1838] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



619 



with costiveness, ami which, of course, must be 

 ircated according to those, two circumsianccR. In 

 the loriner case, there is i^enerally an acid in 

 the stomach, which should be corrected by (head 

 tninisiratiori of about an ounce or more of magne- 

 sia in a (luart of tepid water ; and this should 

 shorilv be lollowed by a dose of castor oil. Should 

 the scouriniT continue afier the proper use of pur- 

 irativcs, and the coal be staring and rough, the ani- 

 mal should be housed ; its diet should be nutritive, 

 and wheat-Hour gruel, with a drachm of lauda- 

 num, if ner.essarv, should be given three or four 

 times a day. The following astringent drench 

 should also be administered : — 



Powdered catechu and fresh ditto allspice, of 

 each two drachms; powdered carraways, half an 

 ounce ; good ale or red wine a pint. 



When the colic is accompanied with cosdve- 

 ness, the iollowing purge should be given as early 

 as possible : — 



Dissolve from fovr to six drachms of fine Barbadoes 

 aloes (accordin»; to the size of the beast, and the ur- 

 gency of the case) in two quarts of water-gruel, and 

 administer the drauijlit in a lukewarm state, and give 

 the clyster recommended in colds. 



In both cases, great and speedy attention is neces- 

 sary, to prevent inflammation of the intestines, 

 which must otherwise prove lata! ; the beasts 

 should also be kept dry. 



FnuL— Tins disease affects the feet of cattle, 

 chiefly inconsequence of hard drivino-, where they 

 travel through much ,iirt, and is generally caused 

 by gravel, or some other hard substance (retting 

 between the claws. The part aifocted n)ust be 

 cleansed by washing, in order to discharge the of- 

 fensive matter contained in theclees. or claws ; af- 

 ter which they should be dressed with a mild di- 

 gestive ointment, and kept perfectly clean from all 

 filth, or other extraneous articles. Should, how- 

 ever, ulceration supervene, some local stimulant 

 may be a|)plied, and the part should be dressed 

 with a saturated solution of alum, or, if that be in- 

 sufficient, with a solution of blue vitriol. Ifthedis- 

 ease spread under the horn, this must be freely 

 pared away, and the part dressed with some 

 mild caustic or detergent ointment, according 

 to the state of the parts. A laxative drench may 

 be given where there is costiveriess, and, il'the lo- 

 cal irritation induce lever, from two to lour quarts 

 of blood may be drawn (iom the jugular vein. 



Hoven. — No distemper is ot more frequent oc- 

 currence among cattle than that of being swollen, 

 blown, or hoven, as it is usually denominated 

 by farmers. It is induced either by too sudden re- 

 moval from an inferior to a rich pasture, or by eat- 

 ing too eagerly of turnips, clover, or any other suc- 

 culent food, especially before the dew is ofl^ in the 

 morning; thus the stomach is loaded with food, 

 and the process of rumination, or chewing the 

 cud, being prevented, decomposition takes place, 

 gas is generated, and the animal becomes 

 swollen vviih confined air, which distends the sto- 

 mach and intestines. Its preventive is obvious, 

 and consists simply in turning cattle into such 

 rich pastures only when they are not pressed 

 by hunger, so that their appetite may be soon gra- 

 tified ; or they should be gently driven about for a 

 few hours, that the dew may not only have time 

 to evaporaiej but also the animals being thus suf- 



fered to graze a very short time at once, the sto- 

 mach will become gradually accustomed to it. 



Various remedies have been tried and recom- 

 mended (or this malady, which, if not opportunely 

 discovered, frequently proves fatal. Of these, 

 the most common is to make an incision with 

 a pen-knile, into the rumen at that part where it 

 projects most, (that is, on the left side, be- 

 tween the last rib, and the haunch bone,) when 

 a (luill, or small tube of ivory or smoothed elder, is 

 introduced in order to give vent to the confined air ; 

 the wound is then covered with adhesive plaster, to 

 prevent it from being afl'ected by the external 

 cold, and thus the danger is in general quickly re- 

 moved. 



The" method here noticed appears to be the re- 

 sult rather of absolute necessity than of mature 

 thought, though sanctioned by custom ; and, as it 

 is liable to be attended with fatal consequences 

 through the ignorance or inexpertness of the ope- 

 rator, it becomes necessary to resort to more easy 

 remedies. Medicines, indeed, are seldom of any 

 particular service, on account of the distance 

 to which country people are often obliged to go, in 

 order to procure them ; but the following recipe, 

 (which we communicate Irom Mr. Young's ' An- 

 nals of Agriculture,' vol. xxxiii,) being composed 

 of simple, cheap, and common ingredients, pro- 

 mises to be useful. Let three quarters of a pint of 

 olive oil, and one pint of melted butter, or hog's 

 lard, be mixed together, and given to the animal 

 by means of a horn or bottle ; if no Itivorable 

 change be produced in a quarter of an hour, 

 the same quantity may be repeated. This dose is 

 calculated lor neat cattle : for sheep, when hoven 

 or blown, a wine-<rlass full and a half, or two 

 glasses, will be sufficient to be given in like man- 

 ner. And it is asserted in the communication 

 above cited, that this remedy is a specific for the 

 malady in question, effecting a cure within 

 the short period of half an hour. We know not 

 whether this be really the case or not, and are cer- 

 tainly at a loss to account for its modus operandi; 

 iulded to which, where the stomach is greatly dis- 

 tended, the dose is too large, and must greatly ag- 

 gravate the symptoms if not speedily beneficial. 

 Carminative medicines, as ginger or other spice, 

 strong spirit and water, or peppermint water, are 

 liequently efficacious in the beginning o( the com- 

 plaint, and often suffice without any other re- 

 medy. A laxative clyster should be adminis- 

 tered, and the beast be made to walk about. Per- 

 haps well wisping the paunch may assist in pro- 

 curing an evacuation of tiie confined air. 



Various instruments have likewise been con- 

 trived, with the view of relieving hoven cattle, two 

 of which merit to be particularly noticed. The 

 first of these is a flexible, metallic tube, invented by 

 the celebrated professor of anatomy at Edinburgh, 

 Dr. Monro ; by whom it was announced to the 

 public in 1793. It consists of iron wire, about 

 one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, twisted 

 round a polished iron-rod three-eigliths of an inch 

 in diameter, iu order to give it a cylindrical Ibrm ; 

 the wire, after being taken off', should be covered 

 with soft, smooth leather. To tlie end of the tube, 

 which is intended to be passed inio the stomach, a 

 brass pipe, two inches long, of the same size as, or 

 rather larger than, the tube, is to be firmly con- 

 nected ; and, to prevent the tube from bending too 

 much within the mouth or gullet, an iron-wire, 



