100 THE COW 



born in apparently good condition and yet perish 

 rather promptly because of germs from a diseased 

 mother. Certain it is that from time to time in 

 our best cared-for herds, scours has proved a veri- 

 table scourge that .neither painstaking attention 

 nor the best veterinary skill has been able to arrest. 

 The specific 'disease is not to be confounded with 

 the chronic indigestion and diarrhea resulting 

 from improper feeding and which will ordinarily 

 be cured by removing the cause. 



Contagious abortion is without doubt the most 

 serious disease of dairy cattle in America. Not 

 only is there loss of production and frequent un- 

 thrift and barrenness as a sequel, but in addition 

 we have the loss of the offspring, which in the 

 pure-bred herd is the most serious aspect. Noth- 

 ing is more disheartening than to see calf after 

 calf bom prematurely until perhaps hardly one re- 

 mains. There is little doubt that it is an infectious 

 germ disease, but as for its control there is a feel- 

 ing of discouragement on the part of those who 

 have had the most experience. One fortunate fact 

 stands out, that, like many germ infections, it is 

 self-limiting and one attack confers at least partial 

 immunity against further ones. Probably it is safe 

 to say that few herds escape contagious abortion, 

 especially if there is some buying and selling of 

 cattle. When a herd has heretofore been free, the 

 initial attack is likely to be especially virulent. 

 Usually an aborting cow will retain the fetal 



