteen days; was feeble, without much appetite, with diarrhea, cough, short- ness of breathing, hair staring, etc. Percussion dull over the whole of the left side of the chest; respiration weak. Killed by authority. Several gallons of serum were found in the left side of the chest; a thick, furzy deposit of lymph over all the pleura-costalis. This lymph was an inch in 289, CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. thickness, resembling the velvety part of tripe, and quite’ firm. There was a firm deposit of lymph in the whole left lung, but more especially at its base, with strong ad- hesions to the diaphragm and pleura-costalis near the spine. The lunge was hard and brittle, like liver, near its base. No pus. Right lung and right side of chest healthy. Case 2.—This cow was taken very sick, January 30th. In fourteen days, she began to get better. April 12th, she is gaining flesh, breathes well, hair healthy, gives ten quarts of milk a day, and in all other respects bids fair for a healthy animal hereafter, except a slight cough. Percussion dull over base of the left lung, near the Spine, and respiration feeble in the same regions. Autopsy.—Left lung strongly adherent to diaphragm and costal pleura; the long adhesions well smoothed oft: ; pleura- costalis shining and healthy. Also, the surface of the lung, when there were no adhesions, sound and right; all the lung white, and free for the entrance of air, except the base, in which was a cyst containing a pint or two of pus. Loose in this pus was a hard mass, as large as a two- -quart measure, looking like marble; when cut through its centre, it appeared like the brittle, endear lining in case 1. It appeared as _ though a piece of lung had been detached by suppuration and enclosed in an air-tight cyst, by which decomposition was prevented. The other lung and the chest were sound. Itis to be inferred, as there were adhesions, that there had been pleurisy and deposit of lymph and Serum, aS in case 1, and that Nature had commenced the cure by absorbing the serum from the chest, and the lymph from the free pleural surface, and smoothed off every thing to a good working condition. PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 283 The lump in the cyst was-brittle and irregular on its surface, as though it was dissolving in the pus. No good reason can be given why Nature should not consummate the work which she had so wisely begun. Case 3.—This cow had been sick fourteen days; was cough- ing and breathing badly ; percussion dull over both chests, and respiration feeble. Killed. Autopsy.—Both chests filled with water ; deposits of lymph over all the pleura-costalis, presenting the same velvety, furzy appearance as in Case 1. Both lungs were hardened at the base, and the left throughout its whole extent, and firmly adherent to diaphragm and costal pleura, near the spine. The right lung had nearly one-third of its substance in a condition for the entrance of air; but this portion, even, was so compressed with the water, that a few hours longer would have terminated the case fatally without State aid. This case had not proceeded far enough for the formation of the cyst or pus. In Mr. Needham’s herd, about twenty-eight days inter- vened between the first and second case of disease, instead of about fourteen, as in Mr, Olmstead’s. Case 4.—A nice heifer, in fair condition, eating well, only having a slight cough. Percussion dull over base of the left lung. Autopsy.—Base of left lung adherent to diaphragm and costal pleura; lung hardened. On cutting into base, found ulceration and a head of Timothy grass, four or five inches long. Animal in every other way well. Case 5.—This cow was taken, January Ist, with a cough, difficulty of breathing, and the other symptoms of the disease, - time. 284 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. and continued sick till March Ist. On taking her out, April 12th, to be slaughtered, she capered, stuck up her tail, snuffed, and snorted, showing all the signs of feeling well and vigorous. | Autopsy.—Right lung firmly adherent to diaphragm and costal pleura, near the spine. Base of lung hardened, con- taining a cyst with a large lump, of the size of a two-quart measure, floating in pus; outside of the lump was of a dirty yellow-white, irregular, brittle, and cheesy ; the inside mottled, or divided into irrégular squares ; red like muscle, and break- ing under the finger, like liver. Costal pleura smooth, shining; adhesions where there was motion; card-like and polished ; no serum; lung apparently performing its functions well, except for a short distance above the air-tight cyst, where it was-still hardened. It would seem as though Nature was intending to dissolve this lump, and carry it off by absorption. She knows how, and would have done it, in the opinion of the writer, had she been allowed. sufficient Case 6.—Was taken December 18th, and was very sick ; in three weeks she was well, except a cough, quite severe, and so continued till about the first of March, when she coughed harder and grew worse till seven days before she was killed, April 12th, when she brought forth a calf, and then commenced improving again. Autopsy.—Right lung adherent to diaphragm and costal pleura. At its base, was a flabby, fluctuating cyst. In cutting into it, the lump was found to be breaking up by decomposition, and scenting badly. Hvery thing else normal. Was not the eyst broken through by some accident, thus PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 285 letting in the air, when she grew worse? Would she not, probably, have overcome this disagreeable accident, and re- covered, in spite of it? This cow’s hair did not look well, as did that of those in which the cyst was air-tight; but still she was beginning to eat well again, and appeared in a tolera- ble way for recovery. | Case 7.—This heifer had coughed slightly for six weeks, but the owner said he thought no one going into his herd would notice that any thing was the matter with her. Autopsy.—Slight adhesions of lung to diaphragm. Near these adhesions are small cysts, of the size of a walnut, con- taining pus and %, & cheesy matter ; as about the cysts & eS >». Yi, a little way the = lung was hard- AN? Al ni \\ RC = Se Valk aki ee CANN (ie \ ened, say forhalf Wace yy i en) an inch. There ‘W were several cysts, and they appeared as : =p 7 ————— Sn: =(\ a= though the in- Ss A RURAL SCENE. flammation at- - tacked only the different lobes of the lungs, leaving others healthy between,—Nature throwing out coagulable lymph around the diseased lobe, and forming thereby an air-tight eyst, cutting around the diseased lobe by suppuration, so that it could be carried off by absorption. In the herd to which this animal belonged, nine days alter the first cow died, the second case occurred. First cow was I 2986 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. sick five weeks. The time of incubation could not have been over six weeks,—probably not over three weeks. Of these cows, one improved in eight weeks, the other in three weeks. : Case 8.—This cow had been sick three weeks. Killed. Autopsy.—Large quantities of serum in left chest; lung adherent, and hardened at base. On cutting into the hard- ened lung, one side of the lump was found separated from — the lung, with pus between the lines of separation, and the forming coat of the cyst outside of the pus; the other side of the lump was part and parcel of the hardened lung which had not yet had time to commence separation. The costal pleura was covered with organized lymph to the thickness of an inch, with the usual characteristics. The right chest contained a small quantity of serum, and had — several small, hardened red spots in that lung, with some tender, weak adhesions; but most of the right lung was healthy. Case 9.—Sick four weeks. Killed. Autopsy.—Right lung hardened at base; adherent to diaphragm and costal pleura; lump separated on one side only. Cyst beginning to form, outside of separation; pus between cyst and lump, but in a very small quantity. These two cases settle the character of the lump, and the manner of the formation of the cyst; the lump being lung and lymph, cut out by suppuration,—the cyst being organized, smoothed off by suppuration, friction, etc. Case 10.—Killed. Hair looked badly; but the cow, it was said, ate, and appeared well. This case, however, oc- PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 287 curred in a herd, of which no reliable information, in detail, could be procured. Autopsy.—Base of lung hardened, adherent to diaphragm ; containing a cyst, in which was a lump, of the size of a quart measure, but little pus. This lump had air-tubes running through it, which were not yet cut off by suppuration; and in one place, the cyst was perforated by a bronchial tube, letting in the external air to the lump, which was undergoing disorganization, and swelling badly. When cut into, it did not prevent the red, mottled, organized appearance of those cases with air-tight cysts. Quite a number of other cases were examined, but these ten present all the different phases. One or two cases are needed of an early stage of the disease, to settle the point, whether, in all cases, the primary disease is lung fever, and the pleurisy a continuation, merely, of the primary disease ; together with some six or eight cases, during five, six, seven, eight months from attack, and so on till entire, final recovery. Some cases were sick almost a year since, and are now ap- parently quite well; perhaps all the lump and pus are not ‘yet gone. Many practitioners think that no severe case will ever recover, and some think that none ever get entirely well. Others, however, can see no reason why, as a general rule, all single cases should not recover, and all double cases die. The disease was the most fatal in Mr. Chenery’s (the original) herd, although it was the best-fed and the warmest- stabled. He attributed the fatality, in part, to a want of sufficient ventilation. The other herds, in which all the fatal cases occurred in two hours, consisted, originally, one of forty-eight head, of which thirteen died, or were killed, to 288 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. prevent certain death ; of twenty-three head, of which seven died; of twenty-two head, of which eight died; of twenty- two head, of which eight also died; and of twenty-one head, of which four died. A little less than thirty per cent., there- fore, of these herds died. This estimate excludes the calves. Most of the cows which had not calved before being attacked, lost their calves prematurely. The probable time of incubation, as deduced from those Massachusetts cases, is from two to three weeks ; of propagation, about the same time; the acute stage of the disease lasting about three weeks. The author’s attention was first directed to this disease, upon its appearance in Camden and Gloucester counties, New Jersey, in the year 1859, at about the same time it made its advent in Massachusetts. The singularity of this coincidence inclined him for the time to regard the disease as an epizodtic—having its origin in some peculiar condition of the atmosphere—rather than as a contagious, or infectious disease, which position was at that time assumed by him. This opinion was strengthened by the fact, that no case occurring in New Jersey could be traced to a Massachusetts origin, in which State it was claimed that the disease never had existed in this country previous to its introduction there. It was, therefore, denied by the veterinary surgeons in the Eastern States, that the disease in New Jersey was the true Huropean pleuro-pneumonia, but it was called by them the swill-milk disease of New York City, and it was assigned an origin in the distillery cow-houses in Brooklyn and Williams- burg. In 1860 it found its way across the