158 THE Farm. 



Bone Disease in Milcli Cows—For more than half a century there 

 have been occasional outbreaks of a peculiar disease in New England, mostly 

 affecting milch cows, and commonly known as bone-ail or stifle joint lame- 

 ness. Heretofore the trouble has been chiefly confined to hilly sections, but 

 seems now to be approaching the valleys. 



This disease, technically called Cnchexhia ossifraga, is not confined to,, 

 the stifle joint, frequently affecting the hip and other joints also. In one 

 case, where the hij^ joint was affected, examination showed that the articular 

 surface of the head of the tibia or shank bone had been worn through by its 

 friction with the femur, or thigh bone, by the absorption of the floating carti- 

 lage between the ends of the bones. Similar conditions were noticed in 

 other instances. As it is beUeved this cartilage cannot be regenerated, it 

 was at first a question whether the disease was curable. Before investiga- 

 tion, its cause was attributed to the phosphatic materials in the feed, and 

 this idea has been fully estabUshed. "VVliere such materials were suppUed in 

 the form of bran, the disease was thought to be occasioned by the excessive 

 use of such feed, as it was known that such excess changes the bone into a 

 sort of phosphate, while the healthy bone is an insoluble phosphate. 



In former outbreaks, bone meal was found to be an effective remedy, and 

 in recent instances it has been used with good results. A Suffield, Conn., 

 man, of considerable expeiience, says that two ounces of the meal in a pint 

 of bran, three times a week during the early summer and fall feeding, will 

 generally cure, if accompanied with plenty of salt. In aggravated cases, 

 however, the free use of this material is recommended. Still, care must bo 

 exercised lest it should be supplied too freely, as an excess is sometimes 

 liable to injure the butter, because the putrid, oily matter of the bone is ex- 

 creted by the udder as a sort of oleomargarine. But if the meal has been 

 thoroughly clarified, this trouble is less apt to occur, and it may be avoided 

 altogether by the use of cotton-seed meal, which is rich in phosphates with- 

 out containing the obnoxious matter liable to be in bone meal. Bran is also 

 largely made up of phosi^hates, but it is well to add com meal. 



The necessary mineral element can probably bo furnished in hay that has 

 been manured with superphosphates, which furnish lime and jjhosphoric 

 acid that are greedily taken in by the plant. Indeed, the recent outbreak is 

 accounted for by the fact that where it occurs, little, if any, mineral fertil- 

 izers are used. They are now being appUed more extensively, and the 

 gradual disappearance of the disease will doitbtless follow. 



Mark* ot a Crood Cow. — Those who keep but one or two cows natur- 

 ally want them for general purposes, do not want a mere butter cow nor yet^ 

 a mere milk animal, but one which combines both in as great a degree 

 can be found. Such cows are not plentiful, we admit, or at least are no 

 often for sale at a moderate price, so that when they are offered, it behoove 

 would-be inircliasers to V)e able to tell them. 



We do not believe iu very small cows, nor yet in large, heavy animals, as' 

 neither, as a rnle, are capable of filling the bill, the former too often falling 

 ehort in the quantity, Avhile the large ones are apt to run too much io flosli 

 to make them profitable dairy animals. The medium-sized ones invariably 

 produce the best results, and a heavy milker and a largo butter maker us 

 seldom fat, as the majority of tlie food she consumes is converted into milk 

 and butter. The head should be fine but bony, with small horns, large, 

 mealy nose and shapely eai-s. The base of the horns and the inside of \h*- 

 »ars should bo of a bright golden color. Wo have never yet eecu an auiina) 



