784 THE farmers' handbook. 



rumen consequently fails to deal properly with the mass of ingesta and it 

 accumulates. Naturally the more the weakened rumen is overloaded the less 

 capable it becomes, and the result is a stoppage of its movements and action. 

 Collection of the diet in the direction of replacing portion of the bulky food 

 Avith nutritious concentrates, such as grain, meal,, and bran, represents the 

 best method of relieving the condition, but it must be done in the early 

 stages. Once a weak rumen is heavily overloaded the provision of good food 

 is of small value, as it will not be properly digested. 



Scrub-fed cattle are particularly likely to suffer from a general impaction 

 of the digestive system, including the rumen, partly because of the very low 

 feeding value of any scrub — and this is so no matter how valuable such scrub 

 may be in keeping animals alive through time of drought — and partly on 

 account of the astringent character of many of the plants used in scrub 

 feeding. Scrub alone can only provide sufficient nutriment to keep stock 

 alive, and, as a rule, they steadily lose tone while fed on it. This condi- 

 tion may eventually lead to impaction, which, however, may not show until 

 the stock are put to some strain, such as travelling, when it may very quickly, 

 become evident. 



Atony of the rumen, leading to impaction, may also occur among well 

 kept cows which are entirely fed on concentrates and chaff without any 

 admixture of hay or long food, and are, at the same time, deprived of grazing.. 

 There is no doubt that ruminants, to maintain themselves in a really tit 

 condition, require a certain amount of rough fibrous material. Lacking the 

 stimulus of this type of food, the digestive organs are apt to become deranged,, 

 and impaction results. 



Impaction of the Omasum. — Generally, this complaint is found following 

 other diseases, but it often occurs as a result of lowered vitality in cattle on 

 dry, innutritious food, when water is scarce, and, in spring and autumn, when 

 fresh grass is shooting among a lot of dry, dead stuff. In all such cases, 

 the condition of this organ is probably due to chronic indigestion and derange- 

 ment of the functions of the system from prolonged dry feeding, and from 

 the change on to green food. Where animals are kept in good tone with 

 regular nutritious feeding, and no .other disease is present, the condition is 

 not common. 



Depraved Appetite. — 'This is a common occurrence among cattle on coastal 

 areas. The animals devour bones, sticks, stones, dead rabbits, and all kinds of 

 indigestible rubbish. The causes are many and various, the most important, 

 probably, being an insufficiency of certain mineral matters in the soil (dealt 

 with below under the heading Osteomalacia), but other cases occur which 

 may generally be ascribed to indigestion from some obscure cause. In all 

 cases the essential line of treatment consists in alteration and enrichment 

 of the food supply, change of paddocks, provision of some artificial feeding,, 

 and a supply of salt. 



Osteomalacia. — This disease is very generally associated with certain poor 

 types of soils, and is usually shown by the bone-chewing habit of the animal. 

 It can best be combated by supplying food fairly rich in mineral salts, such 

 as bran, lucerne chaff, clover-hay, or other suitable artificial foodstuff. In 

 addition, sterilised bone meal should be added to the food, as much as 2 oz. 

 per day being given at times. Salt is not very often required by such cattle 

 to any great extent, though with all dairy cattle a supply of rock salt is-" 

 necessary if they show any desire for it. 