Delaware River into 4 PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 289 Philadelphia, spreading very rapidly in all directions, par- ticularly in the southern section of the county, known as The Neck,—many of the dairymen losing from one third to one half of their herds by its devastating influence. In order to save themselves—in part, at least—from this heavy loss, many of them, upon the first indications of the malady, sent their animals to the butcher, to be slaughtered for beef. In 1861 the disease found its way into Delaware, where its ravages were severely felt. So soon, however, as it became known that the disease was infectious or contagious, an effort was made to trace it to its starting-point; but, in conse- quence of the unwillingness of dairymen to communicate the fact that their herds were affected with pleuro-pneumonia, all efforts proved fruitless. In 1860 the disease found its way up the Delaware to Riverton, a short distance above the city of Philadelphia. A cattle-dealer, named Ward, turned some cattle into a lot, adjoining which several others were grazing. The residents of this place are chiefly the families of gentle- men doing business in the city, many of whom lost their fa- vorite animals from this destructive malady. | The first case occurring at this place, to which the author’s attention was called, was a cow belonging to Mr. D. Parrish, which had been exposed by coming in contact with Ward’s cattle, had sickened, and died. An anxiety having been manifested to ascertain the cause of the death, the author made an examination of the animal, which, upon dissection, proved the disease to be a genuine case of the so- called pleuro-pneumonia. This examination was made August 20th, 1860, at the time of the Massachusetts excite- ment. Two cows, belonging to Mr. Rose, of the same place, 19 290 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. had been exposed, and both had taken the disease. His attention having been called to them, he placed them under the author’s treatment, and by the use of diffusible stimulants en oa ee Bee ey ee and tonics, one of these animals recovered, while the other was slaughtered for an examination, which revealed all the morbid conditions so characteristic of this disease: The next case was a cow belonging to Mr. G. H. Roach, of the same place, which had been grazing in a lot adjoining that of Mr. Parrish. This cow was killed in the presence of Charles Wood, V.S., of Boston, Mass., and Arthur 8. Cope- man, of Utica, N. Y., who was one of a committee ap- pointed by the New York State Agricultural Society for the purpose of investigating the disease. Both of these gentle- men having witnessed the disease in all its forms, as it appeared in Massachusetts, were the first to identify this case with those in that State. | Upon opening the cow, the left lung was found to be completely consolidated, and adhered to the left side, pre- senting the appearance usual in such cases. As she was with calf, the lungs of the foetus were examined, disclosing a beautiful state of red hepatization. © The author’s attention was next called to the herd of Mr. ~ Lippincott, a farmer in the neighborhood, who had lost several cattle by the disease; but as he had been persuaded that treatment was useless, he abandoned the idea of attempting to save his stock in that way. From Riverton it soon spread to Burlington, some ten miles farther up the river, where it carried off large numbers of valuable cattle, and it continued in existence in that neighborhood for some time. The disease was not then confined to these localities alone, PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 291 but has spread over a large extent of country,—and that, too, prior to its appearance in Massachusetts, as will be shown by extracts from the following letters, published in the Country Gentleman :-— “We have a disease among the cattle here, I will class it under these names,—congestion of the lungs, terminating _ with consumption, or dropsy of the chest. Now, I have treated two cases; one five years since, as congestion,—and the first is still able to eat her allowance, and give a couple of pails of milk a day,—and the other, quite recently. The great terror of this disease is, that it is not taken in its first stages, which are the same in the cow as in the man—a difficulty in breathing, which, if not speedily relieved, terminates in con- sumption or dropsy. I have no doubt that consumption is contagious; but is that a reason why every one taken with congestion should be killed to check the spread of consump- tion? So I should reason, if I had pleuro-pneumonia in my drove of cattle. J. BALDWIN. “ Newark, N. J., June 11, 1860.” “T notice that a good deal of alarm is felt in different parts of the country about what is called the cattle-disease. “From the diagnosis given in the papers, I have no doubt this is pleuro-pneumonia, with which I had some acquaint- ance a few years ago. If it is the same, my observation and experience may be of some service to those suffering now. “Tt was introduced into my stock, in the fall of 1853, by one of my own cows, which, in the spring of that year, I had sent down to my brother in Brooklyn, to be used during the summer for milk. She was kept entirely isolated through- , 292 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. out the summer, and in November was sent up by the boat. There were no other cattle on the boat at the time, nor could T learn that she had come in contact with any in passing through the streets on her way to the boat; and she certainly did not, after leaving it, until she mingled with her old com- panions, all of whom were then, and long afterward, perfectly well. After she had been home about two weeks, we . noticed that her appetite failed, and her milk fell off: she — seemed dull and stupid, stood with her head down, and mani- fested a considerable degree of languor. | “Soon her breathing became somewhat hurried, and with a decided catch in it; she ground her teeth; continued standing, or, if she lay down, it was only to jump up again instantly. Her cough increased, and so, too, a purulent and bloody discharge from her nostrils and mouth. The excre- ment was fetid, black, and hard. “In this case, we twice administered half a pound of Epsom-salts, and afterward, a bottle of castor-oil. Very little but a temporary effect was produced by these doses. “The symptoms all increased in intensity; strength diminished; limbs drawn together; belly tucked up, ete. ; until the eight day, when she partly lay, and partly fell down, and never rose again. “Tn a post-mortem examination, the lungs were eorged with black, fetid. blood; the substance of them thickened and pulpy. The pleura and diaphragm also showed a good deal of disease and some adhesion. This cow, on her arrival here, was put in her usual place in the stable, between others. She remained there for two or three days after she was taken sick, before we removed her to the hospital. ; PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 293 “In about three weeks from the time she died, one and then the other of those standing on either side of her were attacked in the same way, and with but two days between. This, certainly, looks very much like contagion; but my attention had not before been called to this particular disease, and to suppose inflammation or congestion of the lungs con- tagious was so opposed to my preconceived notions, that I did not even then admit it; and these animals were suffered to remain with the others until their own comfort seemed to require the greater liberty of open pens. “One of them was early and copiously bled twice, while Epsom-salts were administered, both by the stomach and with the injective-pump. The other we endeavored to keep nauseated with ipecacuanha,and the same time to keep her bowels open by cathartic medicine. All proved to be of no avail. They both died,—the ene in ten, the other in thirteen days. Before these died, however, others were taken sick. And thus, later, I had eight sick at one time. “The leading symptoms in all were the same, with minor differences ; and so, too, was the appearance after death, on examination. “ Of all that were taken sick (sixteen) but two recovered : and they were among those we did the least for, after we had become discouraged about trying to cure them. In all the last cases we made no effort at all, but to keep them as com- fortable as we could. In one case, the acute character of the disease changed to chronic, and the animal lived six or eight weeks, until the whole texture of the lungs had be- come destroyed. She had become much emaciated, and finally died with the ordinary consumption. 994 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. “ At the time the first case appeared, I had a herd of — thirty-one animals, all valuable Ayrshires, in fine condition and healthy. In all the first cases, I had a veterinary sur- geon of considerable celebrity and experience, and every ordinary approved method of treatment was resorted to and persevered in. The last cases—as before intimated—we only strove to make comfortable. “ After I had paid the third or fourth forfeit, I began to awake up to the idea that the disease was, in a high degree, contagious, whether I would have it so or not; and that my future security was in prevention, and not in remedy. I therefore separated all the remaining animals; in no instance having more than two together, and generally but one ina place. “‘ All were removed from the infected stalls, and put into quarantine. Isolated cases continued to occur after this for some weeks, but the spread of the disease was stayed; nor did a single case occur after this, which we did not think we traced directly to previous contact. “Tt is impossible to account for the first case of which I have spoken. But, as the cow in that case was put into a sale-stable in New York while waiting for the boat,—though there were no cattle then present,—yet I have supposed it not unlikely that diseased animals had been there, and had left the seeds of the disease. “But, account for this case as we may,—and I have no doubt it is sometimes spontaneous,—I feel convinced it is - very highly contagious; and that the only safety to a herd ‘into which it has been introduced, is in complete isolation, —and in this I feel as convinced that there is safety. My PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 295 cattle were not suffered to return to the barn-yard or to any part of the cattle-barns, except as invalids were sent to ‘the hospital’ to die, until late the next fall, z.e., the fall of 1854. In the mean time, the hay and straw had all been removed ; the stables, stalls, cribs and all thoroughly scrubbed with ashes and water, fumigated, and whitewashed with quick- lime. I have had no case since, and am persuaded I should have avoided most of those I had before, if I had reasonably admitted the evidence of my senses in the second and third cases. EK. P. PRENTICE. Mount Hops, June 14th, 1860.” The author’s experience with the disease, during the last year in New Jersey, proves the efficacy of remedial agents when applied in the early stages of the disease. Late in the spring of 1861, Mr. J. E. Hancock, of Burlington County (residing near Columbus, N. J.), purchased some cattle in the Philadelphia market, which, after they were driven home, he turned in with his other stock. Soon after this purchase, one of the animals sickened and died. This wasin August; after which time Mr. H. lost eight cows,—having, at the time of the death of the last animal, some five others sick with the same disorder. The author was called in, December 8th, 1861, and the five animals then placed under his treatment. On the 12th of December, in the same year, one of these cows, at his suggestion, was killed, which, upon