THE OX AND THE DAIRY. 263 



into some quiet retreat, and be housed in severe or stormy 

 weather. 



The precursor signs of parturition are too well known to be 

 minutely detailed ; restlessness, moaning, a visible and rapid 

 enlargement of the udder, accelerated respiration, and a 

 dropping of the abdomen, first attract notice. Soon, the rest- 

 lessness increases, the animal keeps getting up and lying 

 down; at last she remains lying on the ground, and if all go 

 on well, is soon delivered of her offspring. 



In all cases of difficulty, the aid of the veterinary surgeon 

 is imperatively demanded, and the after-treatment should be 

 intrusted to his care, as puerperal fever and inflammation of 

 the udder are not unfrequent sequels. 



SORE TEATS. 



Cows after calving, and especially young cows, are very 

 subject to tenderness and soreness of the teats. They be- 

 come inflamed, often excoriated, or covered with cracks, from 

 which a sanious discharge oozes. Those who milk the cattle 

 are often very careless both as to the dipping of this discharge 

 into the milk, and to the pain which they inflict on the cow. 

 In both points there is nothing to excuse them, nor can 

 language too severe be applied to them. Many a good cow is 

 spoiled by the milker. Under the pain inflicted the animal 

 often kicks violently, and this will at last become habitual ; 

 she will retain her milk, and contract a habit of retaining it, 

 by which its quantity will speedily become diminished. The 

 cow requires soothing and gentle treatment ; the teats before 

 milking should be well cleaned, and fomented for some time 

 with warm water, in order to ease and mollify them. No un- 

 necessary violence in milking should be used, but at the 

 same time the udder must be thoroughly drained, for it is 

 seldom that the teats suffer without the udder in some degree 

 participating in their tenderness ; and a slight cause may 

 aggravate this into positive inflammation. After milking, 

 the teats may be dressed with a cooling and somewhat as- 

 tringent ointment, composed of two drachms of sugar of lead, 

 and a drachm of alum finely powdered, added to four ounces 

 of spermaceti ointment. 



COW-POX, OB VARIOLA. 



It is to Dr. Jenner, of Berkeley, Gloucestershire (who died 

 February 21, 1823, aged seventy-four), that we owe the prac- 



