Abortion in, Qowx. 195 



crease in the feed of the cows, whose arteries are conse- 

 quently engorged, and their udders similarly filled and en- 

 gorged with milk formed from a sudden increase in the 

 quantity of artery blood supplied to the milk glands. 



There can, we believe, be no just cause to doubt that 

 milking pregnant cows too late is antagonistic to their 

 breeding power ; that yielding much milk during preg- 

 nancy tends to dwarf embryo growth ; nor that special 

 dairy cows — which yield 70 per cent of milk above the 

 average or ordinary yield in the dairy districts of New 

 York, and other dairy sections — must, some of them, fail 

 to breed, and others breed only small calves; and, in fact, 

 only small calves are bred by many cheese-dairy cows, 

 numbers of which have their udder-supply arteries relaxed 

 to a greater or less extent, the natural extent of blood 

 nutriment to the embryo being consequently reduced, so 

 reducing the rate and extent of growth, and the size of 

 the calves. 



These introductory and other remarks are made chiefly 

 to point out a few leading facts and characteristics of 

 abortion-extraordinary in milk cows, to acknowledge the 

 mode and research by which the facts were ascertained 

 and established, and to show the consequent certainty of 

 the facts stated. And we believe our conclusions will be 

 found to be equally certain. 



After careful study of the striking and peculiar facts al- 

 ready noticed, as fully established by the manifold, long- 

 continued, extended, and careful researches of the New 

 York commission ;* and examining numbers of cows, and 

 various herds in Wisconsin, as opportunity offered through 

 a period of seven years, and several years devoted to nec- 

 essary study and other research, we became convinced 



* The investigation extended over tlie tliree seasons of 1861-08-09. See 

 iiei)orts of Drs. Dalton and Carmalt, publislied in 1868 and 1.^09, by the Xuw 

 York State Agricultural .Soeicty, for copiets of which we are indebted to the 

 Ivindneas of Mr. X. A. ^^'illard, of Ilerliinier county, in tliat State. 