the post-mortem exami- nation, beautifully illustrated the character of the disease. The right lung was comparatively healthy ; the left one com- pletely hepatized, or consolidated, and so enlarged as to fill up the left cavity of the chest to its utmost capacity. This 296 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. lung weighed thirty pounds. There was no effusion in the chest, but there was considerable adhesion of the pleura- costalisand pleura-pulmonalis. Allthe other tissues appeared to be healthy. To the remaining animals, was dOminiiena the following : aqua ammonia, three drachms; nitric ether, one ounce; pul- verized gentian-root, half an ounce; mixed with one quart of water, and drenched three times a day. The last thing at night was given a teaspoonful of phosphate of lime, mixed in a little feed, or in gruel. Setons, or rowels, in the dewlap are also very beneficial. Under this treatment they all did well. - Soon after the fntrodugtion of the disease into this herd, it found its way to the herd of William Hancock, a brother of the former gentléman, who had an adjoining farm. In this herd one cow died, and the disease was found by the author developed in four more cows and two oxen, all of which— with a single exception—did well under the above treatment. The disease afterward showed itself in the herd of John Pope, half a mile distant, who lost nine animals by it. Thursday, December 19th, was selected for the purpose of making an examination of the Hancock herds; but, after some ten or twelve animals had been examined and all pro- nounced tainted with the disease, the owners concluded to stop the investigation, expressing themselves dissatisfied with , the result, as not one of the animals examined had shown any symptoms of disease. In order to convince them of the correctness of the diagnosis, a cow was selected and de- stroyed, which the Hancocks believed to be in perfect health, Upon opening the animal, several small patches of hepatized — PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 297 lung were brought into.view. Upon making a longitudinal section of the lump, as both were involved, they presented a red, speckled appearance. All the other tissues were healthy. The symptoms in these cases were quite different from any which had been previously seen in an experience of three years with the disease in and about Philadelphia, inasmuch as they were not preceded by cough; in fact, cough did not appear in many of the animals at any time during the pro- gress of the disease. The animals looked, ate, and milked well, previously to the development of the disease, so that the owners were thrown completely off their guard by these deceptive symptoms of health. Knowing the uncertain character of this disease, and wishing to stay its ravages, a suggestion was made by the author as to the propriety of having the entire herd killed for beef. This was done the more readily, as the sale of the meat is legalized in Hurope, it being regarded as uninjured, and therefore wholesome meat. This suggestion was acted upon, and thus these two farms were rid of this dreadful scourge at one blow. Mr, ‘A. Gaskill, of Mount Holly, N. J., purchased a cow from one of the Hancocks, for his. own family use, which was sent to Mr. Frank Lippincott’s to pasture and turged in with Mr. L.’s own herd. Soon after, this cow sickened and died. This was soon followed by the loss of six of Mr. L.’s own cattle,—three oxen, two cows, and one steer. From this herd, it was communicated to the Widow Lippincott’s, who occupied a neighboring farm ; as alsoto Mr. Cleavenger’s, who lost four animals; and to Mr. Smith’s, who ad, at one time, seven animals sick; and from Cleavenger’s to Noaknuts, who lost two cows. Some two or three cows, 298 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. belonging to Mr. Logan, in the same neighborhood, got upon the road and broke into Mr. Lippincott’s pasture, mixing with his herd. As soon as Mr. Logan was informed of the fact, he isolated these cows by enclosing them in a pen at some distance from his other cattle; but they managed to break out, and mingled with his other stock. It could scarcely be expected that his herd could escape the disease, considering the exposure to which they had been subjected. The disease manifested itself in the herds of several other farmers in the country, but space will not allow a more extended notice of the subject. The treatment which has been found most successful in this country is as follows, all of which has been tested by the author upon various occasions: In the acute, inflamma- tory stage of the disease, give ten drops of Flemming’s tincture of aconite in water, every four hours, until a change takes place; follow this with aqua ammonia, three drachms;_ nitric ether, one ounce; pulverized gentian-root, one half an ounce; water, one quart. Drench three times a day, and give, late in the evening, a tablespoonful of phosphate of lime, in a little feed, or drench with gruel. Put setons, or rowels in the dewlap, so as to have a dependent opening. This course has been found very advantageous. Orpthe following will be found quite satisfactory ; nitrate of potash, two drachms; camphor, half adrachm ; tartrate of antimony, half a drachm; mix, and give in a little gruel, night and morning. Or, the following: Glauber-salts, four ounces; water, one pint; give twice a day. A gill of cold-drawn castor-oil, added to the above, would be beneficial. Con- tinue until the bowels are freely opened. The following has — ~ a: Oe Ae a PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 299 also been found efficacious: sulphate of magnesia, eight ounces; nitrate of potash and pulverized Jamaica ginger- root, of each one ounce. Repeat as often as may be required. Apply externally the following ointment to the sides; biniodide of mercury, four drachms; castor-oil, half an ounce; lard, four ounces; mix for use. Preventive measures.—Ist. The complete isolation of all herds in which the disease has made its appearance. 2d. Such animals as show symptoms of the disease should be placed under proper treatment. 3d. In England, it is re- commended that animals recovering from the disease should be fattened and slaught- ered for beef, as they are not safe even after their apparent recovery. 4th. All animals beyond medi- cal treatment should he killed and buried; recom- 3% pense in part, atleast, being "SS z made to the owners. 5th. Sate : en ec o ah A aA ne \\ Ne i a os me \ eased, should be allowed we Sue Ue x to rtin at large upon the ~ ‘Nh HK te ay, & ae Y, Y UGE No animal, healthy or dis- public highway so long as == the disease may exist in oO its neighborhood. © a lao ee DE The united action of all Se , TAKING IT EASILY. those interested wouldsoon rid the country of a disease which has smitten all Europe. The author takes this occasion to acknowledge the receipt ‘300 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. of two very ably written articles upon this subject, which, in consequence of their length and the comparatively limited space allotted, he is reluctantly compelled to omit. One is from the pen of R. McClure, V.S., and the other from Isaiah Michener, V.S. For the benefit of his readers, how- ever, he desires to make a single extract from the last-named communication, without being considered as endorsing the Opinion advanced therein :— “‘T am inclined to favor the hypothesis that pleuro-pneu- monia is produced by animalcule, and that these enter the lungs by myriads, and thereby set up irritation and inflam- mation, which lead to all the phenomena and pathological conditions which are to be found upon dissection. This is my opinion of the cause of the malignant pleuro-pneumonia which has existed in the United States for the last seven years.” After writing the ene the author was informed that this disease had made its appearance in Mr. Logan’s herd, already mentioned as exposed. He was called to visit the herd of Mr. G. Satterthwaite, who likewise lost two cows, and had two cows and a calf sick at the time of sending for. him. PNEUMONIA. There are two conditions of the lungs known as pneumo- nia,—one, the inflammatory, and the other, the congestive - stage. The former may follow an attack of bronchitis, or it may have a spontaneous origin. 'The congestive is generally | the result of cold suddenly applied to an overheated animal, _ PNEUMONIA. © ) 301 causing a determination of blood to the lungs, which some- times causes death by suffocation. Symptoms.—The disease is preceded by a shivering fit; dry skin; staring coat; clammy mouth; short cough; Schnei- derian membrane (of the nose) very much reddened ; respira- tion hurried or laborious. In the congestive stage, upon applying the ear to the sides, no sound will be detected ; while in the inflammatory stage, a crackling or crepitating sound will be distinctively heard. : Treaiment.—In the congestive stage, plenty of pure air will be necessary. Bleed freely; and give in drench one pound of Glauber-salts, with two drachms of Jamaica ginger. Nothing more will be required by way of treatment. In the inflammatory stage, bleeding should seldom be ~ resorted to, except where the animal is in full condition. Apply the following blister to the sides, well rubbed in: oil - of turpentine, one ounce; croton-oil, twelve drops; aqua ammonia, half an ounce; linseed-oil, four ounces ; mix all together. Give internally one pound of salts in drench, and follow with one of the following powders every four hours: nitrate of potash, one ounce; tartrate of antimony and pul- verized digitalis leaves, of each, one drachm ; mix all together, and divide into eight powders. Or the following may be given with equal advantage: nitrate of potash, one and a _ half ounces; nitrate of soda, six ounces; mix, and divide into Six powders; one to be given in wash or gruel every six hours. 302 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. PROTRUSION OF THE BLADDER. This sometimes occurs during the throes in difficult cases of parturition in cows, and the aid of a skillful veterinary surgeon is requisite to replace the inverted bladder. PUERPERAL FEVER. This disease—milk fever, or dropping after calving—rarely occurs until the animal has attained mature age. The first symptoms make their appearance in from one to five or six days after parturition. It appears to be a total suspension of nervous function, independent of inflammatory action, which is suddenly developed, and, in favorable cases, as suddenly disappears. It is called dropping after calving, from its following the parturient state. Symptoms.—Tremor of hind legs; a staggering gait, which soon terminates in loss of power in the hind limbs; pulse | rises to sixty or eighty per minute; milk diminishing in quantity as the disease progresses; the animal soon goes down, and is unable to rise, moans piteously ; eyes set in the head ; general stupor; and slow respiration. Treatment.—This disease, though generally regarded as a febrile disorder, will not yield to the general practice of: taking blood, as a large majority of the cases so treated die. The bowels must be opened, but the veins never. Give Epsom-salts, one pound; Jamaica ginger, two ounces; dis- solve in warm water, one quart, and drench. The author usually gives with good effect, some five or six hours after the salts, two ounces of nitric ether and one ounce of tincture of opium, in half a pint of water. Rub well in, along the ~ PUERPERAL FEVER—QUARTER EVIL. 303 back and loins, the following : strong mustard, three ounces ; aqua ammonia and water, each one andahalf ounces. Some modifications in the treatment of this disease, as well as of most others, will be necessary under certain circumstances, which can only be determined by the veterinary practitioner. QUARTER EVIL. In some sections of the country, this disease—known by the other names of black quarter, and joint murrain—is quite common among young cattle, and is generally fatal in its termination. There is little or no warning of its approach. The first animals in a herd to be attacked are generally those in a full, plethoric condition. Symptoms.