71 



when copious secretion of the salivary glands is produced by the eat- 

 ing of irritating plants, such as wild mustard. In cases where saliva 

 is observed to dribble from the mouth, that part must be carefully 

 examined by introducing an instrument like a balling-iron into the 

 mouth, or, if such an instrument is not at hand, by grasping the 

 tongue and partially withdrawing it from the mouth, and by placing 

 a block of wood between the back teeth, while all parts of the mouth 

 are exposed to a good light, so that the presence of any foreign sub- 

 stance may be detected. The cause will sometimes be found to de- 

 pend on a short piece of wood becoming fixed on the palate, its two 

 ends resting on the upper molar teeth of each side ; or it may depend 

 on a needle, thorn, or splinter of wood becoming embedded in the 

 tongue. Sometimes a sharp piece of tin or other metal may become 

 partially embedded in the inner surface of the cheek. Hay occasion- 

 ally possesses some quality, usually dependent upon its having heated 

 in the mow or having become moldy, which produces salivation. 

 Second-crop clover and some irritant weeds in the pasture or forage 

 may cause salivation. Cattle rubbed with mercurial ointment may in 

 licking themselves swallow enough mercury to bring about the same 

 result. (See Mercury Poisoning.) Such cases, of course, arise from 

 the constitutional action of mercury, and indicate the danger of 

 using such a preparation externally on account of the common habit 

 which the animals have of licking themselves. Mercury is also read- 

 ily absorbed through the skin, and, as cattle are very susceptible to 

 its action, it is thus easy for them to be poisoned by it even without 

 licking it from the surface. 



Treatment. If salivation depends on the irritation and inflam- 

 mation set up by the ingestion of acrid plants, or forage possessing 

 some peculiar stimulating property, the food must be changed and a 

 lotion composed of an ounce of powdered alum dissolved in a quart 

 of water may be syringed into the mouth twice a day, using half a 

 pint of the solution each time. If, however, the salivation depends 

 on the presence of a thorn, splinter of wood, or any other foreign sub- 

 stance embedded in the cheek or tongue, remove the offending object 

 and wash the mouth occasionally with a weak solution (2 per cent) 

 of carbolic acid and tepid water. When salivation is produced by 

 mercurial poisoning or by the foot-and-mouth disease, the treatment 

 appropriate to those general conditions of the system, as well as the 

 local treatment, must be applied. 



The Changes Which Take Place in the Teeth of Cattle with Age. 

 Owing to the character of the teeth of the ox, as well as the some- 

 what less importance of determining their exact age, the same exact- 

 ness has not been, and, it may be said, can not be carried to the same 

 degree of perfection as with the h^rse. However, as will be seen, 

 there are certain periods of the life's cycle that can be more or less 

 definitely determined by the teeth of the ox. 



The teeth of the ox are thirty-two in number, twenty-four of 

 which are molars, arranged as in the horse, and eight incisors, belong- 

 ing to the lower jaw. The latter are replaced in the upper jaw by a 

 thick cartilaginous pad, covered by the mucous membrane of the 



