1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



221 



flakes, undaunted by the cold March winds! 

 How joyfully we greet them — mute harbingers of 

 joys to come ! How beautiful are the small 

 8)8 terhoods of these peerless (lowers 1 In England 

 they are called "Maids of February" as they are 

 often found in that month blooming in some 

 heltered dell. They are numbered among the 

 vild flowers of that island, while we cultivate 

 them as lawn plants, or in beds. Soon they will 

 be fallowed by the gorgeous tulips, the sunny 

 daffodils, tl.e fragrant hyacinths, and all the va- 

 rious tribes of early spring flowers. All lovely 

 and to be loved. 



During this month we must not remit the at- 

 tention paid to our "Window Gardens," we must 

 water, wash, stimulate and stir up the soil with 

 hair-pins, which are alwavs handy. Tho=e plants 

 which are not budded may be forced into bloom 

 if they receive proper care and culture. There is 

 not a window plant which may not be filled with 

 clusters of flowers if the gardener cultivates it 

 righthj. We need have no barren plants — each 

 must add its quota to the glorious beauty of the 

 whole. But a few weeks more, and we shall turn 

 our attention to summer gardening, to raising an- 

 nuals and perennials, cuttings from "Bedding out 

 Plants," and all the various duties therein con- 

 tained, s. o. J, 



For the JVeic England Farmer, 

 SINGHTLAR CATTLE DISEASE. 



In a communication to the Weekly Far- 

 mer, June 20, 1868, (Monthly, of same year, 

 page S61,) I gave a statement respecting a 

 disease that prevailed among cattle in the re- 

 gion bordering on Buzzard's Bay and contigu- 

 ous to it. 



Recently I have learned that a much larger 

 area of southeastern iVIassachusetts, one town 

 in Rhode Island and one in Connecticut, are 

 afflicted with the same calamity. As this arti- 

 cle may meet the eye of some who either did 

 not see the statement then given or have for- 

 gotten it I will restate some of the facts then 

 referred to and add some others. 



The first manifest trouble is loss of appetite 

 for both food and drink, especially fur the 

 latter. The best of food gradually fails to 

 tempt the appetite, and all water whether 

 from the pond, brook, well or cistern, is alike 

 unsatisfactory and almost unused. During all 

 their decline the eye appears healthy, the nose 

 moist and the horns warm. The hide is close, 

 and the hair stiff to the touch as with all j)oor 

 animals, but in no respect worse. What ap- 

 pears quite incomprehensible is the fact that 

 stock receiving the best of care are more 

 seriously trouljled than those that are compara- 

 tively neglected. 



On the larm of J. S. Fay, at Wood's Hole, 

 the stock has had the very best of stabling and 

 care the year through, and yet his cattle ap- 

 parently suffer more than those of some of his 

 neighbors that are not so well stabled and 



fed. This may be accounted f«jr in part by 

 the fact that he has more or less blood stock 

 in his herd, and not as much of the native as 

 most of his neghbors. The native cattle ap- 

 pear to get on with less trouble than other 

 stock. The Alderney seem to suffer mo&t. 

 Quite often a farmer that is exempt is sur- 

 rounded bv others with whom it prevails. 



James L Brown of Mattapoiseit is situated 

 in this manner. He told me ih.it it was a 

 common thing for him to take slock from his 

 neighbors that were mere ^ke!et.ons when 

 tak»^n, which would soon recover their health 

 and condition. He has quite a large estate 

 and deals in farm stock extensively. 



A resident of Falmouth, named Cahoune, I 

 am informed, has a place that is exempt, 

 though environed by the disease. This man 

 purchases the diseased stock when so r«.'duced 

 as to be scarcely alive, for a small price, get- 

 ting it home as best he can, often using a 

 team to move it. In a few weeks he has the 

 cattle apparently well and ready for sale. 



How to account satisfactorily for this state 

 of things is beyond the wisdom of all who 

 have given the disease an investigation. In a 

 foot note to my previous writing oa this sub- 

 ject, you conveyed the idea that the trouble 

 grew out of a want of judgment and care in 

 fefedirg, &c. So far as Mr. Fay's stock is 

 concerned, this cannot be true. The pastur- 

 age is excellent, with plenty of good water, 

 the hay is of the best quality of cultivated 

 varieties, and there is no lack of corn, meal, 

 shorts, and roots. The stables are ventilated, 

 with large side windows which admit plenty 

 of air and light at all times, when necessary. 



The only known palliative so far as I have 

 been able to learn is found in the use of cop- 

 peras. The benefit derived from its use is 

 only temporary. It soon fails to quicken the 

 appetite in any appreciable measure. The 

 only sure cure known is removal from the in- 

 fected district, which I am now informed em- 

 braces all the towns on Cape Cod, with 

 Marnon, Mattapoisett, Fairhaven, Dart- 

 mouth, Westport, and to some extent. Little 

 Compton, R. I., which borders on Westport. 

 A writer in some agricultural paper, I have 

 recently seen, describes the same disease as 

 prevailing among his cattle in Connecticut. 



It seems surprising that a calamity so wide 

 spread should have so long failed to attract 

 attention. The reason for the apparent apa- 

 thy is probably found in the fact that none of 

 the affected cattle are kept in the infected 

 districts until they die, as it is well known 

 that by changing their locality they are re 

 stored to health again. All expectation of 

 profit from stock kept under such disadvan- 

 tages is hopeless. Milch cows dry up in a 

 great measure, and their milk is of necessity 

 poor in quality. 



I saw Mr. Fay's stock two weeks since, and 

 found nearly all of them suffering more or less. 

 I assisted in giving copperas to eight of hia 