—The joints suddenly become swollen; and so painful as to produce severe lameness, particularly in the hind parts. General irritative fever exists in the system, attended with great tenderness of the loins; the head is poked out; eyes red and bulging; the roots of the horns, as well as the breath, are hot; the muzzle dry, and nostrils expanded; pulse rises to seventy or eighty, full and hard; respiration is hurried ; the animal is constantly moaning, and appears to be unconscious of surrounding objects; the swelling of the limbs extends to the shoulder and haunch; the animal totters, falls and dies in from twelve to twenty-four hours. Treatment.—Harly bleeding is requisite here, to be followed by active purgatives; after which, give one of the following powders every half hour: nitrate of potassa, two ounces ; tartrate of antimony and pulverized digitalis, of each one and a half drachms; mix, and divide into eight powders. These should not be renewed. Cold linseed tea should be freely given. 304 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. RABIES. Hydrophobia in cattle is the result of the bite of a rabid dog, from which hite no animal escapes. The effects pro- duced by the wound made by the teeth of such an animal, after the virus is once absorbed into the circulation of the blood, are so poisonous that all treatment is useless. The proper remedies must be instantly applied to prevent this absorption, or the case is utterly hopeless. Among men, nine out of every ten bitten by rabid dogs escape the terrible effects resulting from this dreadful disorder, without resorting to any applications to prevent it. It is a well-established: fact, that men, when bitten by dogs, are generally wounded in some part protected by their clothing, which guards them from the deleterious effects of the saliva which covers the teeth, and which, at such times, is deadly poison. The teeth, in passing through the clothing, are wiped clean, so that the virus is not introduced into the blood; hence the compara- tively few cases of rabies occurring in man. When, however, the wound is made upon an exposed surface, as the flesh of the hand, or of the face, this fatal disease is developed in spite of every precaution, unless such precautions are immediately taken. For this reason, cattle when bitten, do not escape the disease. _ Symptoms.—The animal separates itself from the rest of the herd, standing in a kind of stupor, with the eyes half- closed; respiration natural; pulse quickened; temperature of body and limbs natural; the slightest noise agitates, caus- — ing the eyes to glare and exciting bellowing; the bark of a dog produces the most violent effects; the animal foams at RABIES—RED WATER. 305. the mouth and staggers as it walks; if water is offered, the muzzle is plunged into it, but the victim cannot drink; in making the effort, the most fearful consequences are produced. The animal now seeks to do mischief,—and the quicker it is then destroyed, the better. . Treatment.—This must be applied quickly, or not at all. . The moment an animal is bitten, that moment the wound should be searched for, and when found, should be freely opened with a knife, and lunar caustic, caustic potash, or the per-manganate of potash at once applied to all parts of the wound, care being taken not to suffer a single scratch to escape. ‘This, if attended to in time, will save the animal. RED WATER. This disease derives its name from the color of the urine voided in it. Itis one of the most common complaints of horned cattle, and one.of the most troublesome to manage. Symptoms.—Respiration hurried; rumination ceases; a high degree of fever presented; the animal moans, arches the back, and strains in passing the urine, which is tinged with blood, or presents the appearance of pure blood. Prof. Gamgee, of the Edinburgh Veterinary College, says: “ The cause is almost invariably feeding on turnips that have grown on damp, ill-drained land; and very often a change _of diet stops the spread of this disease in the byre. Other succulent food, grown under similar circumstances, may pro- _ duce the same symptoms, tending to disturb the digestive organs and the blood-forming process. “In the course of my investigations as to the cause of _ various cattle-diseases, and of red water in particular. I have 20 306 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. found that. it is unknown on well-drained farms and in dairies where turnips are used only in a moderate degree. ‘The lands of poor people furnish the roots most likely to induce this disorder; and I can confirm the statement of the late Mr. Cumming, of Elton, who, in his very interesting | essay upon this subject, says, particularly in reference to Aberdeenshire, that it is ‘a disease essentially attacking the poor man’s cow; and to be seen and studied, requires a practice extending into the less favorably situated parts of the country. On large farms, where good stock is well kept, and in town dairies, where artificial food is used to supple- ment the supply of turnips, it is’seldom now seen.’ “ Symptoms.—General derangement attracts the dairyman’s attention, and, upon observing the urine which the animal has voided, it is seen to be of a red, or of a reddish brown, or claret color ; sometimes transparent, at others clear. The color increases in depth; other secretions are checked; the animal becomes hide-bound, and the milk goes off. Appetite and rumination are suspended; the pulse becomes extremely feeble and frequent, though—as in all debilitating, or anemic, disorders—the heart’s action is loud and strong, with a decided venous pulse, or apparent regurgitation, in the large veins of the neck. “In some cases, if even a small quantity of blood be with- drawn, the animal drops in a fainting state. In red water, the visible mucous membranes are blanched, and the extremi- ties cold, indicating the languid state of the blood’s circula- tion and the poverty of the blood itself. Constipation is one of the most obstinate complications; and many veterinary surgeons—aware that, if the bowels can be acted on, the RHEUMATISM. 307. animal is cured—nave employed purgatives in quantities far too large, inducing at times even death. Occasionally, diarrhea is one of the first, and not of the ‘unfavorable, symptoms.” Treatment.—Give one pint of linseed-oil; clysters of soap and water should be freely used; and give plenty of linseed- tea to drink. When the urine is abundant, give one ounce of tincture of opium, with one drachm of powdered aloes, three times, at intervals of six or eight hours. RHEUMATISM, This is a constitutional inflammatory affection of the joints, affecting the fibrous tissue and serous, or synovial membrane. It is caused by exposure to cold and wet; being quite common in low, marshy sections. Symptoms.—Loss of appetite; upon forcing the animal to move, every joint seems stiffened; nose dry; coat staring; constipation is also an attendant symptom ; the joints, one or more, become swollen and painful. This may be regarded as a metastic, or shifting disease; first one part, and then another, seems to be affected. Treatment.—Mild purgatives should be used; one-half- ounce doses of colchicum-root pulverized will be found useful; one-ounce balls of pine-tar may also be given with advantage. As a local application, the author has found nothing to equal kerosene oil, one pint, to two ounces of aqua ammonia, well rubbed in, two or three times a day. 308 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. STRANGULATION OF THE INTESTINES. This disease in cattle,—popularly styled Knot, or Gut-tie,— in consequence of the peculiar arrangement of the abdominal viscera, is of very rare occurrence. When, however, it does occur, the symptoms accompanying are those of inflammation of the intestines. No kind of treatment will be successful, and the poor brute — must suffer until death comes to its relief. THRUSH IN THE MOUTH. Aptha, or thrush in the mouth, is a vesicular disease of the mouth, sometimes occurring as an epizodtic. It is often mistaken for blain,—inflammation of the tongue, or black tongue,—and usually occurs in the winter, or early in the — spring. It appears in the form of vesicles, or pustules all over the mouth, occasionally extending to the outside of the — lips. These pustules break, discharging a thin, sanious fluid, | leaving minute ulcers in their places. This disease yields readily to treatment, when it is properly applied. ‘Three ounces of Epsom-salts, once a day for three ; or four days, should be given in drench; wash the mouth well with a solution of alum, tincture of myrrh, or vinegar and honey, and it will disappear in a few days. TUMOBS, These enlargements so common in cattle, have Gee so. " admirably described, in the Veterinarian for 1843, by J ohall | Ralph, V. Ss ,—who has been so successful in ihe reaunea of ‘ ‘ TUMORS. 309 here given. Hesays: “Of all the accidental productions met with among cattle, with the exception of wens, a certain kind of indurated tumor, chiefly situated about the head and throat, has abounded most in my practice. “The affection often commences in one of the thyroid glands, which slowly but gradually increases in size, feels firm when grasped, and evinces very little tenderness. Generally the attendant is alarmed by a snoring or wheezing noise emitted by the animal in respiration, before he is aware of the existence of any tumefaction. This continues to in- crease, embracing in its progress the adjacent cellular and muscular tissues, and frequently the submaxillary and parotid glands. It becomes firmly attached to the skin through which an opening is ultimately effected by the pressure of pus from the centre of the tumor. The swelling often presents an irregular surface, and various centres of maturation exist ; but the evacuations only effect a partial and temporary reduction of its bulk, in conse- quence of the continued extension of the morbid growth and ulcerative process which often proceed towards the pharynx, rendering respiration and deglutition still more difficult, until at length the animal sinks from atrophy or phthisis pulmo- nalis. : ‘‘In the early part of my practice, having been frustrated in my attempts to establish healthy action in these ulcers, and referring to the works that I had on surgery for informa- tion, I concluded that they bore some resemblance to cancer in the human being, and determined to attempt extirpation. Subsequently, numerous cases have occurred in which I have successfully carried that determination into effect. I have —6310 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. had some instances of failure, which failure always arose from some portion of the morbid growth having been left. “Tn the first stage, I have reason to believe that the tumor may be dispersed by the general and topical use of the iodurets. After the suppuration, I have tried them in vain. ‘“‘ As soon as the nature of the tumor is clearly developed, I generally attempt its removal, and, when most prominent by the side of the larynx, I proceed in the following manner : —Having cast the beast, turned the occiput toward the ground, and bolstered it up with bundles of straw, I proceed to make an incision through it, if the skin is free, parallel with, and over, and between the trachea and sterno-mazil- laris, extending it sufficiently forward into the inter-maxillary spaces. If I find it firmly attached to the apex of the tumor, I then enclose it in a curvilinear incision and proceed to detach the healthy skin to beyond the verge of the tumor. “Its edges being held by an assistant, the knife is directed downwards through the subcutaneous parts, and all those that exhibit the slightest change from healthy structure are removed. | “By tying any considerable blood-vessel before dividing it, and by using the handle of the scalpel and the fingers in detaching the portion of the parotid gland towards the ear, the hemorrhage was always inconsiderable. “The wound is then treated in the ordinary way ; except that detergents and even antiseptics are often needed to arouse healthy action, and the addition of some preparation of iodine is often made to the digestive. In directing the constitutional treatment, our chief aim must be to support TUMORS. 