428 AMERICAN CATTI.K. 



lished treatises, and are acknowledged as competent authorities. 

 Such a course, however, would hardly discharge the duty 

 expected of a work of the character we have assumed, and we 

 shall, in consequence, treat somewhat of disorders and diseases 

 as they are most likely to occur in the farmer's own herds, insu- 

 lated as he usually is from the rounds of professional practice. 



We may safely assert, that in a large portion of the country, 

 our neat stock are far less prone to diseases, plagues, and malig- 

 nant disorders, than the cattle of any part of Europe, although 

 our climates, from north to south, are subject to greater extremi- 

 ties of heat and cold, than the European continent. Yet, we do 

 have diseases of many characters and tendencies, sometimes diffi- 

 cult to understand, but most of them have proved manageable 

 with proper forethought and fair treatment. On the whole, our 

 American cattle, may, in general, be called healthy, and liable to 

 comparatively few diseases. 



It is an old and true adage, that "an ounce of prevention is 

 better than a pound of cure." So then, he who properly cares 

 for his stock from their birth onward, will be visited with few 

 disorders in his herd, and these, with due precaution, and timely 

 looking after, in most cases, may be safely controlled. Good 

 shelter, proper food, pure water, and timely care, will, in most 

 instances, keep herds in good health extraordinaries excepted. 

 We have known farmers, with large herds, who scarce ever had 

 a diseased animal. We have known others equally well situa- 

 ted, so far as the opportunity of keeping and caring for them were 

 concerned, who were always afflicted with sickly cattle. They 

 died, annually, with murrain, or some other malady, solely arising 

 from poverty, exposure, bad food, or neglect ; and the wonder of 

 this latter class continually was "what ailed their cattle?" If 

 they will read, and ponder over our previous pages, and act on the 

 suggestions they contain, they will soon find a reform in the con- 

 duct of their herds; but if they still go on in their old negligent 



