DISEASES AND TREATMENT. 429 



ways, they must suffer; and on their own heads must fall the 

 penalty. 



The habits of all domestic animals, are exceedingly simple. 

 Their natural tastes are so; their necessary food is so; and their 

 anatomical and internal organs are such as to dispose of their 

 food, and drink, to the due nourishment of their systems, without 

 much, if any artificial help. So, then, that their food be regular, 

 and sufficient, nature may safely be left to its own course, in the 

 great majority of cases, with a safe result. No farmer should 

 ever bring a creature on to his place having a contagious disease, 

 or permit one to remain there, either in the company, or within 

 the sympathies of other cattle. "We once bought a fine blooded 

 cow, diseased with a sort of scrofula, or consumption some 

 might call it an incipient murrain and we lost, not only her, 

 but at least half a dozen other cows and heifers, by the conta- 

 gion, before we got rid of it. That experiment taught us a les- 

 son. We never since, bought a diseased animal, if we knew it. 

 Better knock the thing in the head at once, than to expose the 

 other stock on the farm to contagion of any sort. Accidents 

 have sometimes occurred, as under almost all circumstances they 

 will occur, and not always to be provided against; and so will, 

 sometime, diseases, as milk fever, and other ailments, incident to 

 their condition, which must be promptly looked after; but with 

 due precaution, they seldom occur, under proper management of 

 the herd. We do not say that all such diseases or ailments can 

 be cured, for with the best and ablest treatment, they sometimes 

 prove fatal ; yet, with due care they may, in a majority of cases, 

 be relieved. 



We may be excused for one remark. There exists, in almost 

 every neighborhood where cattle abound, some quack, or pre- 

 tender, in cattle disorders ignorant in almost every thing else, 

 yet professing to be great in that department. He assumes a sort 

 o intuitive knowledge in those matters, and looks profoundly 

 wise, on every case submitted to his inspection, and affects great 



