120 THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. BOOK i. 



abortion amongst cows. The grain of these grasses exhibits an 

 abnormal development, having been converted by a fungus into a 

 purplish-black structure. Various grasses are subject to it, 

 Timothy, Foxtail, Dogstail, Cocksfoot, Rye-grass, Meadow Fescue, and 

 Sweet Vernal, besides the grasses indigenous to swampy places, and 

 various others which are regarded as weeds (see page 926). 



It is a matter of prudence, or almost of necessity, to separate the 

 cow that has slipped her calf from the rest of the herd ; and it should 

 not be forgotten that cows that have once slipped their calves are more 

 liable than others to a recurrence of miscarriage. 



For about a month or six weeks before the time of calving it will 

 be advisable to turn the cow to grass, if in the spring ; but if it 

 happens to be winter, she should be fed with the best hay, and 

 some turnips, potatoes, carrots, or other winter fodder, or a mixture 

 of bran and oats or bean-meal, to which grains may be sometimes 

 added. Should these not be at hand, the mere boiling of a portion 

 of her hay, and giving it with the water, when cool, will be found 

 to keep the body in a healthy state for calving, and also improve 

 her milk. It is not desirable that she should be fattened, because 

 the fatter the cow is, the less milk she gives, and yet, if she is 

 too poor, there is danger lest she should drop in calving. The middle 

 course between these two extremes is the best, enough to keep the 

 cow in good condition, but no more. Give her access to good " store " 

 land, and let her find her food. 



The following note from the pages of the " Scottish Farmer," in 

 connection with the point now under discussion, will be worthy of 

 attention here : 



" The cow cannot, on the whole, be regarded as a troublesome 

 animal to manage, but not unfrequently there are morbid states which 

 have puzzled the farmer and veterinarian not a little. Thus, abortions are 

 common, and under other circumstances we find young animals mani- 

 festing parturient pains before their full time, which causes no little 

 anxiety to the stock-owner. Solitary instances of such premature 

 efforts are apt to be mistaken, and if the mouth of the womb is 

 explored it is found closed and firm. We have often observed violent 

 straining under the circumstances, and the foetus pushed up above the 

 neck of the womb. Not unfrequently such cases are improperly taken 

 for abnormal indications of the mouth of the uterus, and this is forcibly 

 opened or cut, parturition is brought on, and the cow not infrequently 

 dies. Early interference in all such cases is very injudicious, and if 

 travelling or other cause of excitement has disturbed the cow, it may 

 be advisable to give a purge or feed lightly, and to wait. In the large 

 majority of instances, two or three days pass over, when proper efforts 

 come on, the parts become dilated, and a fine healthy calf is born. It 

 is very rare to have much disease about the mouth of the womb, which 

 would interfere with a birth ; whereas the false labour pains are very 

 common. It is a rule in all obstetric operations that it is best to 

 interfere little ; and in many instances in which a cow has not been 

 delivered at her time, a calf has been found piecemeal in a state of 



