80 THE FARMER'S 



hot embers thrown into a sufficient quantity, of wa- 

 ter, or by dissolving therein about an ounce of pot 

 or pearl ash, and turn it down the throat of the ox 

 or cow affected. A proportionably less quantity 

 will answer for a sheep. This is said to give im- 

 mediate relief by neutralizing the carboAic acid 

 gas in the stomach of the creature, which causes 

 the swelling, and other symptoms of the complaint 

 to subside. 



When oxen are long and hardly driven, in muddy 

 roads, particularly where the soil is calcareous, they 

 are lialbe to soreness between the claws. This 

 will make the beast lame, and when discovered, 

 the part should be cleansed, and healed with some 

 proper ointment. Sometimes from inattention to 

 this, the part decomes horny; in this case the hard 

 parts must be cut iaway, and the wounded flesh 

 cured. 



A general indication of health in neat cattle is a 

 moist or wet nose, and when this is found dry it is 

 a certain symptom of disease of some kind or other. 



Symptoms. When an animal is at all lame, its 

 foot should be carefully felt. The first indication 

 is usually an uncommon degree of warmth, and a 

 soft and puffed feel of the parts immediately con- 

 nected with the slit between the hoof, either before 

 or behind the foot and generally just above it. If 

 in the hind foot, and not easily handled, a fullness 

 may generally be perceived, by standing behind the 

 animal and carefully comparing the appearance of 

 the two feet, between the dew claws and the hoofs 

 (for it very rarely commences its attack in more 

 than one foot.) In the fore foot it generally swells 

 forward; and in taking up the foot, the slit between 

 the hoofs will have an appearance of dryness, easily 



