1838] 



FARMERS' R E G I S r !<: R. 



623" 



eev'eral -.vceks, otherwise no benefioiiil effects can 

 be ex|)ecte(l to be lieriveii (niiii such treiitmont. 



The Milk Fever is chiefly occasioned by cows 

 takiiiij colli while calvinjjj. Hence it becomes 

 partictiliirly necessary to watch tliein wlien near 

 iheir time, as many valuable beasts are lost for 

 want olMue attention to this circumstance. Cows 

 thusaH'ecteii should be taken immediately into the 

 house ; they should be allowed |)lenty of dry lit- 

 ter, and in other respects generally treated as in 

 the case of violent colds ; except that no blood 

 must, on any account, be drawn, unless in cases 

 of extreme necessity. 



^'/Jfectttms of the ['dder.— The. udders of young 

 cows, that are in hifjli condiiion, are sometimes 

 greatly swollen and inflamed for fjeveral days be- 

 fore they calve, in which case it will be proper to 

 milk them repeatedly, and to anoint the distended 

 udders with cooling' ointment or olive oil. Beside 

 these swellings, the udders ol cows are liable to 

 injuries, which are olten of serious consecjuerw.es, 

 by tiills, blows, wounds from sharp or pointed in- 

 struments ; by the violent sucking of calves ; and 

 also from the injudicious or rough treatment of 

 harsh or inexperienced milkers. While the in- 

 flammation remains in an indolent state, the parts 

 aH'ected ought to be repeatedly anointed in the 

 course of the day with fresh butter, or with a 

 salve, consisting of one ounce of castile soap dis- 

 solved in one pint and a half of new nfilk over a 

 moderate fire, constantly stirring it till it be tho- 

 roughly incorporated. An ointment, prepared 

 from the juice of the leaves of the common thorn- 

 apple, (datura stramonium, of Linnaeus,) mixed 

 with hog's lard, is likewise said to be an excellent 

 application for swollen udders; or, the tumor may 

 be anointed with a little mixture, consisting of 

 camphor and blue oiniment, about half a drachm 

 of calomel being given in ahornful of wartn beer, 

 for three or four mornings, if the malady continue 

 to increase. Where, however, the udder and 

 teats are considerably inflamed, internal remedies 

 should be resorted to : (or this purpose it has been 

 recommended to mix four ounces of nitre with one 

 ])ound of common salt, and to give two table- 

 Bpoonfuls of the powder in a gallon of thin water- 

 gruel every three hours. 



But in case the disorder shojld, from neglect, 

 have made such progress as to exhibit hard tu- 

 mors, the following fomentations may be applied : 

 let one handiLil of common hemlock (amium ma- 

 culatum, L.), a similar quantity of the dwarf or 

 round-leaved mallow (malva rotundifolia, L.), 

 and the same portion of common meiiot (trifo- 

 lium meliotus officinalis, Jj.), be boiled in a sufli- 

 cient quantity of water, and diligently applied, as 

 warm as the beasl can bear it. As soon as the 

 tumor opens, let the sore be properly cleansed, 

 and then cover it with a plaster of Turner's ce- 

 rate, or of basilicon ointment. The fbilovving re- 

 medy has also been successfully employed in ob- 

 stinate cases of ulcerated udders, viz : 



Take sum ammoniac and gum ^albanum, castile 

 soap, ana extract of hemlock, of each one ounce ; 

 form them into ci<,'ht boluses, one of which should be 

 given every morning and evening. 



Lastly, where the feats only are sore, they may 

 be washed with clean, warm soap suds, and rub- 

 bed with an ointment consisting oC pulverized ce- 

 ruse, or white lead, that has previously been sa- 



turated with brandy, mixed with a siiflicient qunn-- 

 lit)' of goose grease, or eliler ointment, or with the 

 ibllowing mixture : 



Olive oil, 



Oil of turpentine, 



Camphor, 



3 ounces. 



1 ounce. 



2 druchms. Mx. 



Such are the diseases incident to cattle, that are 

 of most ordinary occnrreiu^e : lor an accoutit of 

 the more dantirerous maladies of inflammations of 

 the liver and lungs, loi'kedjaw, yellows or jaun- 

 dice, &c., we beg to reli^r our readers to JNIr. Cla- 

 ter's work enlitlecl " Every Man his own Farrier,'''' 

 already noticed : and for instructions in cases of 

 difficult birth, to that of Mr. Skellett, " On the 

 Parturition of the Cow.''' 



On the Diseases of Calves. 



Scouring or Looseness, is generally the first ma- 

 lady that attacks calves ; it is mostly, if not en- 

 tirely, occasioned by the inaltenlion of the per- 

 sons to whose care the sucklings are committed, 

 and who often put them too soon lo suck, allowing 

 ihem to remain longer at the teat than is proper : 

 too (i-equent change of" milk will likewise produce 

 this disea.=ie. As soon as the looseness is disco- 

 vered, it has been recommended to stint ihe calf 

 in its diet, and to give an eg^i:, boiled hard and 

 chopped sn.all, by drenching, fiisting ; the use of 

 which, once or twice, is asserted in most cases to 

 effect a cure. A mixture of pulverized chalk and 

 wheat-meal, with the powder of fennugreck, 

 made into bails with gin, or strong ale, has also 

 been recommended as a medicine which may be 

 administered with safety. 



The Shoote is a most fatal malady to calves, 

 which it generally attacks a few days after birth. 

 The usual symptoms are, first, a colic that is more 

 or less violent, and is frequently very severe and 

 dangerous, especially when it iscontagioiin. This 

 colic is terminated, and the calf relieved by a dis- 

 charge taking place from the bowels ; though this 

 sometimes proves fatal before the shoote appears. 

 Secondly, a loathing and refusing of food, even 

 previous to the discharge, which decreases and in- 

 creases according to the duration and violence of 

 the disorder. Where the shoote prevails, the 

 cheapest, and perhaps the best medicine which 

 has been generally administered by exp-erienced 

 breeders is, eggs and flour properly mixed with 

 oil, melted builer, and aniseed, linseed, or siniilar 

 mucilaginous vegetables ; or, simply, milk well 

 mulled with eggs, may be given to the distemper- 

 ed animal. 



The Coids is a disease chiefly prevalent in 

 Scotland, where it attacks calves during the first 

 days, or weeks, after they are produced, and 

 j proves particularly fatal to such as are fed by hand 

 I and confined ; though, if they outlive five or six 

 I weeks, they are seldom in anv danger. The dis- 

 order appears to be of a plethoric and inflamma- 

 tory nature, as the calves that die in consequence 

 of it are extremely red ; and the small leaders, or 

 liffaments. are much contracted, whence probably 

 the disease has its name. With the view to pre- 

 vent the occurrence of the cords, it has been re- 

 commended to purge ofl^ the meconium, or first 

 excrement, by giving the calf a little of the mo- 

 ther's milk, lukewarm, as early as possible, or 

 with syrup of buckthorn, or rhubarb, care being 



