472 AMERICAN CATTLE. 



it reaches an obstacle. The knobs must be securely fixed to the 

 canes, for if they fall off, they leave an indigestible substance in 

 the stomach." The above constitutes Mr. Alexander's probang, 

 the only obvious improvement on which, says a recent writer, 

 "is to make the knobs of sponge, firmly fastened to the canes, 

 by passing twine through holes bored in them, and adding to 

 each end two or three bights of twine, for the purpose of catch- 

 ing hold of any obstacle, thus making the instrument almost 

 exactly like a surgeon's probang. The sponge is preferable to 

 the twine, as it will not be liable to injure the animal's throat by 

 its hardness, will adapt itself more readily to any form of the 

 obstacle, and may be more firmly fixed in the canes." 



[NOTE. A piece of grape vine, nearly an inch in diameter, or 

 pliable tough willow, may answer, of the size of the three small 

 canes above mentioned. L. F. A.] 



PUERPERAL, OR MILK FEVER. 



Causes. This is a disease peculiar to cows in high condition 

 at the time of calving; whether young or old, all are liable to 

 be attacked with it. Whenever it takes place, either at home 

 or in the field, it is distressing to the animal, as well as trouble- 

 some to the owner : they seldom are able to rise in less than two 

 or three days after. The puerperal, or milk fever, is most fre- 

 quent during the hot weather of summer. The cows most liable 

 to be attacked with this fever, have large udders that are full 

 of milk for several days before calving, and often very much 

 inflamed and swelled. It is a very dangerous disease when 

 severe, and often proves fatal even under the most judicious 

 treatment. The milk fever most commonly attacks the cow 

 about the second or third day after calving. We have remarked 

 above, that those cows which are in high condition at the time 

 of calving, are the most subject to this complaint; however, it 

 sometimes attacks lean cows, especially if they are deep milkers. 

 "We conceive its immediate cause to be an inflammatory state of 

 the udder, which is frequently induced by the animal taking 

 cold, and from a redundancy of blood in the system. About the 

 second or third day after calving, a much greater quantity of 

 blood than usual is determined to the udder for the purpose of 

 the secretion of milk, but when the udder is inflamed, this act 



