260 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



young colt. He also quotes Kaufmann, who was successful in producing a 

 disease with Pcnicillium glaucuni and Aspergillus glaucus. There is considerable 

 loss in many states from cerebro-spinal meningitis. In many parts of the 

 country this is attributed, as I have said before, to mouldy corn. Dr. Bitting, 

 of the Indiana Agricultural Experiment Station, made an investigation of this 

 question and concludes that mouldy corn is not responsible for this disease. 

 Upon an examination of mouldy corn he found several moulds and a bacterium. 

 To test the poisonous properties of these, two horses were injected under the 

 skin with five cubic centimeters. Later, larger amounts were given, and each 

 animal was induced to eat as much as five pounds of the infected meal per day. 

 One of the moulds as well as the bacterium gave negative results ; the Fusarium 

 produced a redness of the gums and some salivation. In no case did cerebro- 

 spinal meningitis result. 



The results of the experiment show that inoculations with culture of the 

 bacteria and moulds were ineffective. Eating of the mushes containing pure 

 culture showed that only in the case of a growth of a species of Fusarium did 

 any intestinal disturbance follow, and that in one case the feeding of the 

 rotted grain produced considerable intestinal disturbance and some nervous 

 symptoms, but that the disturbance was light in the other. 



Grawitz succeeded in producing infection by adapting the digestive tract 

 of the animals to an alkaline medium. 



Roberts and Bitting say in regard to this trouble in Indiana : 



It affects horses, cattle and sheep, but the cause is not known. This disease is reported 

 in stables in the fall and winter. The reports indicate that about an equal number of horses 

 and cattle become affected, but that they rarely become affected at the same time. The 

 horses and cattle kept in the same barn and fed the same kind of food will not become 

 diseased at the same time. Most of the cases occur while feeding ensilage or shredded 

 fodder and thus it has come to be called ensilage disease and shredded fodder disease. 

 The character of the food, however, is only an incident, for cases may occur when other 

 spoiled or fermented foods are present, or when only the best foods are used. The 

 disease is often ascribed to mouldy and rat-eaten corn, but our experiments with such 

 foods and pure cultures of moulds from such foods were negative. Bad sanitation is also 

 ascribed as a cause. 



In regard to Mycotic Stomatitis of cattle which they attributed to moulds : 



The particular organism causing the disease, if there be one, has not been described. 

 It seems probable that the disease is due to more than one form of fungi which may be 

 present on the pasture. The animals affected are cattle of all ages above 4 months. The 

 disease is not contagious, but usually affects a number of animals in a given herd, and 

 always while in pasture. The fact of a number of animals being affected is due to similar 

 exposure and not to infection spreading from one animal to another. Attempts at direct 

 inoculation have not been successful. The disease occurs in some localities every year, 

 and in others seemingly under special climatic influences. I know a locality where it may 

 be developed at any time by permitting cattle to graze along the roadside. The disease 

 is much more prevalent on permanent blue grass than upon timothy pasture, and is of rare 

 occurrence upon pastures used in a crop rotation. The disease develops in pastures allowed 

 to grow for some little time without being used. It is particularly liable to develop a few 

 days after a good rainfall succeeding a dry period. 



The symptoms are inability to graze, saliva dribbling from the mouth, and frequent 

 visitations to the watering trougli, holding the mouth in the water as though it were burned. 

 The animals appear to be hungry but cannot eat. The mouth is red and lips, gums and 

 tongue swell. Blisters form and these soon give way to ulcers that may remain distinct 

 or run together. In some of the aggravated forms the ulcers may unite so that when the 

 crust comes off, it will make a cast of a lip or the whole end of the tongue. The crusts 

 are usually from the size of a dime to that of a quarter. The tongue may swell to such 

 an extent as to protrude from the mouth and the animal be unable to draw it inside. The 

 muzzle may be increased one-half in size. 



