200 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



The following morning it was found that the night feed had not been 

 entirely eaten up, approximately three-fourths of a pound of the mixed 

 grain and smut being left in each manger. Their appetite for smut 

 seemed to have been completely satisfied for the first time during the 

 experiment. 



On December 20, four pounds of smut were again fed these cows, mixed 

 as usual with their grain feed. While the cows did not absolutely refuse 

 the mixture, they ate it with very evident reluctance. The bowels of 

 Milla were loose from the heavy feeding of the day previous and the cow 

 seemed decidedly indisposed. Her temperature rose to 103° on the 

 evening of December 19, the day on which she received the eleven pounds 

 of smut. 



The behavior of the two cows, Matema and Milla, was watched for a 

 week thereafter. They continued in good health and gave no signs of 

 any abnormal condition of the bowels. Their dung gradually lost the 

 dark color and the cows then became in every way normal. 



Samples of the corn smut were placed in the hands of the chemist 

 for analysis, with the following results: 



Composition of Corn Smut. 



Moisture 8.30 per cent. 



Albuminoids , 13.06 " " 



Carbohydrates 25.60 " " 



Cellulose 24.69 " » 



Sugar 4CJ0 " " 



Fat 1.35 " « 



Ash— much sand _ 2250 " " 



Dr. R. C. Kedzie, the chemist of the station, in commenting on this 

 analysis, says ''that the ash was rich in the phosphates of potash and 

 magnesium like the ash of grain, but a large part of the ash was sand 

 accidently present from contact of the smut with the ground while 

 gathering." 



"The smut was carefully examined for poisonous alkaloids to see 

 whether the alleged poisonous properties of the smut could be explained 

 by the presence of any organic poison, but not a trace could be detected, 

 although a large quantity (twenty grams) was used for this purpose. 



"It is surprising to see the avidity with which cattle will eat the com 

 smut and it seems diflScult to explain their appetite for so repulsive a 

 material. Perhaps the presence of sugar (four per cent) in the smut 

 may explain this, for the reason that cattle are very fond of sugar." 



The conclusion which can be safely drawn from this experiment is, 

 that where cows are gradually brought into the habit of consuming large 

 quantities of smut it does not seem hurtful to them. Whether the same 

 thing would be true where cows unaccustomed to smut suddenly gain 

 access to large quantities of it must remain for future experiment. It 

 is safe to say, however, that any quantity of smut that would be at all 

 likely to exist in a cornfield or on the stalks as fed under normal condi- 

 tions to the cows of the farmer, would not be dangerous to the health 

 of the animals. 



In 18G8, Prof. John Gamgee, in investigating the "corn stalk disease," 

 fed experimentally forty pounds of corn smut to two cows, beginning 



