THE FARMERS' CABINET, 



AMERICAN HERD-BOOK, 



DEVOTED TO 



AGRICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, AND RURAL AND DOMESTIC AFFAIRS. 



"The Productions of the Earth will always ho in proportion to the culture bestowed norm it " 



Pol. VII — No. 8.] 



3rd mo. (March) 15th, 1843. 



[Whole No. 98. 



JOSIAH TATUM, 



PROPRIETOR AND PUBLISHER, 



No. 50 North Fourth Street, 



PHILADELPHIA. 



Edited by the Proprietor and James Tedder . 

 rice one dollar per year. — For conditions see last page. 



Abortion in the Cow. 



Editors of Farmers' Cabinet, — There 

 mve been many complaints among our farm- 

 firs, during the present, as well as past win- 

 ;ers, on account of the frequent occurrence 

 )f abortion among their cows. We are 

 rreatly at a loss to trace the evil to any 

 mown cause, and consequently to prescribe 

 l remedy. I extract the following from the 

 irst number of the Farmer's Encyclopedia, 

 ;ecently published by Carey & Hart, and 

 vhich I have been much interested in look- 

 ng over. This disease, if we may call it 

 », is one of no trifling annoyance: and 

 s perhaps one of the greatest to which 

 he dairyman is exposed. It deserves and 

 •equires the close attention of experienced, 

 >ractical men. We have this winter, heard 

 )f some farmers in the vicinity of Philadel- 

 )hia, who have lost eight or ten calves, that 

 »ave come to premature births. Should you 

 relieve the extracts I send, deserving a place 

 n your paper, you will gratify a constant 



Reader. 



Abortion occurs oftener in the cow than 

 n all other domestic animals put together. 

 Perhaps it is one of the greatest annoyances 

 he proprietor of cows has to encounter, and 

 infortunately, for aught we see to the con- 

 a*ary, it is likely so to continue ; for in spite 

 )f the improved state of veterinary medi- 

 :ine, and the researches of skilful veterinary 

 surgeons, both at home and abroad, abortion 

 still continues as frequent and annoying as 

 2ver. The causes are frequently involved 

 in obscurity ; but it may be mentioned, that 

 in extremely hot and foul cow-house, a se- 

 vere blow, violent exertion, starvation, ple- 

 thora, an overloaded stomach, internal in- 

 flammations, constipated bowels, bad food or 

 water, improper exposure and the like, will , 



Cab.— Vol. VII.— No. 8. 



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 an- 

 other, 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. Possibly it may 

 be so, there is nothing unreasonable in the 

 supposition; for although we cannot perceive 

 the smell, nor account for its peculiar influ- 

 ence, 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 not shut our eyes to any other which ac- 

 cident or investigation may reveal. In the 

 meantime, the number of abortions may be 

 diminished by carefully avoiding all those 

 causes which are known to be capable of 

 producing it. Let the cows be regularly 

 fed ; let their food be good, and in proper 

 quantities ; let them have water as often as 

 they will take it ; avoid sudden exposure to 

 cold or heat; and, above all, let the cow- 

 house be well ventilated. Prohibit all man- 

 ner of rough usage on the part of those who 

 look after the cows, whether they be with- 

 calf or not. If any of them accumulate 

 flesh too rapidly, gradually reduce their al- 

 lowance ; and, on the other hand, if any be- 

 come emaciated, discover the cause, and 

 remedy it, always by slow degrees. Sudden 

 changes in the matter or mode of feeding, 

 should also be avoided. The same sort of 

 diet does not agree equally well with all 

 the cows; and this, in general, is indicated 

 by undue relaxation, or constipation of the 

 bowels; this should be watched, and removed 

 at once. Attention to these, and many other 

 minor circumstances, will amply repay the 

 proprietor for the little additional trouble. 

 " That improper, or too little food," says 



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