DISEASE AMONG SWINE AND OTHER DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 7 



lost a great many sheep from the same disease. I last November visited Vermont, 

 where I also found the same disease prevailing to an alarming extent. The diseased 

 sheep do not lose flesh. Tbej' seem to lose blood, however, for in a short time their 

 skin becomes perfectly white. TLieir eyes also become white, the ears droop, and they 

 are apparently much exhausted. They drink water freely, eat salt, gnaw at boiirds, 

 and take up whole mouthfuls of dirt, but eat neither grass nor haj'. They seem full 

 and in good condition up to the time of their death. When opened no blood is found 

 i:i their veius, but the stomach and intestines are full of worms, which have collected 

 in bunches or knots. 



Various remedies have been tried here, but without any perceptible effect. If the 

 disease is not soon checked many large dealers and breeders will lose entire flocks of 

 valuable animals. 



Hon. Harris Lewis, Frankfort, N. Y., says : 



In reply to your favor of the 31st ultimo, I would say that this county (Herkiuier) 

 is almost wholly devoted to dairying, and that the only diseases of farm stock affect- 

 ing us are those which affect dairy-cows, as but little other farm-stock is kept. Epi- 

 demic abortion has pi-evailed here among our herds more or less for the last eighteen 

 or twenty years, and a part of this time to an alarming extent in many herds, as high 

 as 90 iier cent, of the cows aborting. 



At the annual meeting of the American Dairymen's Association, held at Rome, X. 

 Y., in January, 1876, a committee of three was appointed (of which I was one) to peti- 

 tion Congress to offer a reward of $10,000 for the discovery of the cause and a remedy 

 for abortion. But the committee appointed, believing this sum ten times too small, 

 never took any action in regard to the matter, and hence it has rested ever since.* But 

 if the dairymen of the United States can rely upon the Commissioner of Agriculture 

 to aid them in the work of investigation, we will take new courage and see what can 

 be done with his aid to relieve dairymen and stock-breeders of this terrible scourge, 

 by which more than a million dollars has been lost each year for the past fifteen years 



\ 



Mr. Eli Avert, Clayville, Oneida County, New York, says : 



Seven years ago I lost seven swine. Nothing unusual in their condition was noticed. 

 They were fed in the morning, all eating well, but at noon feeding one was found dead 

 and bloated, his legs standing out stiff" like tlae legs of a bench. The others fed well, 

 but at night two more were found in the same condition. This continued until seven 

 had died. They turned purple as soon as they died. Others were lost in our town at 

 that time from the same disease. Mine were principally fed on skimmed milk. 



I have had occasionally, in wet weather, horned cattle affected with hoof-ail, or foul 

 foot, as the farmers call it. This disease is very easily cured by cleaning the hoof with 

 acid and covering it with tar. 



F. D. RuiCK, La Grange, Intl., says : 



During the prevalence of chicken cholera in this section it is very fiital. Chickens 

 attacked with it will sometimes live a day or two, but generally they will die within 

 a few hours. I have fed a hundred head in the morning, all apparently in good health, 

 and at noon have found half of them dead, and perhaps half of those remaining were 

 staggering around like so many drunken men. The disease is no doubt contagious, and 

 if the chickens affected are not at once separated from the well ones the entire flock will 

 soon be inoculated. 



This year I have lost but three chickens from the malady. As soon as I discovered 

 that they were affected I separated them, giving the well ones a fresh coop, and fed them 

 freely with red pepper (capsicum) andsulpliur. The result was that I saved the balance 

 of my flock. 



The feathers on the breasts of some of the chickens, when first attacked by this dis- 

 ease, become ruffled ; the breast hangs down between the legs and appears to be full of 

 water, like one afflicted with the dropsy. 



J. B. Bloomer, V. S., Wauconda, Lake County, Illinois, says: 



Horses here suffered severely with epizootic distemper, and for two years thereafter 

 were disposed to severe influenza. The epizootic left tlie mticous membrane so much 

 inflamed that a slight cold would seriouslj' affect them ; but this would generally yield 

 readily to simple remedies. 



With the exception of milk-fever, cows are unusually healthy. For this disease, I 

 am sorry to say, I have found no sure remedy. On an average, I have lost about one- 

 third of the cows that I haVe treated. However, in no instance have I lost a case 

 where I have been called upon in the early stages of the disease. My practice is : 



