On the Hoof disease. 197 



the Pliilad. Agricultural Society, that, " as yet, in Ame- 

 ricu, we have never heard of any human person falling a 

 vicilrn to the ergot, nor indeed is it satisfactorily as- 

 certained that it has ever been injurious to our animals,'' 

 I think proper to conimunicate to you an account of a 

 disease nhich in 1802, or 1803, prevailed in this neigh- 

 bourhood, amor.i^st milk cows particularly; but which 

 also aiF^cted other cattle and horses. You will perceive 

 that it was analogous to the one supposed to be occa- 

 sioned by ergot. 



For my part I am entirely ignorant of the cause, but 

 still I am unwilling to ascribe it to ergot, (with which rye 

 in this neighbourhood is more or less affected every year) 

 for this reason, that milk cows, which are never fed with 

 rye by our farmers, or butter- makers, exhibited more 

 violent symptoms than oxen or horses. 



The farmers attributed the disease to a peculiar mil- 

 dew, which sometimes affects the grass on the bottom 

 meadows of a small stream, the basin of which is very 

 extensive, and very luxuriant, and entirely appropriated 

 to meadow land, and suffered to lie under natural grass. 

 No timothy or other grass seeds have ever been sown on 

 it, to my knowledge. 



The catlle affected did not appear to lose their appetite, 

 and while they ate heartily of hay or other food, became 

 daily more and more lean, manifesting great uneasiness, 

 occasioned most probably by violent itching. Their hair 

 in many places fell off, or was rubbed off by the animal, 

 in striving to scratch itself. After these symptoms had 

 continued for some time, one or both hind feet became 

 sore, and the hoofs loose, at which period some of the 

 animals began to grow better. Others lost their hoofs 

 and part of their legs. Three of my father's cows lost 

 both their hind feet, and some others in the neighbour- 

 hood were equallv as bad. The legs began by drying 

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