40 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ington. The subject seems to have excited a good deal of 

 interest and the discussion must be carried on without his 

 assistance. 



Mr. Emery of Lowell. Last year one of my heifers 

 aborted in the pasture. This year I had twelve other cases 

 at midsummer. I have looked at the matter with my best 

 intelligence. I have watched my cows, and I cannot give 

 any reason for it ; but I have noticed some things that may, 

 perhaps, be of benefit. I find that when a cow aborts at 

 about four or five months, it does not hurt her; that is, her 

 after-birth immediately leaves her, she eats, and appears 

 well ; she does not shrink in flesh. If a cow aborts within 

 a month of calving, or less, the case is different ; the after- 

 birth is sometimes eight or ten days coming away ; she 

 loses appetite and flesh. I have had two instances this fall 

 where I have killed and examined them carefully. In one 

 instance, we found the womb so tender that one could put 

 his finder throug-h it. In the other instance, we found it 

 deep yellow in color. I do not know that the yellow color 

 would indicate anything. I have found that with cows that 

 abort, it is hard to impregnate them again. I did not know 

 but the difficulty might be with the male, and from that fear 

 I have changed bulls three times this year. I find that 

 nearly all of these cows that aborted cannot be impregnated 

 at all. Some of them have been three or four months. 



My feed this summer has been very high — higher than it 

 was last year. I use cotton-seed, corn, oat and rye meal. 

 My herdsman thinks that the rye meal produces more milk 

 than cornmeal, and it has a favorable eff'ect on digestion. 



Question. Were those twelve cows that aborted all 

 served by the same bull ? 



Mr. Emery. Nearly all of them. 



Question. How much rye do you feed? 



Mr. ExMery. We mix the rye meal with corncob, oats 

 and pure cornmeal, a quarter part being rye. I raise 100 or 

 125 bushels of rye, and feed it to my cows. I am confident 

 they do quite as well, or better, than when fed upon corn- 

 meal alone. I think corn is of too heating a nature when 

 fed alone, and that it is better to put rye with it. 



The Chairman. Did your first case occur from contact 



