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T4 AMERICAN FARMER'S HORSE BOOK. 



gathered until midwinter, and sometimes not even until spring. 

 It is no uncommon scene, in Tennessee and Mississippi, to 

 find one set of hands gathering the corn in one-half of the 

 field, while in the other a second set are putting in the new 

 crop. Corn that stands out a whole winter in this way must, 

 of course, be greatly injured, becoming water-soaked, and 

 some of it actually rotten. ^N'ot only that which falls down 

 upon the wet ground is damaged ; but, of what remains stand- 

 ing, the large or stump-end of the ears are generally much 

 softened, if not decayed. The same is true of the fodder; 

 most of it, by standing out in shocks, becomes damp and 

 moldy. 



On such food two-thirds of the horses at the South are 

 compelled to live, and, as a consequence, more than one-half 

 of them suffer continually from fever. No wonder they 

 have big head, and every other disease that horse-flesh is 

 heir to ; the only marvel is that they are ever well, or, indeed, 

 that they live at all. To feed them corn exclusively is bad 

 enough, but when that corn is rotten, and is eked out by 

 moldy fodder, the condition of the poor animals is deplorable. 



In connection with water and food, climate has, undoubt- 

 edly, a powerful influence in developing big head. The fact 

 that the scourge is almost entirely confined to malarious dis- 

 tricts has been already stated. Cases may occur elsewhere, 

 but they are of rare occurrence, while, on the other hand, 

 the stronger the malarious influence the more frequent is the 

 disease. In Western Tennessee* and Eastern Arkansas, por- 

 tions of country well known for their unhealthfulness, it is 

 most cpmmon and fatal, increasing as we approach the Mis- 

 sissippi. The whole valley of that great river, from the mouth 

 of the Ohio to the Gulf, is low, damp, and malarious. 



Nor must bad treatment be overlooked in enumerating the 

 causes of big head. No one who has given the subject any 

 attention can have failed to notice that the horse well cared 

 for and kindly treated is much less likely to contract the 

 disease than one ill-used. On many Southern plantations 

 there are no stables ; and on many others it was not uncom- 



