DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 197 



is the best milker, if 3'ou are in the dairj' business. An old milker 

 is always better for the health of the cows than the boys who want 

 to get awa}^ to balls and games. But true garget, where there isn't 

 a large amount of inflammation, ma}' arise from several causes. A 

 cow that has calved in a damp, cold barn, not properly cleaned out, 

 and is compelled to lie on wet and soiled bedding is very likel}' to 

 have the garget ; and so is one that calves in the pasture late in the 

 fall or earl}' in the season and lies on the cold, damp ground. Our 

 good wives would suffer from mammitis by such exposures, and the 

 cow is not exempt from all dangers by exposure to the weather. 

 Want of care is, therefore, a great cause of much of these troubles. 

 Certain kinds of feed also produce a gargetty flow of milk. Acrid 

 bush tops of various kinds which the cows nibble when feed is short 

 in the pasture, will give rise not onh^ to this, but to a disease of the 

 kidneys that shows itself in bloody urine, known as hematuria. 



The treatment will vary according to what the cause was. If the 

 cow has calved on cold, damp ground, put a hot poultice right upon 

 the part, something warm, sweating. If it has occurred from any 

 other cause and is extremely hot and painful, dress it with cold wa- 

 ter. It will have the same effect as applying cold water to the head, 

 which I have described. As to the use of saltpetre, that only has 

 one effect, and that is a diuretic on the kidneys, increasing the flow 

 of the urine. Garget root is a febrifuge, and has a particular effect 

 on the milk glands. It makes an excellent medicine for a gargetty 

 cow. It may be mixed with orentian and annis ; but do not use too 

 large quantities of the pulverized garget root, for there is danger of 

 poisoning the cow. 



Mr. Cobb. Is that treatment better than to give aconite? 



Answer. Aconite is a mere fever drop ; it is a merelj' homoeo- 

 pathic wa}' of giving a sweat. The}' give the human subject small 

 doses of it diluted in water, and it will produce a sweat ; but you 

 cannot sweat a cow ; a horse will sweat profusely, but you never 

 saw a cow sweat. 



Mr. Cobb. It generall}" relieves the cow. 



Dr. CiiEssEY, It has as good effect as cold water, and not much 

 more. The effect 3'our aconite has is that of a febrifuge upon the 

 general system, but in many cases of garget there is no systemic 

 disturbance, and no occasion for such a general medicine. The dis- 

 ease is local, in a majority of cases. 