311 the animal system with plenty of gruel until rumination is restored. “T need not note that the operation should be performed after the animal has fasted some hours. “As the success of the operation depends on an entire removal of the diseased parts, and as the submaxillary and parotid glands, with important branches of nerves and blood- vessels, are often enveloped therein, we must not hesitate to remove the former, nor to divide the latter. It has occa- sionally happened that a rupture has been made in the cesophagus, or pharynx, during the operation. In that case, a portion of the gruel with which the animal is drenched escapes for a few days; but I always found that the wound healed by granulation, without any particular attention. “The weight of these tumors varies from a few ounces to some pounds. One that I removed from a two-year-old Galloway bullock, weighed six pounds and a quarter. A considerable portion of the skin that covered it was excised and included in the above weight. It comprehened one of the parotid glands, and I had to divide the trunk of the carotid artery and jugular vein. “This affection may be distinguished from parotiditis and’ other phlegmasice by the action of constitutional disturbance, and heat, and tenderness, and by the lingering progress it makes. I was once called to a bull laboring under alarming dyspnoea that had gradually increased. No external en- largement was perceptible; but on introducing my hand into the mouth, a large polypus was found hanging from the velum palait into the pharynx, greatly obstructing the elevation of the epiglottis and the passage of food. After 312 \ CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. performing tracheotomy, to prevent suffocation, I passed a ligature around its pedicle in the way suggested by the old anatomist, Cheselden. Me “A section of one of these tumors mostly displays several abscesses, with matter varying in consistency and often very fetid, enclosed in what seems to me to be fibro-cartilaginous cysts, the exterior of which sometimes gradually disappears in the surrounding more vascular abnormal growth.- Osseous matter (I judge from the grating of the scalpel upon it) occa- sionally enters into the composition of the cysts. _ “T have treated this affection in cattle of the Long-horned, Short-horned, Galloway, and Highland breeds; and from the number of bulls in this class of patients, have reason to con- clude that they are more liable to it than the female. “‘ About twelve months ago, I examined the head of a cow, on the right facial region of which there existed an enormous - tumor, extending from the eye to the lips, and which I mis- took during life for a periosteal enlargement. On cutting into it, my mistake was evident. There was scarcely a trace of | the original bones beneath the mass; even those forming the nasal sinuses on that side were replaced by a formation much resembling the cysts before alluded to, and full of abscesses. The progress of the disease was decisively marked in the inferior rim of the orbital cavity, where the osseous matter was being removed, and the morbid structure deposited.” ULCERS ABOUT THE JOINTS. Occasionally, the joints assume a tumefied appearance, generally ulcerating, and causing painful wounds. | Treatment,—The application of one part of alum to two WARBLES. 313 parts of prepared chalk, powdered and sprinkled upon the > parts, is usually all that is required. WARBLES. It has been a prevalent opinion among farmers, that war- bles are so many evidences of the good condition of their cattle. It must, how- ever, be borne in = mind that the warbles == are the larve of the 2G estrus bovis, which =& vefeiinl = aig is said to be the most beautiful variety of gad-fly. This fly, | judging from the jj objects of its attack, must be particularly i choice in its selection an 7 P= cae tr 36S SS of animals upon § sini tS which to deposit its ina < eggs, as it rarely == == : chooses those poor | Vif ° ° - HOME AGAIN. in flesh, or in an un- healthy condition. From this circumstance, probably, has arisen the opinion above-mentioned. These warbles—or larve of the @strus bovis—so nearly tesemble bots in the horse—or larve estrus equi—that, were it not for their increased size, they might readily be mistaken the one for the other. There is, however, one other differ- ence, and that is in the rings which encircle the body; those 314 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. of the former being perfectly smooth, while those of the latter are prickly, and from one third to one half smaller. The author was called, in the year 1856, to see the prize cow, Pet, belonging to James Kelly, of Cleveland, Ohio, whose extraordinary yield of butter and milk had been re- ported in the Ohio Farmer, a short time previous to his visit. . This animal was found by him in rather poor condition; the causes of which he could only trace to the existence of these worms, comfortably located, as they were, beneath the animal’s hide, and forming small tumors all along the spinal column, each being surrourfded by a considerable quantity of pus. A number of’ these were removed by means of a curved bistoury and a pair of forceps, since which time—as he has been informed—the animal has rapidly improved, regaining her former good condition. é Some may urge that this is an isolated case; but an ex- amination of cattle for themselves, will convince them to the contrary. It may be added, that two other cows, belonging to the same gentleman, were also examined at the same time,— one of them being in good condition, and the other, out of condition. From the back of the latter several of these insects were removed, since which time she also has much improved. The former was entirely free from them. These cows were all kept in the same pasture, received the same care, and were fed on the same food, and at the same time ; and as the removal of these larvae has been productive of such beneficial results, have we not a seu to infer that these insects are injurious ? i If we go further and examine, in the spring of the year, all cattle which are subject to them, instead of finding them in WARBLES—WORMS. 315 the fine condition which one would naturally expect,—con- sidering the abundance of fresh young grass whose vigorous life they may incorporate into their own,—they are out of condition, and out of spirits, with a laggard eye, a rough coat, and, in some cases, a staggering gait, as though their strength had failed in consequence. How shall such attacks be prevented? During the months of August and September this gad-fly is busily engaged in depositing its eggs. Some are of the opinion that they are placed on the hairs of the animal; others, that the skin is perforated, and the egg deposited in the opening, which would account for the apparent pain manifested by cattle at and after the time of such deposit. Be this asit may, it is certain that the maggot works its way into the muscular fibre of the back, and depends upon the animal’s blood for the ~ nourishment which it receives. The author has been informed, by persons in whom he ought to have confidence, that the free use of the card, during the above-named months, is a specific protection against the attacks of the estrus bovis. He repeats this information here, not without diffidenee; since so large a majority of stock-owners evince, by their lack of familiarity with the practical use of this convenient and portable instru- ment, an utter disbelief in its reliability and value. WORMS. Cattle are not so subject to worms proper ag are the other domestic animals ; nor, when these parasites do exist, is any injurious effect apparent, except it be in the case of young calves of a weakly constitution. Worms are most commonly 316 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. located in the small intestines, and cause there considerable irritation, and consequently, general emaciation, or at least a tendency to it. The cause, however, is easily removed by administering oses of sulphate of iron, one-half drachm each, in molasses once or twice a day. WORMS IN THE BRONCHIAL TUBES. Inflammation of the bronchial tubes is often caused by worms of the strongylus species. Upon examination after - death, the bronchial passages are completely blocked-up by these hangers-on. Symptoms.—A rough, staring coat; hide-bound; painful cough ; respiration hurried, etc. Treatment.—But little can be done by way of treatment in this disease. ‘The administration of small doses of spirits of turpentine has, in some instances, proved successful. SURGICAL OPERATIONS. CASTRATION, The period most commonly selected for this operation is . between the first and third months. The nearer it is to the expiration of the first month, the less danger attends the - operation. a | Some persons prepare the animal by the administration of a dose of physic ; but others proceed at once to the opera- tion when it best suits their convenience, or that of the farmer. Care, however, should be taken that the young CASTRATION. 817 animal is in perfect health. The mode formerly practised was simple enough:—a piece of whip-cord was tied as tightly as possible around the scrotum. ‘The supply of blood being thus completely cut off, the bag and its contents soon became livid and dead, and were suffered to hang, by some careless operators, until they dropped off, or they were cut off on the second or third day. 2 . It is now, however, the general practice to grasp the scrotum in the hand, between the testicles and the belly, and to make an incision in one side of it, near the bottom, of sufficient depth to penetrate through the inner covering of the testicle, and of sufficient length to admit of its escape. The testicle immediately bursts from its bag, and is seen hanging by its cord. The careless or brutal operator now firmly ties a piece of small string around the cord, and having thus stopped the circulation, cuts through the cord, half an inch below the ligature, and removes the testicle. He, however, who has any feeling for the poor animal on which he is operating, considers that the only use of the ligature is to compress the blood-vessels and prevent after-hemorrhage, and, therefore. saves a great deal of unnecessary torture by including them alone in the ligature, and afterwards dividing the rest of the cord. The other testicle is proceeded with in the same way, and the operation iscomplete. The length of the cord should be so contrived that it will immediately retract, or be drawn back, into the scrotum, but not higher, while the ends of the string hang out through the wound. In the course of about a week, the strings will usually drop off, and the wounds will speedily heal. There will rarely be any occasion to make 318 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. any application to the scrotum, except fomentation of it, if much swelling should ensue. A few, whose practice cannot be justified, seize the testicle as soon as it escapes’ from the bag, and, pulling violently, break the cord and tear it out. It is certain that when a blood-vessel is thus ruptured, it forcibly contracts, and very little bleeding follows ; but if the cord breaks high up, and retracts into the belly, considerable inflammation has occa- ‘sionally ensued, and the beast has been lost. The application of torsion—or the twisting of the arteries _ by a pair of forceps which will firmly grasp them—has, in a great degree, superseded every other mode of castration, both in the larger and the smaller domesticated animals. The spermatic artery is exposed, and seized with the forceps, which are then closed by a very simple mechanical contri-— vance; the vessel is drawn a little out from its surrounding tissue, the forceps are turned around seven or eight times, and the vessel liberated. It will be found to be perfectly closed ; a small knot will have formed on its extremity; it will retract into the surrounding surface, and not a drop more of blood will flow from it; the cord may then be divided, and the bleeding from any little vessel arrested in the same way. Neither the application of the hot iron, nor of the wooden clamps, whether with or without caustic, can ~be necessary in the castration of the calf. A new instrument was introduced in France, some few years since, for this purpose, called the acraseur,—so con- structed as to throw a chain over the cord, which is wound up by means of a screw working upon the chain, and at the CASTRATION—TRACHEOTOMY. 