DISEASES OF FARM ANIMALS 143 



solution. After doing this, place a fold of muslin 

 over the corn and then over all a bran and linseed 

 poultice. A complete rest from work, hard roads 

 and shoes should now be given the animal until 

 the corn has entirely disappeared. When the feet 

 are again shod, leather should be used as a protec- 

 tion. Many corn salves are recommended, but 

 unless the corn be removed and the pressure taken 

 from the wound, there can be no cure, even though 

 the tumor is pared away. 



CORNSTALK DISEASE. When cattle are al- 

 lowed to run in stalk fields it frequently happens 

 that a large per cent die from various causes. All 

 these troubles are classed under the one term 

 cornstalk disease. In some western fields where 

 there is a second growth of cane stalk late in the 

 fall an early frost will at times develop in the stalk 

 a deadly poison (hydrocyanic acid), which kills the 

 animal in a very few minutes after eating it. This 

 poison has not been found in the cornstalk. 



In the last year or two some of our state experi- 

 ment stations have been investigating several molds 

 which seem to affect not only cattle but horses as 

 well. These molds grow quite abundantly upon 

 cornstalks, alfalfa, and other forage crops. The 

 death of a great number of animals has been traced 

 directly to the feeding of such affected fodder, hay, 

 or corn. These molds, however, must have a cer- 

 tain amount of moisture for their growth, and it 

 has been shown that when the feeds have been 

 properly harvested and sheltered no trouble has 

 resulted. Only in materials exposed to the wea- 

 ther, allowing the development of these lower 

 forms of plant life, has serious trouble been found. 



In the treatment of these troubles nothing reli- 

 able can be given, as the disease usually comes on 



