DISEASES AND REMEDIES. 465 



head from the body, pushing the latter back to obtain hold of the 

 knees. The loose skin must be previously wrapped over the 

 ragged bone, and an assistant should have fast hold, in order to 

 guide it clear of the haunch-bone of the cow; should it bitch 

 there, pull back instanlly. No. 7. If one hind leg appear, put 

 it back; the calf cannot be brought forth with a hinder and fore 

 leg together, and the difference between the knee and hough 

 will be immediately discovered. The head being doubled back, 

 must of course be reduced to its proper place. The cow being 

 strong and quiet, the business may be effected with care and 

 patience: and should the hook be positively necessary, hold 

 must be taken, either in the sockets of the eyes, cavity of the 

 ears, or in the jaw. The case of dropsy in the calf will be suf- 

 ficiently apparent by its preternatural size ; use the knife care- 

 fully, should that be necessary, to pierce the belly of the calf" 



A recent author observes : " When every other plan has failed 

 for turning the calf, so as to put it into a favorable position foi- 

 delivery, the following has often succeeded. Let the cow be 

 thrown down, in a proper situation, and placed on her back ; 

 then, by means of a rope and pully attached to a beam above, 

 let the hind parts be raised up, so as to be considerably higher 

 than the fore parts; in this position, the calf may be easily put 

 back towards the bottom of the uterus, so as to admit of being 

 turned, or his head and fore legs brought forward without diffi- 

 culty." 



A very material obstruction frequently occurs to the calving 

 of cows, which is called a horning of the lye or calf-bed, when 

 the passage of it is contracted into such a very small circumfer- 

 ence, as not to admit the smallest hand at the period of gesta- 

 tion, and grows so sinewy or horned, as renders it quite impossi- 

 ble for the cow to calve without assistance ; many cattle have 

 perished on account of this dangerous inconvenience which 

 might have easily been prevented. But so little has been hith- 

 erto known of many of the diseases peculiar to cattle, that a 

 simple remedy or operation might have saved very great num- 

 bers which might have fallen victims to an untimely death. 



In the case before observed, a late writer remarks: "It must 



take a considerable time before it is contracted as it is often found ; 



but no suspicion or dread can reasonably take place, until near 



the time when the beast has arrived at the end of nine months, 



20* 