319 same time the cord is twisted off. No bleeding follows this method of operating. This instrument is constructed upon the same principle as the acraseur for use in the human family, for the removal of hemorrhoids, ete., the dimensions of the two only varying. The advantages resulting from the use of this instrument over all other methods are, that the parts generally heal within a week,—the operation is not so painful to the animal,—it is less troublesome to the operator,—also to the owner of the animal,—and lastly, it is a safer and more scientific operation. Its success in France soon gave it a reputation in England, and recently it has been introduced by the author into this country, and with the best results. Contractors, hearing of the success attending this new mode of operating, have visited him from all parts of the country to witness its performance, agd not one has returned without leaving an order for this instrument,—so well convinced have they been of its decided superiority over all other methods. TRACHEOTOMY. In consequence of the formation of tumors about the throat in cattle, from inflammation of the parotid gland, blain, etc., so characteristic of this species of animals, it sometimes becomes necessary to perform this operation in order to save their lives. It never fails to give instant relief. After the animal! has been properly secured,—which is done by an assistant’s holding the nose with one hand, and one of the horns with the other,—the operator draws the skin tight over the windpipe with the thumb and fingers of his left hand ; then, with the scalpel in his right, cuts through the 820 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. skin, making an incision about three inches long, dissecting up the skin on each side, which brings the trachea, or windpipe, in full view. He then cuts out a piece of the cartilaginous rings, about two inches long and about half an inch wide. This simple operation has saved the lives of very many valu- able animals. The, wound readily heals, and seldom leaves any perceptible blemish, if the work is properly performed. I SPAYING. To secure a more uniform flow and a richer quality of milk, cows are sometimesspayed, or castrated. The milk of spayed cows is pretty uniform in quality; and this quality will be, on an average, a little more than before the operation was performed. In instances where the results of this operation — have been carefully noted,—and the operation is rarely resorted to in this country, in comparisen with the custom in France and other continental countries,—the quality of the milk has — been greatly improved, the yield becoming. regular for some — years, and varying only in accordance with the difference in the succulence of the food. The proper time for spaying is about five or six weeks ‘after calving, or at the time when the largest quantity of — milk is given. There seems to be some advantages in spaying | for milk and butter dairies, where attention is not paid to | the raising of stock. The cows are more quiet, never being | liable to returns of seasons of heat, which always more or | less affect the milk, both in quantity and quality. They : give milk nearly uniform in these respects, for several years, , provided the food is uniformly succulent and nutritious. | Their milk is influenced like that of other cows, though to a } ; { 3 SPAYING. 321 less extent, by the quality and quantity of food; so that in winter, unless the animal is properly attended to, the yield will decrease somewhat, but will rise again as good feed returns. This uniformity for the milk-dairy is of immense advantage. Besides, the cow, when old and inclined to dry up, takes on fat with greater rapidity, and produces a juicy and tender beef, superior, at the same age, to that of the ox. . The following method of performing this operation is sanctioned by the practice of eminent veterinary surgeons in France :— | Having covered the eyes of the cow to be operated upon, she is placed against a wall, provided with five rings firmly fastened and placed as follows: the first corresponds to the top of the withers ; the second, to the lower anterior part of the breast ; the third is placed a little distance from the angle of the shoulder; the fourth is opposite to the anterior and superior part of the lower region; and the fifth, which is behind, answers to the under-part of the buttocks. A strong assistant is placed between the wall and the head of the animal, who firmly holds the left horn in his left hand, and with his right, the muzzle, which he elevates a little. This done, the end of along and strong-plaited cord is passed through the ring which corresponds to the lower part of the breast, and fastened; the free end of the cord is brought along the left flank, and through the ring which is below and in front of the withers. This is brought down along the breast behind the shoulder and the angle of the fore-leg in order to pass it through the third ring; then it must be passed around against the outer angle of the left hip, and fastened, al 322 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. after having been drawn tightly to the posterior ring, by a simple bow-not. The cow being thus firmly fixed to the wall, a cord is fastened by a slip-noose around her hocks, to keep them together in such a’manner that she cannot kick the operator, the free end of the cord and the tail being held by an assistant. The cow thus secured cannot, during the operation, move forward, nor lie down, and the operator has all the ease desirable, and is protected from accident. The operator next—placed opposite to the animal’s left flank, with his back turned a little toward the head of the animal—euts off the hair which covers the hide in the middle of the flanks, at an equal distance between the back and hip, for the space of thirteen or fourteen centimetres in circumference (the French centimetre is rather more than thirty-nine one hun- dredths of an inch); a convex bistoury is placed, opened, between his teeth, the edge out, the joints to the left; then, with both hands, he seizes the hide in the middle of the flank, and forms of it a wrinkle of the requisite elevation, running 4 lengthwise of the body. The assistant seizes with his right — hand the right side of this wrinkle; the operator takes the bistoury and cuts the wrinkle, at one stroke, through the middle; the wrinkle having been suffered to go down, a separation of the hide is presented, of sufficient length to admit the introduction of-the hand; the edges of the hide are separated with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, and q in like manner the abdominal muscles are cut through, for the x distance of a centimetre from the lower extremity of the in- q - cision made in the hide,—the éliac slightly obliquely, and the q lumbar across; a puncture of the peritoneum, at the upper q SPAYING. 823 extremity of the wound, is then made with the straight bistoury; the buttoned bistoury is then introduced, and moved obliquely from above to the lower part, up to the ter- mination of the incision made in the abdominal muscles. The flank being opened, the right hand is introduced into the abdomen, and directed along the right side of the cavity of the pelvis, behind the paunch, and underneath the rectum, to the matrix; after the position of these viscera is ascer- tained, the organs of reproduction, or ovaries, are searched for, which are at the extremity of the matrix; when found, they are seized between the thumb and fore-finger, detached completely from the ligaments which keeps them in their place, and by a light pull, the cord and the vessels, the uterine or Fallopian tube, are separated at their place of union with the ovarium, by means of the nails of the thumb and forefinger, which present themselves at the point of touch, thus breaking the cord and bringing away the ovary. The hand is again introduced into the abdominal cavity, and the remaining ovaries brought away in like manner. A ‘suture is then placed of three or four double threads, waxed at an equal distance, and at two centimetres, or a little less, from the lips of the wound, passing it through the divided tissues ; a movement is made from the left hand with the piece of thread; having reached that point, a fastening is made with a double knot, the seam placed in the intervals of the thread from the right, and as the lips of the wound are ap- proached, a fastening is effected by a simple knot, with a bow, care being taken not to close too tightly the lower part of the seam, in order to allow the suppuration, which may be established in the wound, to escape. The wound is then 324 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES, covered up with a pledget of lint, kept in its place by three or four threads passed through the stitches, and the operation is complete. ) It happens, sometimes, that in cutting the muscles before mentioned, one or two of the arteries are severed. Should much blood escape, a ligature must be applied before opening the peritoneal sac; since, if this precaution is omitted, blood will escape into the abdomen, which may-occasion the most — Serlous consequences. For the first eight days succeeding, the animal should have a light diet, and a soothing, lukewarm draught ; if the weather should be cold, cover with a woollen covering. She must be — prevented from licking the wound, and from rubbing it against other bodies. The third day after the operation, bathe morning and evening about the wound with water of mallows lukewarm, or anoint it with a salve of hog’s lard, and + administer an emollient glyster during three or four days. Hight days after the operation, take away the bandage, the lint, the fastenings, and the thread. The wound is at that time, as a general thing, completely cicatrized.. Should, however, some slight suppuration exist, a slight pressure must be used above the part where it is located, so as to cause the pus to leave, and if it continues more than five or six days, emollients must be supplied by alcotized water, or — chloridized, especially in summer. The animal is then to be brought back gradually to her ordinary nourishment. i | In some cows, a swelling of the body is observable a short | time after having been spayed, attributable to the introduc- tion of cold air into the abdomen during the operation; but — this derangement generally ceases within twenty-four hours. — SPAYING. 