522 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 



Cornstalk disease of cattle, N. S. Mayo {Kansas Sta. Bui. 58, pp. 

 65-88). — The author notes the prevalence of the disease, its geograph- 

 ical distribution, and the extent of its injury to live-stock interests. 

 Eeference is made to the results reported in Bulletin 10 of the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry of this Department (E. S. E., 8, p. 81) and in sta- 

 tion bulletins of studies of the relation of corn smut to this disease, and 

 work in this line at the Kansas kStation is described. Corn smut ( Usti- 

 lago maydis) was extracted with alcohol, the alcohol evaporated, and 

 the residue tested on guinea pigs with no apparent ill effect. A chem- 

 ical test also failed to detect in the smut any alkaloid or nitrogenous 

 base which might be x)oisonons. The author concludes that corn smut 

 is not injurious to cattle and that it is not the cause of the cornstalk 

 disease. 



Growing corn was inoculated with pure cultures of the Burrill bacte- 

 rial corn disease. The inoculated stalks when ripe were gathered and 

 a 2-year old heifer confined in a stable and fed exclusively upon 

 them for 8 days with no apparent ill effect. Cultures of these corn dis- 

 ease germs in beef broth were given to the heifer as a drench, produ- 

 cing a mild diarrhea. None of the bacilli were found in the blood. 



The author states that all indications are to the effect that the corn- 

 stalk disease of cattle is not a germ disease, and there is abnndant 

 evidence that cornstalks affected with the Burrill corn disease do not 

 cause cornstalk disease in cattle, nor have other injurious effect. 



The general symptoms of the disease are those of weakness, often 

 running into paralysis of the hind parts, accompanied by signs of dis- 

 tress. As the disease progresses the symptoms of suffering greatly 

 increase. Death usually occurs withiu 24: hours after the first symp- 

 toms are noticed. 



A report is given of several outbreaks. As a means of prevention 

 the cattle should be well fed and watered before starting them in the 

 stalk field, and they should be put upon this feed gradually. Water 

 and salt should be constantly before them. In general, the author 

 states that what may be called typical cornstalk disease in cattle is a 

 combination of indigestion and the action of some toxic substance in the 

 cornstalks, possibly saltpeter. 



Bacteriological studies in contagious abortion in cows, F. D. 

 Chester {Delaware Sta. Rpt. 1S95, pp. 116-lls). — An outbreak of con- 

 tagious abortion in cows having occurred in 1891, the subject was 

 investigated by the station officers. Agar slant cultures were made 

 from the placenta of a subject, and later gelatin plate cultures were 

 made from one of the slants. Two colonies developed, one of which 

 was considered nonpathogenic. The other was cultivated in various 

 media, and the biological characters were ascertained for the cultures 

 used. The bacillus was strikingly like Bacillus coli communis, and 



