DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 471 



of powdered charcoal and fine salt say half a pint of salt to 

 three gills of coal, diluted with lard, or butter mixed, or even 

 in water, so that the animal could swallow it. Why may it not 

 be equally efficacious with cattle? L. F. A.] 



Various causes may contribute to occasion a difficulty of swal- 

 lowing ; either from the morsel attempted to be swallowed being 

 too large, or from the unusual narrowness of the gullet. The 

 former frequently occurs to cattle that are fed upon turnips or 

 potatoes ; and the choking thus produced is so dangerous as to 

 cause the animal's death, if the obstruction is not speedily 

 removed.* 



Mr. Alexander, an ingenious farmer in Tweeddale, invented 

 a very useful instrument for the purpose of removing the obstruc- 

 tion. It is described as follows: 



"Take three small canes, (rattan or whalebone,) of the thick- 

 ness of the little finger, or thereabouts, of the length of five feet 

 and a half, that they may reach down the throat, and into the 

 stomach of the largest ox. These canes are to be bound together 

 by strong smooth twine rolled tightly about them, (the circles of 

 twine touching each other,) from top to bottom. Beeswax is 

 then to be rubbed along the twine, to fill up any inequalities, and 

 the whole rod is to be well oiled before it is used. There is a 

 round knob at each end ; the larger, two inches and a half in 

 diameter for larger cattle, the other less for lesser cattle. These 

 knobs are formed of the twine rolled hard, and when formed, 

 may be strengthened in their position, by being sewed by means 

 of a shoemaker's awl, and a waxed bristled thread, such as they 

 employ. The thread knobs are made tapering up the canes 

 from their broad extremity; but it must be remarked, that the 

 surface of this extremity is not rounded like a clue, but hollowed 

 into the form of a cup. The intention of this hollowed form is, 

 to make certain of catching hold of the obstructing body ; as, if 

 the knob was round, it might pass by it. After the knobs are 

 formed, they are covered with soft leather, which, by its flexi- 

 bility, will adapt itself to the hollow end of the knob as soon as 



* The better way is to avoid any such choking by always cutting the roots, or 

 apples fed to the cattle, in email pieces. L. F. A. 