325 Should the contrary occur, administer one or two sudorific draughts, such as wine, warm cider, or a half-glass of brandy, in a quart of warm water,—treatment which suffices in a short time to restore a healthy state of the belly,—the animal at the same time being protected by two coverings of wool. | The only precaution, in the way of management, to be observed as a preparative for the operation is, that on the preceding evening not so copious a meal should be given. The operation should also be performed in the morning before the animal has fed, so that the operator may not find any obstacle from the primary digestive organs, especially the paunch, which, during its state of ordinary fullness, might prevent operating with facility. The advantages of spaying milch-cows are thus summed up by able French writers: First, rendering permanent the secretion of milk, and having a much greater quantity within the given time of every year ; second, the quality of milk being improved; third, the uncertainty of, and the dangers incident to, breeding being, to a great extent, avoided; fotrth, the increased disposition to fatten even when giving milk freely, or when, from excess of age or from accidental circumstances, the secretion of milk is otherwise checked ; fifth, the very short time required to produce a marketable condition ; and sixth, the meat of spayed cattle being of a _ quality superior to that of ordinary cattle. This operation would seem to have originated in this country. The London Veterinary Journal of 1834 contains the following, taken from the United States Southern Agri- culturist :—‘“‘Some years since, I passed a summer at Natchez, and put up at a hotel there, kept by Mr. Thomas 326 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. « Winn. During the time that I was there I noticed two remarkably fine cows, which were kept constantly in the stable, the servant who had charge of the horses, feeding them regularly three times a day with green guinea grass, eut with a sickle. These cows had so often attracted my attention, on account* of the great beauty of their form, and deep red color, the large size of their bags, and the high con- dition in which they were kept, that I was at length induced to ask Mr. Winn to what breed of cattle they belonged, and his reasons for keeping them constantly in the stable in pre-— ference to allowing them to run in the pasture, where they could enjoy the benefit of air and exercise, and at the same. time crop their own food, and thereby save the labor and trouble of feeding them? Mr. Winn, in reply to these in- quiries, stated that the two cows which I so much admired were of the common stock of the country, and he believed, of Spanish origin ; but they were both spayed cows, and that they had given milk either two or three years. Considering this a phenomenon (if not in nature at least in art), I made further inquiries of Mr. Winn, who politely entered into a very interesting detail, communicating facts which were as extraordinary as they were novel. Mr. Winn, by way of preface, observed that he, in former years, had been in the habit of reading English magazines, which contained accounts of the plowing-matches which were annually held in some of the southern counties of England, performed by cattle, and that he had noticed that the prizes were generally adjudged to the plowman who worked with spayed heifers; and although there was no connection between that subject and the facts which he should state, it was, nevertheless, the ? SPAYING. a2% cause that first directed his mind into the train of thought and reasoning which finally induced him to make the experi- ments, which resulted in the discovery of the facts which he detailed, and which I will narrate, as accurately as my memory will enable me to do it, after the lapse of more than twenty years. Mr. Winn’s frequent reflections had (he said) led him to the belief ‘that if cows were spayed soon after calving, and while in a full flow of milk, they would continue to give milk for many years without intermission, or any diminution of quantity, except what would be caused by a change from green to dry, or less succulent food.” To test this hypothesis, Mr. Winn caused a very good cow, then in full milk, to be spayed. The operation was performed about one month after the cow had produced her third calf; it was not attended with any severe pain, or much or long continued fever. The cow was apparently well in a few days, and very soon yielded her usual quantity of milk, and continued to give freely for several years without any intermission or diminution in quantity, except when the food was scarce and dry; buta full flow of milk always came back upon the return of a full supply of green food. This cow ran in the Missis- sippi low grounds or swamp near Natchez, got cast in deep mire, and was found dead. Upon her death, Mr. Winn -caused a second cow to be spayed. The operation was en- ~ tirely successful. 'The cow gave milk constantly for several years, but in jumping a fence stuck a stake in her bag, that inflicted a severe wound, which obliged Mr. Winn to kill her. Upon this second loss, Mr. Winn had two other cows spayed, and, to prevent the recurrence of injuries from similar causes with those which had occasioned him the loss of the first two B28: ° CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. | spayed cows, he resolved to keep them always in the stable, or some safe enclosure, and to supply them regularly with green food, which that climate throughout the greater part of, if not all, the year enabled him to procure. The resulé, in regard to the last two spayed cows, was, as in the case of the first two, entirely satisfactory, and fully established, as Mr. Winn believed, the fact, that the spaying of cows, while in full milk, will cause them to continue to give milk during the residue of their lives, or, until prevented by old age. When I saw the last two spayed cows it was, I believe, during the third year that they had constantly given milk after they were spayed. The character of Mr. Winn (now deceased) was highly respectable, and the most entire confi- dence could be reposed in the fidelity of his statements ; and as regarded the facts which he communicated in relation to the several cows which he had spayed, nunterous persons with whom I became acquainted, fully confirmed his state- ments.” . In November 1861, the author was called to perform this operation upon the short-horn Galloway cow, Josephine - the Second, belonging to Henry Ingersoll, Hsq., of this city. This cow was born May 8th, 1860. The morning was cold and cloudy. About ten o’clock the cow was cast, with the — assistance of R. McClure, V.8., after which she was placed under the influence of chloric ether. He then made an in- cision, about five inches in length, through the skin and walls - of the abdomen, midway between the pelvis bone and the last rib on the left side, passing in his right hand, cutting away the ovaries from the Fallopian tubes with, the thumb- nail. The opening on the side was then closed by means of SPAYING. | 329 the interrupted suture. The animal recovered from the in- fluence of the anesthetic in about fifteen minutes, when she was allowed to rise, and walk back to her stall. Upon the morning of the second day succeeding the operation, the animal was visited and found to be in good Spirits, apparently suffering very little pain or inconvenience from the operation, and the wound healing nicely. Since that time, he has operated upon some twenty cows, all of which, with a single exception, have thus far proved satisfactory. Several of these cows are under the direction of a com- mittee from the Philadelphia Society for promoting Agricul- ture, whose duty it is to have a daily record kept of each cow’s yield of butter and milk, for one year from the time of spaying. Their report will be perused by the agricultural community with much interest. The author’s own experience will not justify him in speak- ing either in favor of, or against, this operation ; as sufficient time has not as yet elapsed to satisfy him as to its relative advantages and disadvantages. He, however, regards the operation as comparatively safe. The French estimate the loss at about fifteen per cent., and the gain at thirty per cent. Of those upon which he has operated, not a single animal died. 330 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. A LIST OF MEDICINES USED IN TREATING CATTLE. 3 The medicines used in the treatment of the diseases of cattle, are essentially the same as.those in vogue for the diseases of the human being and the horse,—the only differ- ence being in their combination and the quantities adminis- tered. ABSORBENTS.—Medicines which destroy acidities in the stomach and bowels; Such as chalk, magnesia, etc. ALTERATIVES.—Medicines which restore the healthy fune- tions of secretion, by gradually changing the morbid action in an impaired constitution. Those in most common use are Adthiops mineral, antimony, rosin, sulphur, ete., which form the principal ingredients in all condition-powders, and are chiefly useful in diseases of the skin, such as hide-bound, mange, surfeit, etc. ALTERATIVE PowprER.—Sulphur pulverized, one pound; black antimony, one half a pound; nitrate of potassa, four ounces; sulphate of iron, one half a pound; linseed meal, one pound; mix well; dose, one half an ounce, night and morning. Antactps.—Agents which neutralize, by their chemical action, acids in the stomach; as ammonia, carbonate of | potassa, chalk, lime-water, magnesia, and soda. ANTHELMINTICS.—Remedies used for the expulsion of worms from the stomach and intestines. These may act chemically. or by their cathartic operation. The most LIST OF MEDICINES. 33l reliable are Althiops mineral, nux vomica, preparations of mercury, wormwood, ete. ANTHELMINTIC PowpErs.—Nux vomica, in one half-drachm doses, two or three times daily, to an ox or cow; for calves, the dose must be diminished, according to age. Awntipotrs.—Medicines which neutralize the effects of poisons by a chemical union, forming an insoluble compound, or a mild, harmless one. Alkaline solutions are antidotes for the mineral acids; as soap in solution, a simple remedy, and always at hand. lard, magnesia, and oil are antidotes for poisoning by arsenic ; albumen,—in the form of the white of an egg,—milk, etc., for corrosive sublimate, and other mercurial preparations. ANTISEPTICS.—Medicines which prevent putridity in ani- mal substances, and arrest putrefaction, when already existing. These are used both externally and internally. The chief specifics of this class are the acids, alcohol, ammonia, asa- foetida, camphor, charcoal, chloride of lime, cinchona, ether, and opium. ANTISPASMODICS.—Medicines which exert their power in allaying inordinate motions or spasms in the system, arising from various causes, such as debility, worms, etc. Those most generally in use are ammonia, asafetida, camphor, cinchona, ether, lactacarium, mercury, and opium. ANTISPASMODIC DRAUGHT.—Tincture of opium, one ounce ; nitric ether, two ounces; water, one-half pint. Mix for drench; if repeated, it should be followed by a purgative, as soon as the spasms have subsided. Or, use the following: sulphuric ether, one to two ounces; water, one-half pint. Mix for drench; repeat every hour, if necessary. 332 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. ARoMATICS.—Medicines possessing a grateful, spicy scent, and an agreeable, pungent taste; as anise-seed, cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc. They are principally used in combination with purgatives, stomachies, and tonics. ASTRINGENTS.—Medicines which serve to diminish exces- sive discharges, as in diabetes, diarrhea, ete. The principal agents of this class are the acids, alum, chalk, lime-water, opium, and the sulphate of copper, lead, iron, or zine. — ASTRINGENT POWDER.