ABIES. 



ABORTION. 



they are 1o remain the third year in the nur- ' 

 sery, they ought to be taken up and re-planted 

 at a greater distance. The Abele often sends 

 up naturally vast numbers of suckers from its j 

 roots, and such are sometimes used for young 

 plants; cuttings are, however, preferable. 

 Langley asserts that he has known great 

 quantities produced by chips only, where the 

 trees have been hewed after felling ; and one 

 of our earliest authors has proposed ploughing 

 down these chips, with a view to produce an 

 economical coppice. 



Amongst other uses of this tree, it may be 

 mentioned that, on the Continent, the wood of 

 the larger branches is prized, on account of its 

 lightness, for making wooden shoes ; while the 

 smaller twigs are used for fire-wood. By 

 splitting the wood into thin shavings, like tape 

 or braid, the stuff called spurterie used for 

 hats, is manufactured. These shavings are 

 always made from green wood. One work- 

 man can, with the aid of a child to carry off 

 the shavings, keep several plaiters employed. 

 The ancient Greek athletoe wore crowns made 

 of the branches of this tree, because it was 

 sacred to their patron deity, Hercules. (Julius 

 Pollux, de Ludis. Miller's Diet.} 



ABIES. In botany, the Fir or Pine tree 

 genus, well known for the valuable timber ob- 

 tained from many of the varieties. The origin 

 of the Latin name is unknown, that of the 

 English appellation is the Saxon Furh-wude, 

 fir- wood. See FIR TREE. 



ABLACTATION (Latin, ablacto). The 

 weaning of an animal. Also a method of 

 grafting, without cutting the scion from the 

 stock. 



ABORTION (Latin, abortio}. In 'veteri- 

 nary surgery, miscarriage, slipping, slinking, 

 casting, or warping, all meaning the expulsion 

 of the foetus at so early a period of pregnancy as 

 to render it impossible for it to live. The im- 

 mediate causes appear to be the death of the 

 foetus, or derangement in the functions of the 

 womb or its dependencies, arising from some 

 external cause or causes operating on the mo- 

 iher. Amongst these operating causes may be 

 reckoned too much, or too little food, producing 

 plethora or emaciation ; sudden fright acting 

 on the nerves, or sympathy with certain smells 

 or sights, such as the smell or sight of blood, 

 of bones, of horns, and particularly of the 

 aborted foetus of another animal ; on a simi- 

 lar principle, perhaps, to that which causes 

 even some strong-nerved men to faint away 

 on witnessing a surgical operation. Acci- 

 dents, also, such as falls, bruises, over-driving, 

 or fatigue, and the like, may frequently bring 

 on abortion. 



The signs of approaching abortion are, great 

 languor, uneasiness, and restlessness some- 

 times a discharge of bloody matter, and the 

 sudden filling of the udder, similar to the signs 

 of approaching parturition. 



Abortion in the Home. Abortions very fre- 

 uuently happen among mares. This often 

 arises in consequence of over-exertion during 

 the latter period of pregnancy. Mares are 

 liable, also, very frequently, to various acci- j 

 ients in their pastures, which may be the I 

 cause of their slipping their foal, such as | 



kicks, tumbling into holes and litches, over. 

 exerting themselves to get over It aces, and the 

 like. On this account, when a mare is near 

 her time, she should be kept by herself, in some 

 convenient place. But there is another, and 

 we suspect a very general, cause of these ac- 

 cidents in mares ; we mean a stinting of them 

 in their food, either in quantity or quality. It 

 appears, indeed, that some imagine that the 

 mare, when she is in foal, may be turned out 

 almost any where : but this opinion is ill 

 founded ; for although the mare does not re- 

 quire to be kept so high in condition as when 

 she is at hard work, yet she is not to be turned 

 out into a pasture where she may be in a man- 

 ner starved: but how often do we see the 

 mare-in-foal on the worst piece of ground in 

 the whole farm, exposed, during the rigorous 

 winter season, to endure the cold, as well as to 

 put up with scanty food. Every well-informed 

 farmer knows that the slinking of the foal is 

 often the consequence of such treatment. On 

 the other hand, when the mare is not worked 

 at all, and indulged with too high keep, she is 

 almost equally in danger of abortion, her high 

 condition having a tendency to cause inflam- 

 mation and other disorders; and these de- 

 ranging the reproductive organs, frequently 

 produce miscarriage. It would seem, then, 

 that moderate exercise and diet are best suited 

 as means to avoid the misfortune of the pre- 

 mature exclusion of the foal. 



Abortion in the Cow. Abortion occurs of- 

 tener in the cow than in all other domestic 

 animals put together. Perhaps it is one of 

 the greatest annoyances the proprietor of cows 

 has to encounter, and unfortunately, for aught 

 we see to the contrary, it is likely so to con- 

 tinue; for in spite of the improved state of 

 veterinary medicine, and the researches of 

 skilful veterinary surgeons, both at home and 

 abroad, abortion still continues as frequent 

 and annoying as ever. The causes are fre- 

 quently involved in obscurity ; but it may be 

 mentioned, that an extremely hot and foul cow- 

 house, a severe blow, violent exertion, starva- 

 tion, plethora, an overloaded stomach, internal 

 inflammations, constipated bowels, bad food or 

 water, improper exposure, and the like, will 

 now and then produce abortion. Any thing 

 whatever, indeed, that seriously affects the 

 health of the animal in general, or the state of 

 the reproductive organs in particular, may do 

 so. But abortion occurs again and again 

 when no such causes as those enumerated can 

 be traced. The disease, if such it may be 

 called, as we think it may, is even said to be 

 infectious. No sooner does it show itself in one 

 animal than it is seen in another, and another, 

 till it has spread over the most part of the cow- 

 house. Some say this is to be attributed to the 

 odour arising from the things evacuated. Pos- 

 sibly it may be so, there is nothing unreason- 

 able in the supposition ; for although we cannot 

 perceive the smell, nor account for its peculiar 

 influence, it is still quite within possibility 

 that such an odour does exist, having the 

 power attributed to it. There can be no great 

 harm, however, in acting as if we were as- 

 sured that the mischief has its origin in the 

 source so commonly supposed, provided we do 



