2 THE FARMER S VETERINARIAN 



If he be a master of his business he naturally 

 knows a great deal about his farm stock. No man 

 who grows corn or wheat ever raises either crop 

 extremely successfully unless he has an intimate 

 knowledge of the soil, the seed, the details of fer- 

 tilization and culture. He has learned how good 

 soils look, how bad soils look; he knows if soils 

 are healthy, whether they are capable of producing 

 big crops or little crops. 



So with his stock. He must know, and he does 

 know, something as to their state of health or ill 

 health. With steady observation his knowledge 

 will increase; and with experience he ought to be 

 able to diagnose the common ailments, and not 

 only prescribe for their treatment, but actually treat 

 many of them himself. Unfortunately, many farm- 

 ers pass health along too lightly and the common 

 disorders too seriously. This is wrong. The man 

 who deals with farm animals should be well 

 acquainted with them, just as the engineer is ac- 

 quainted with his engine. If an engine goes wrong 

 the engineer endeavors to ascertain the trouble. If 

 it is beyond his experience and knowledge he turns 

 the problem over to an expert. It should be so 

 with the stock raiser. So familiar should the owner 

 be with his animals in case of trouble he ought 

 to know of some helpful remedy or to know that 

 the trouble is more serious than ordinary, in which 

 case the veterinarian should be called. 



All of this means that the art of observing the 

 simple functions should be acquired at the earliest 

 possible moment — where to find the pulse of horse 

 or cow, how many heart beats in a minute, how 

 many respirations a minute, the color of the healthy 

 nostril, the use of the thermometer and where to 

 place it to get the information, the character of the 



