458 Transactions of the American Institute. 



bable that they need forage for distention ; their present food is too 

 concentrated. 



Dr. Isaac P. Trimble — Cattle will eat these earthy and other 

 matters, no matter how much they are distended. The fact is, that 

 this perverted appetite generally occurs in cattle that are fat and well 

 cared for. 



Mr. Hauser — The same trouble is had in Europe with sheep eating 

 their wool. No one knows the cause, and numerous agricultural 

 committees have failed to find any reason for it. These sheep are 

 kept in good stables, and are in good condition. The very fine herds 

 of Silesia all act thus, and every remedy has been tried to correct it 

 without effect. Hunger is not the cause. 



Mr. John Crane — This is simply a perverted appetite, common to 

 human beings as well as wild and domestic animals. It is not from 

 any want of food. I have seen hogs eat gravel when they had plenty 

 of corn in reach of them. 



Mr. Henry Stewart — The trouble is caused by indigestion. This 

 leads to a depraved appetite, which craves something which the 

 animal cannot procure, and it devours anything which comes in its 

 way. We see this same thing occur among all animals ; even the 

 human race are subject to the same peculiarity. We see them eat 

 clay, and girls often eat slate-pencils. Among domestic animals the 

 horse very often eats its litter ; cows eat similar filth, and hogs eat 

 wood, earth and various other substances. Under such circumstances 

 a tonic needs to be administered, and a dose of muriate of iron, or a 

 little copperas and ginger given with the.food often results in a cure. 

 Sometimes a habit which amounts to a vice becomes fixed on the 

 animal, which is known as foul feeding, and is difficult to eradicate. 



Mr. Harris Lewis, Herkimer county, 1ST. Y. — When cows chew 

 bones they lack bone-forming material in their food. Whenever 

 lands become exhausted of lime to such a degree that cows chew bones, 

 no time should be lost in feeding bone-meal. Feed it as you would 

 salt ; the cows will eat only so much as they desire. If Mr. Ames 

 could afford the outlay and sow 200 pounds of bone-dust per acre on 

 his grass lands his cows would not chew bones again for a lifetime ; 

 or if his soil is a sandy or gravelly loam, he can correct the evil by 

 sowing gypsum (sulphate of lime) at the rate of 100 pounds per acre 

 annually. 



A Teocar for Cattle. 



Mr. Hauser — As the subject of distention has been alluded to I will 

 take this opportunity of bringing to the notice of the Club the tool I 



