456 FARM ANIMALS 
reverse, observation and experience ought also to tell him 
when his animals are in good health or when they lack 
thrift or are sick and need treatment. He recognizes 
smut when it attacks his wheat or oats; so colic, too, 
ought to be recognized when it attacks his horse. He 
recognizes the common ailments of the peach and apple 
and he should learn to recognize the common ailments 
of the cow and the pig. If ill health and lack of thrift, 
and the causes that induce them, are given the attention 
they deserve, much of the worry and trouble arising from 
disease will be avoided. 
15. Avoiding danger.—Great loss of live stock annu- 
ally occurs because infected animals are not quarantined. 
This explains why a disease may become epidemic. As 
soon as a disturbance from the normal is indicated, that 
animal should be separated from the rest of the flock or 
herd; in case a serious illness develops, exposure of the 
entire herd will then be less likely. If the disease is con- 
tagious, the wisdom of this action will be readily under- 
stood. Quarantine quarters need not be expensive, and 
they ought to be far enough removed from the healthy 
stock to render infection impossible. When new animals 
are added to a flock or herd, they should first be put in 
quarantine quarters and kept there long enough to deter- 
mine if anything strange or unusual is developing. Such 
precaution is the surest way to avoid the danger of intro- 
ducing a troublesome disease. 
