lo March. 1909. J Diseases of Farm Aminals. i55 



animals, which have only to eat and sleep and time to browse over the 

 paddocks, stand a far better chance of thriving on food of this character 

 than the single-stomached, hard-worked horse, who is required to exhaust 

 his muscular strength day by day, s.o that be cannot thrive and work 

 unless fed on clean and wholesome food with concentrated nutriment in 

 small bulk. Hence, grain of some kind or other is his usual fare. 



Ensilage should be used in conjunction with other feed, and care 

 should be taken that it is not used if damaged by age or exposure to the 

 air. Mixed grasses would make a more nutritious ensilage for horses 

 than growing grain. Wheat and wheat straw are both unsuitable, and 

 are bad feed for horses. In the form of ensilage, this fodder is soft, 

 and is not wholesome as a stable diet. 



The unfortunate fatality leads me to the conclusion that ensilage ex- 

 posed to the air for a very few days, under favorable climatic conditions, 

 such as moisture and temperature heat, forms an excellent seed-bed and 

 nourishing medium for fungoid growths, such as moulds and low forms of 

 vegetable life. Their germs, being always present in the air, are in- 

 creased to mvriads under favorable conditions, and such undoubtedly 

 existed in this outbreak. Rain having recentlv fallen, following on a 

 long period of heat and drought, and the horses being weak, predisposed 

 them to the ill effects of the fungus, which not only entered their systems 

 through the stomach, but also during respiration. Being exposed toi the 

 same poisonous agents day after dav. chronic poisoning and fatal conse- 

 quences followed. 



Sixteen valuable horses died. Eleven horses were treated. Ten of 

 the latter are convalescent, recovery being a slow process. One animal, 

 I fear, is incurable, it being dangerouslv ill, utterlv prostrate and de- 

 lirious. 



There are several other horses scattered on the station ; but these have 

 not had ensilage. Thev are all healthv." 



POISONING BY MOULDS, RUST AND SMUT. 



Moulds of various kinds, principally those of the genera Mncor, 

 Aspergillus and Pencillum, attack the different foodstuffs of animals. 

 When mouldy foods are partaken of in large quantity, which only occurs 

 when other foods are not available, the general toxic action is character- 

 ized by contraction of the pupil, paralysis of the vaso-motor system, 

 diminution of respiration, loss of power of muscular contraction, drowsi- 

 ness and convulsionss. The consumption of mouldy hay, oats and meal 

 generallv produces ccilic and diarrhoea and it has been known to cause 

 inflammation of the bowels (enteritis) in horses. The poisonous principle 

 is not the mould fungus but a toxic excretion (ptomaine) which emanates 

 from it during growth. 



Rust. — The most common rust fungus is the Puccinea graminis which 

 attacks cereals. The feeding of rusty straw gives rise to flatulence, hoven 

 (tympanitis) and constipation which may be so aggravated as to end seri- 

 ously if the cause is not discontinued. 



Sn^ut or Blacl^ Rust. — Tilletia caries is the most poisonous variety of 

 smut, Ustilago niaydis and Ustilago segeium being less harmful. When 

 grain attacked bv caries or smut is eaten, inflammation of the bowels may 

 ensue. Bronchitis and inflammation of ihe lung>^ may also be caused by 

 inhalation of pulverized smut grains. Abortion has frequently been- 

 known to supervene on the ingestion of Ustilago maydis. There is also a 



