242 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



VOL. 



is admitting tliat the same thing is sometimes 

 produced in another way. 



Therefore, it seems to follow from Ob- 

 server's own showing, that, " Corrupted horn, 

 putnd horn, rotten horn," and consequently, 

 "liollow horn," is frequently produced by in- 

 judicious boring; but is sometimes the effect 

 of natural causes. If future observations were 

 even to prove that the putrid horn or hollow 

 horn was altogether the result of boring, it 

 would not undervalue the illustrations given 

 of this disease by Dr. Willich and Dr. Tofts; 

 it would only show that the disease was en- 

 tailed upon us by blindly following the inju- 

 dicious practice of our forefathers, to which 

 we might probably trace most of the causes 

 of disease in our domestic animals. 



In the article quoted by Observer, Dr. 

 Tofts does not appear to give any opinion 

 upon the origin of this disease, whether he 

 considered it the effect of bad management, 

 or of natural causes. Thomas Cooper says, 

 " the hollow horn is produced by the want oi 

 food, and the want of shelter in the winter 

 season." It is proper here to remark that 

 Observer has not given us one of the im- 

 portant symptoms of this disease by Dr. 

 Tofts. The Dr. says "the horn is deprived 

 of its natural heat," but Observer says " the 

 authors quoted enumerate," "dulness in the 

 countenance, a sluggish motion, want of ap- 

 petite, a desire to lie down — and if attended 

 with an inflammation of the brain, a giddi- 

 ness, and frequent tossing of the head; stiff- 

 ness, as in rheumatism, affects the limbs ; the 

 milk often fails in cows ; the udder is hard, 

 and there is in most cases a sudden wasting 

 of the flesh." Observer, after this enumera- 

 tion of symptoms from Dr. Tofts, remarks, 

 "I would ask, what would a person infer 

 from these symptoms, who had never heard 

 of that disease 1 Would "he bore a hole in the 

 horns to look for the cause of them there 1 I 

 think not." Now, suppose Observer had given 

 the symptom of cold horn as mentioned by 

 Dr. Tofts, would his remark in relation to 

 boring the horn have the same point ! I think 

 not. Whatever the cause may be, it is a well 

 known fact that cattle have a disease that 

 deprives " the horn of its natural heat ;" this 

 we have called hollow horn, and is it unrea- 

 sonable to suppose that this is the seat of the 

 disease, and that the horn may become hollow 

 in the manner before described ] 



Observer may have overlooked the symp- 

 tom of cold horn as mentioned by Dr. Tofts, 

 and not at all be acquainted with the fact, for 

 he says, that " during life the blood must cir- 

 culate through the horn, and therefore it 

 never can be dry," and while the warm blood 

 is constantly passing through it, we would 

 suppose never could be cold ; which is not the 

 fact. But this paragraph I presume will not 



be understood in that positive sense in wh 

 it is employed, for it cannot be supposed l 

 author knows that death will in all cases 

 the immediate result of suspended circulat 

 of blood in the horn. 



Upon the whole I am well pleased w 

 the investigation of Observer, and hope tl 

 he will continue his researches into a si 

 ject so vitally important to our agricultu 

 interests ; and although his remarks seem 

 mdicate more speculation than knowledge 

 facts,his whole article is fiaught with the sp 

 of research and bold investigation, which w 

 if honestly pursued elicit truth. I am h 

 situation to see thousands of horns extract 

 from the hides of cattle annually; five] 

 cent, of which I would say are said to 

 from cattle dying of the hollow horn ; I sh 

 therefore examine this subject in future mi 

 practically, and transmit the result of my 

 vestigation to the Cabinet. 



A Subscriber, 



Wilmington, 2 Mo. 7th, 1837. 



Extiact of a Letter to the Editor. 



"The valley of the Swatura is a gc 

 lime region, and the farmers are maki 

 good use of it ; — they are using it somewl 

 different from the Jersey farmers. Th 

 method, as far as my observation has ( 

 tended, is to mix lime with barn and otl 

 vegetable manure, and thus make a compc 

 and not spread on to the ground until 1 

 lime is slacked, and the vegetable mat 

 rotten. The method adopted by John L; 

 sin, Esq., an intelligent practical farmer m 

 Hummelstown, is to take his lime from t 

 kiln and drop it on the ground in its unslack 

 state, and as soon as the action of 1 

 weather shall have slacked the lime, a 

 while the weather is yet warm, he sprea 

 it over the ground and ploughs it in in t 

 fall, and leaves it to the action of the froi 

 of the winter. This method has never fail 

 of producing a good crop; and this gent 

 man's farm, compared with the farms of the 

 who have pursued different methods in t 

 use of lime, is strongr evidence in favor 

 his method of using it, and it is a gr( 

 saving of labor and expense." 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Oxen. 



Carlisle, Pa., Feb. 11, 1837. 

 Mr. Editor — I observed with pleasure 

 a few of the late numbers of the Cabin* 

 several judicious and well timed observatioi 

 on oxen. In youi paper of the 15th Januar 

 you gave the opinion of the late and verier 

 ted Madison in favor of the employme 

 of oxen, generally. A prejudice, as illiber 



