SECRETARY'S REPORT. 77 



When the withers are cast, as it is called, I have off en had 

 cases to put back. It is a hard and not a pleasant business ; 

 but perseverance will often save the animal. I have had cases 

 very severe indeed ; in one instance, where the cow had lain in 

 the stable all night in that situation, and had chafed and torn 

 it badly. I washed it in milk and water, and succeeded in 

 getting it back. It seems painful to the cow to get it back. 

 I have sometimes put a small chain around the small of the 

 l)ack, and put a twister in, and then have a man stand and hold 

 it, not tight enough to hurt, but so that a little twist will press 

 on the back, and the cow will hollow in the back. She cannot 

 curve her back up with this twister on her. In twenty-four 

 hours I have cured such cases, almost always. I generally take 

 a stich or two to prevent its coming back. 



Mr. Barnard, of "Worcester. — Generally, when I have any of 

 my cows troubled with caked bag, I milk all I can. My practice 

 used to be, to wash the bag in cold water ; but that took a 

 number of days before the bag would become natural. For the 

 last case I had I used turkey oil. It was a young cow, and her 

 bag was so hard it was almost impossible to milk her ; but by 

 using turkey oil she was cured in three days. I have had a 

 case where, by putting it on in the morning the cow was cured 

 by night. This method will certainly cause the cow less pain 

 than the bunting. 



Mr. Smith responded that he thought some other application 

 would be better than bunting if the case was a severe one ; but 

 he endeavored to begin so early as to prevent their becoming 

 very bad. 



Mr. Barnard. — I think when a cow has her bag filled she 

 had better be milked some, for two or three days before calving. 

 I once had a cow that I milked two months and nineteen days 

 before she had a calf. I found her in the pasture with a very 

 full bag, though she did not have any appearance of having a 

 calf immediately. But I got her home and milked her ; but 

 the next morning her bag was full again, and then she was 

 milked regularly from the first of June to the nineteenth of 

 August, giving ten quarts a day. 



To an inquiry whether the calf was not diminished in strength, 

 Mr. Barnard said it was a small one. 



