DISEASES OF COWS. 463 



such food finely in a box by means of a spade with the 

 edge sharpened and feeding it with a little ground 

 meal, or finely cut hay or grass. When an accident of 

 this kind does happen it is repaired very quickly by 

 crushing the obstacle in the throat in this manner : A 

 block of smooth thin board is placed upon each side of 

 the gullet over the obstacle, one person holds a heavy 

 block to one side of the throat and another person gives 

 the opposite block a smart blow with a mallet. This 

 crushes the soft piece of root without injuring the gullet; 

 if it is slightly bruised, it will heal in a few days, and the 

 injury will be less than that resulting from the use of a 

 probang by which tlie obstacle is violently forced down- 

 wards into the stomach. 



DIARRHEA. 



Nature always makes efforts for its own relief, and 

 diarrhea is the result of an effort of this kind to relieve 

 the bowels from some offensive matter. It may, how- 

 ever, be the effect of a diseased condition of the bowels, 

 as in tuberculosis, when the functions of the bowels are 

 disturbed and the food passes through in an undigested 

 state. But in the great majority of cases it is caused 

 by overfeeding and consequent indigestion. Calves 

 gorged with milk, or given cold or sour milk when used 

 to warm and sweet milk, or under other sudden change 

 in the feeding, suffer seriously from this disorder. Cows 

 that are gorged with grain or immature fodder, or sup- 

 plied with impure water, become diseased in the same 

 manner. 



The remedy is to give a gentle purgative, soft and 

 emollient and soothing to the irritated membranes. A 

 pint of raw linseed oil is useful, and should be followed 

 by well boiled oatmeal or linseed gruel, with soft easily 

 digested food given in small quantities. After the 

 diarrhea is reduced, a tonic should be given : as one 



