166 DAIRY FARMING 



days. All attempts to find the specific cause of the disease 

 have so far failed. It has been proved that smut in corn is 

 not the cause. Those who have given the subject most 

 attention believe the trouble is the result of acute indiges- 

 tion caused by eating too much coarse indigestible food. It 

 is possible that under certain conditions some poisonous 

 substance is developed in the stalks. 



No satisfactory medical treatment has been found. As 

 with many other diseases, attention has to be directed to- 

 wards prevention. Cattle should always be watered and well 

 fed before being turned into a stalk field for the first time, 

 and some laxative food, such as alfalfa or clover hay, should 

 be given daily. Plenty of water should be readily accessible. 

 The animals should be turned into the field for only a short 

 time the first day, gradually lengthening the time each day 

 as they become accustomed to the feed. Fortunately this 

 trouble does not occur from feeding corn fodder cut and 

 shocked in the field, or from corn put in the silo. 



QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 



1. Let each student make a list of as many cases of deaths of 

 cattle in the community as he can find, giving the cause of death 

 and telling whether a calf, cow, steer, or bull. Combine these re- 

 ports to find the comparative number of deaths from each disease. 



2. What is the cause of each of the diseases found ? How may 

 each be controlled ? 



3. Similarly report on as many cases as possible of cows that were 

 sold or slaughtered, giving the reason why they were discarded. 



LABORATORY EXERCISES 



13. Miscellaneous Exercises. If possible make arrangements to 

 do the following work with a cow that is not very valuable. A clini- 

 cal thermometer, drenching bottle, carbolic acid, teat plugs, and 

 milk tube will be required. 



