DISEASES OF THE GEXEEATH^E ORGANS. 167 



cloudy seasons on meadows shaded by trees and protected against the 

 free sweep of the winds. The same is to a large extent true of smut. 

 Hence, wet years have been often remarkable for the great prevalence 

 of abortions. Abortions have greatly increased in New Zealand 

 among cows since the introduction of rye grass, which is specially 

 subject to ergot. As abortion is more prevalent in old dairying dis- 

 tricts, the ergot may not be the sole cause in this instance. 



The smut of maize, wheat, barley, and oats is fostered by similar 

 conditions and is often equally injurious. It should be added that 

 the ergots and smuts of certain years are far more injurious than those 

 of others. This may be attributed to the fact that they have gi-own 

 under different conditions, and therefore have developed somewhat 

 different properties, a habit of fungi which has been often observed ; 

 or that in certain seasons the cows have been more powerfully pre- 

 disposed by other operative causes of abortion. 



Both ergot and smut vary in potency according to the stage of 

 growth. Dr. Kluge found that the ergot gathered before the grain 

 had fully ripened was much more powerful than that from the fully 

 ripened grain. McGugen found the ergot of wheat more potent than 

 that of rye. It should be added that both ergot and smut are robbed 

 somewhat of their deleterious properties if fed with an abundance of 

 water, so that they may prove harmless if fed with roots, ensilage, 

 etc., whereas they will prove hurtful when fed in the same amount 

 with dry hay. They are also more liable to injure if fed for a long 

 time in succession in winter, though it may be in smaller quantity. 



Rust is also charged with causing abortions.* That other crypto- 

 gams found in musty fodder are productive of abortion has been 

 well established. In Germany and France the wet years of 1851, 

 1852, and 1853 were notorious for the prevalence of abortions.^ 

 Fodders harvested in such seasons are always more or less musty, 

 and musty hay and grain have been long recognized as a prolific 

 cause of digestive, urinary, and cerebral disorders. Impactions and 

 bloatings of the stomachs, excessive secretion of urine (diuresis), and 

 red- water are common results of such musty fodder, and we have 

 already seen that such disorder of the digestive and urinary organs 

 are very liable to affect the pregnant womb and induce abortion. 



The riding of one another by cows is attended by such severe mus- 

 cular exertion, jars, jolts, mental excitement, and gravitation of the 

 womb and abdominal organs backward that it may easily cause 

 abortion in a predisposed animal. 



Keeping in stalls that slope too much behind (over 2 inches) acts 

 in the same way, the compression due to lying and the gi-avitation 

 backward proving more than a predisposed cow can safely bear. 



1 Gerlach, Haselbach. 



' Baiimeister, Rueff, Rondaud, Trelut. 



