143 



at a time, and, perhaps, some of the old curd is still in its stomach 

 when next fed. This sets up irritation and inflammation of that organ, 

 which nature tries to relieve by means of diarrhoea, called ivhite scour. 



333. White Scour. — This complaint carries off large numbers of 

 calves yearly, and when once it gets started, is bad to deal with, 

 running through the young stock like an epidemic, having all the 

 characteristics of an infectious complaint, which, no doubt, it is, as in 

 some cases it is due principally to the presence of the bacillus lactis. 

 It should, therefore, have careful attention as soon as noticed. The 

 hulls, or boxes, should be at once thoroughly cleaned out, and 

 the walls washed with boiling water and carbolic acid, followed 

 up with lime wash and carbolic acid, sprinkling the same on the 

 floor. This should be done once every week or ten days, until 

 the progress of the complaint is arrested. Attention should also be 

 given to the food of the cows ; if decorticated cotton cake, or 

 highly nitrogenous foods are being used, they must be stopped for 

 a few weeks, and crushed oats, bran, and Indian meal, or pollards 

 given. The nitrogenous matter in cotton cakes causes the milk to be 

 of too stimulating a nature for a young calf's system to assimilate. 

 Treatment consists in giving good clean dry bedding, moss litter for 

 preference ; at the commencement, a small dose of castor oil — say 

 2 or 3 ounces, with a teaspoonful of laudanum, may be administered 

 with good effect ; following up with teaspoonful doses of bicarbonate 

 of soda, or a wine-glassful of lime water in the milk each night. Two 

 teaspoonfuls of Gregory's mixture (see Appendix), are sometimes very 

 serviceable. Prevention consists in feeding often, and in small 

 quantities, for the first fortnight, giving 12 hours milk with the cream 

 off, warmed up to 90°, m a water bath. Great attention should be 

 given to housing, good dry bedding being indispensable. If, however, 

 mother and calf are allowed to run together in a box, for a week or so, 

 it will save a lot of trouble from this, and, also, perhaps, other com- 

 plaints, as, for example, milk fever, &c. 



334. Hair and 'Wool Balls. — These are frequently formed in the 

 stomach of the young calf and lamb. They may be caused by the 