—Opium, one drachm; prepared chalk, half an ounce; Jamaica ginger, six drachms. Mix, and divide into four powders; one to be given every hour, in a little flour gruel. Or, the following: opium, one drachm; catechu, two drachms; prepared chalk, one ounce. Mix, and divide into four powders ; to be given as before. Carpiacs.—Cordials—so termed, from their possessing warm and stimulating properties—given to invigorate the system. CatHartics.—Medicines—also known as purgatives— which cause free evacuations of the bowels. The only pur- gatives used by the author in his cattle practice, as a general rule, are aloes, cream of tartar, Hpsom-salts, lard and linseed- oil. These answer all the indications, where purgatives are useful ; indeed, no better purgative for cattle can be found than Epsom-salts, combined with a carminative or aromatic drug, such as ginger. Cavustrcs.—Substances which burn or destroy parts, by combining with them and causing their disorganization ; used to destroy unhealthy action, or morbid growths, such as foul ulcers, foul in the foot, warts, etc. The most powerful remedial of this class is actual cauterization with a red-hot A LIST OF MEDICINES. © 300 iron; caustic potash, lunar caustic, nitrous and sulphuric acids, permanganate of potash, etc., are also used. CorpDIALs.—Best brandy, three ounces; orange peel, one drachm; tepid water, one pint. Mix all together, for one dose. Or, this for a single dose: ale, one pint; Jamaica ginger, two drachms. Or, the following, also a single dose: allspice, three drachms ; ginger, one drachm ; caraway seeds, two drachms. | DremuLcents.—Mucilaginous medicaments, which have the power of diminishing the effects of stimulating substances upon the animal system. Of this class, garden rue, or marsh-mallow, gum-arabic, and gum-tragacanth are the most useful. DerercEents.—Agents which remove foulness from ulcers. DetercEent Powprer.—Prepared chalk, two ounces; alum, one ounce. Mix; to be sprinkled onthe part, after washing with Castile-soap and water. This powder is also an admira- ble application for foot-rot in sheep. DiAPHORETICS.—Agents which increase the natural dis- charge through the pores of the skin, and in some animals induce perspiration. | _ Dicestives.—Medicines which promote suppuration. DIGESTIVE OINTMENT.—Mix together equal portions of spirits of turpentine and lard. Or, mix together with a gentle heat the following: Venetian turpentine, one ounce; lard, one ounce ; pulverized sulphate of copper, two drachms. Or this, mixed : rosin, two ounces; spirits of turpentine, one ounce ; red precipitate, one-half an ounce; lard, two ounces. _ Drvrerics.—Medicines that stimulate the action of the kidneys, and augment the secretion of urine. These are very 304 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. useful in swellings of the legs or body. ‘Take.of nitrate of potash and rosin, each six drachms; mix, and divide in three powders; one to be given daily. Or, the following: spirits of turpentine, half an ounce; COastile-soap, one ounce; Jamaica ginger one drachm; opium, one drachm. Mix: and divide in two balls; one to be given each day. Emouiients.—Medicines which relax the lining tissues, allay irritation, and soften the parts involved,—generally of a mucilaginous, or oily character. Lard, linseed meal, and - marsh-mallows are chiefly used. LirHonTRIPTIcs.—Medicines possessing the power of dissolving calculi, or stones in the urinary passages; com- posed principally, according to the researches of modern chemists, of lithic or uric acid. The preparation most suc- cessfully employed by the author in such cases is muriatic. acid, in doses of from one to two drachms, in a pail of water, once or twice a day. Narcotics.—Medicines that stupefy, and produce sleep. Belladonna, camphor, hyoscyamus and opium, are among the narcotics in common use. Navusgeants,—Agents which cause loss of appetite, and produce the sensation of vomiting, without affecting it. For this purpose, aloes, tartrate of antimony, white hellebore, etc., are used. , PARTURIENTS.—Agents which act upon the uterus. In . cases of difficult parturition, or calving, resort is occasionally had to them. Ergot of rye is the most powerful. REFRIGERANTS.—Cooling applications, which reduce the temperature of the blood and body; as cold water, ether, lead-water, etc. s ‘IIST OF MEDICINES. 335 RusBeEFActents.—Medicines which gently irritate the skin, producing redness on white surfaces. Of this class, are aqua ammonia, creosote, mustard, turpentine, etc. Sepatives.—Agents which depress the vital energies, without destroying life; as aconite, digitalis, hellebore, hy- drochloric acid, hyoscyamus, opium, and tartrate of anti- mony. Tonics.—Medicines which increase the action of the muscular system, giving strength and vigor to the animal. These are among the most useful remedies known to man, and are beneficial in all cases of debility, toning up the stomach, and improving the appetite and condition of the animal. Tonic Powper.—Pulverized gentian-root, one ounce ; Jamaica ginger, one half an ounce; anise-seed, six drachms. Mix, and divide in eight powders; one to be given night and morning. TrRAUMATICS.—Medicines which excite the healing process of wounds; as aloes, friar’s balsam, myrrh, rosin, sulphate of copper or zine, tar, ete. TRAUMATIC LOTION.—Mix tincture of aloes, one ounce; tincture of myrrh, two ounces. Or, melt together, tar, one ounce; rosin, two ounces; lard, four ounces. Or, mix sul- phate of zinc, one drachm ; rain-water, one half pint. Or, use the following, the celebrated friar’s balsam; benzoin, in powder, four ounces; balsam of Peru, two ounces; Soco- trine aloes, one half ounce; rectified spirits, one quart. Di- gest for ten or twelve days; then filter for use. —————————————EEE 336 - GATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. DOSES OF VARIOUS REMEDIES USED IN. CATTLE PRACTICE. Acontte.—[Monk’s hood; Wolf’s bane.] An active poison. Used asa sedative in tincture ; ten to twenty drops in water. AQTHIOPS MINERAL. —[Hyarargyr Sulphuretum.| One to two drachms. Atconon.—A stimulant; three to six ounces. Atuspice.—[ Pimento berries.] Aromatic; two to four drachms. Ators.—Cathartic and tonic; tonic dose, one half to one drachm—cathartic, one to two ounces. Atum.—[ Alumen. | Irritant, astringent, and sedative ; two to four drachms. : : : Ammonia.—[Aqua ammonia; Liquor ammonia; Harts-— horn.| Principally used in combination with mustard, as an” external irritant, and internally, as a diffusible stimulant ; : two to six drachms. Of carbonate of ammonia, Paree to} six drachms. . ANISE-SEED.—[ Fruit of the Pimpinella Bees ] One ton two drachms. : Antimony.—[ Sulphate of Antimony.| Used in condition- powders; one to three drachms. Muriate of antimony. [ Oil, or butter, of antimony.|] Caustic ; very good in foul in thet foot. Tartarized antimony. [ Tartar emetic. | One to four drachms. The author, in the last instance, varies from the dose prescribed by veterinary authors, never giving it in more DOSES OF VARIOUS MEDICINES. . S38 than one-half-drachm doses, believing its action thus more certain and satisfactory. AsAFe@TiIpaA.—Stimulant; two to four drachms. -AXuNGE.—[ Hog’s Lard.] Ointment, principally ; may be used as purgative in doses of from one to one and a half pounds. BALSAM OF PERU.—Stimulant, and tonic; two to four drachms. | BELLADONNA. —[ Deadly Nightshade.| Narcotic, anti- spasmodic, and irritant poison; one to two drachms. BeEnzoin. —[ Gum Benjamin. | Ointment; see TRAUMATICS. CatomEeL.—|{ Hydrargyri Chloridum.| One half to one drachm. Camomite.—[ Anthemis.] Stomachic, carminative, and tonic; one to two ounces. Campxor.—[ Camphora Officinarum.] Narcotic and irritant ; in small doses, sedative and stimulant; one to four drachms. CANTHARIDES.—[ Spanish Fltes.| Internally, stimulant and diuretic ; twenty to thirty grains. Externally, vesicant; used in form of ointment, or tincture. | Caraway.—| Fruit of the Carum Carist.|° Used chiefly - for flavoring purposes. Carpamoms.—[Fruit of the Elettaria Cardamomum. ] Used to communicate an agreeable flavor to other medicines. Catecou. —[ Acacia Catechu.| Astringent, and anti- septic ; three to six drachms. Cuatx.—[ Carbonate of Lime; Calcis Carbonas.| Two to three ounces. 22 308 CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. CuarcoaL.—[ Carbo Ligni.] Antiseptic; one half to one ounce. CincHona.—| Peruvian Bark. |. Astringent and tonic; one to two ounces. | CopPER, SULPHATE or.—[ Blue Vitriol. | Tonic and astrin- gent ; two to four drachms. CreosoTe.—[ Creosotum. | A sedative, anodyne, astringent, narcotic, and irritant poison; fifteen to twenty drops. Croton O1n.—[Crotonis Oleum.| Internally, as a ca- thartic, six to ten drops in linseed-oil; externally, as a counter-irritant. Dicitatis.—[ Fox Glove.] Sedative and diuretic; one to two scruples. Hrsom-Satts.—| Sulphate of magnesia. | Cathartic; one nound, combined with ginger. Ereot.—[ Spurred rye.| Parturient ; two to six drachms. ETHER.—Stimulant, narcotic, and anesthetic; one to two ounces. GeNnTIAN.—[ Root of Gentiana lutea]. Stomachic and tonic; one to two ounces. Gincer.—[Zengiber officinale.] Stomachie, carminative, and slightly tonic; one to two ounces. | . GuM-ARABIC.—|[ Gummi Acacie.| Demulcent and emol- lient; one to two ounces. | GUM-TRAGACANTH. Same action and same doses as the former. HELLEBORE.—[ Helleborus. | Irritant poison and sedative ; twenty to thirty grains. Hyoscyamus.—| Henbane.| Narcotic, anodyne, and anti- spasmodic ; ten to twenty grains. - DOSES OF VARIOUS MEDICINES. — 339 Joprne.—[ Jodineum.| Internally, as a tonic; two to three scruples; also as a tincture, and in ointments for reducing enlargements of the soft tissues. Iron, SULPHATE OF.—| Ferri Sulphas; Green Vitriol ; Copperas.| Irritant, astringent, and tonic; two to four drachms. Koosso. Anthelmintic ; two to four drachms. - Lime, CHLORIDE or. Antiseptic; dose internally, one to two drachms. LInsEED ort. Cathartic; one pint. Lunar Caustic.—[ Nitrate of Silver.| Used as a caustic. Maenesta.—| See Epsom-Satrs. | | : MarsH-MALLOw.—I[ Alihece Radix. | Demulcent and emol- lient ; principally used for poultices and fomentations. Moriatic Acip.—[ Hydrochloric Acid; Spirit of Salt. | tonic, irritant, and caustic; dose internally, one to two drachms. Mustrarp.—I[ Sinapis.] Counter-irritant ; used meno as an external application. Myrru.—Stimulating tonic to unhealthy sores; seldom ° used internally. Nirric Actp.—l Aqua fortis. | Astringent and tonic; one to two drachms in water. Used also as a caustic. | Nux Vomica.—[Seeds of Strychnos.|] In large doses, a deadly poison; in medicinal doses, a powerful tonic and anthelmintic; one half to one drachm. Orium.—| Papaver Somniferum.]| Narcotic, sedative, ano- dyne, stimulant, and anti-spasmodic ; two to four drachms. - PotasH, CARBONATE OF.—[Pofasscee Carbonas.| Antacid and diuretic; three to six drachms. 840 * CATTLE AND THEIR DISEASES. Porasu, Caustic.—[ Potassa fusa.] Used only asa caustic. PotassA, PERMANGANATE oF.—Used externally as a caustic. | Rosin.—Diuretic ; two to three ounces. _ Satt, Common.—[ Chloride of Sodium.]| Irritant, cathar- tic, stimulant, and antiseptic; one to one and a half pounds. Saurs, GuAUBER.—[ Sulphate of Soda.] Cathartic and diuretic; one to one and a half pounds. SALTPETRE.—| Nitrate of Potassa.| Diuretic, febrifuge, and refrigerant; one half to one ounce. | SUBLIMATE, Corrostve.—{ Protochloride of Mercury. | Seldom used internally ; externally, caustic and stimulant. SuLpuur.—[ Brimsione.| Stimulant and laxative; three to four ounces. , | | SutpHuric Acip.—Irritant, caustic, and astringent; two to three drachms. : TaRTAR, CREAM OF.—| Potasse Tartras.| Cathartic ; three to four ounces. TURPENTINE.—Stimulant, anthelmintic, diuretic, and laxa- tive ; one to two ounces. Zinc, SunpHATE or.—[ White Vitriol.] Astringent and tonic ; one to two drachms. aR as: