202 THE FARMER'S AND 



takes the bull at about two years old, the first ring is form, 

 ed a twelvemonth before its usual time, and, consequently, 

 she would always appear to be, reckoning by her horns, a 

 twelvemonth older than she really is. 



After all, the age, as denoted by the horn, can only be 

 calculated in the cow ; these rings do not appear in the 

 ox or bull until the animal is five years old, and then 

 they are most frequently too confused to be accurately 

 counted. 



PHYSICKING CATTLE. 



Purging medicines operate by increasing the evacuation 

 of faeces from the bowels, and thus often removing a very 

 considerable source of irritation. They augment the 

 secretion of the exhalent vessels situated on the internal 

 coat of the intestines, and thus, by producing watery stools, 

 lessen the quantity of fluid through the system. They 

 divert the increased flow of the blood from the affected 

 organ, and determine it to the bowels, which is well elu- 

 cidated in red-water ; and they have a peculiar influence 

 on the nervous system, augmenting the energy of the 

 nerves distributed to the intestines, but diminishing it 

 in other parts of the system. 



The chief purgatives in use for neat cattle are glauber 

 salts, epsom salts, Barbadoes aloes, linseed oil and sul- 

 phur. In obstinate constipation of the bowels, ten or 

 fifteen grains of the farina of the croton nut, freshly pre- 

 pared, may be added with good effect. One pound of 

 glauber, or epsom salts, will purge a full-sized beast. 

 Aloes are very properly getting into disuse ; they are 

 uncertain in their effect, they require very considerable 

 doses of them to be given in order to act alone, and if they 

 should be received into the rumen they are apt to disgust 

 and nauseate the animal. Half an ounce, or six drachms 

 of them, however, may be added to the salts in particular 



