80 



I cannot agree with him, because I have followed the 

 practice of feeding oil meal a great many years and 

 always feed it to a cow some time before calving. I 

 think it helps her along in many respects. 



Mr. Boyd : I was very much surprised when I read 

 that report from Prof. Stewart. It was the weakest 

 thing I ever heard him express. 



Mr. Gurler: The first case of abortion that I ever 

 had was from a cow getting to a stack of flax straw. 

 She got in at the tail of the machine and ate all she 

 wanted to, of the chaff. I very naturally presumed, 

 after that, that an excess of flaxseed would produce it; 

 but then, as Mr. Boyd says, I believe an excess of any 

 other kind of feed might have done the same thing. 



Mr. Heaps : There is probably no question that we 

 have to deal with, in handling stock — especially, in 

 breeding stock — that gives as much trouble as abortion, 

 or sterility, which is in most cases the same thing. 



The Chairman : We want to know, first, the cause of 

 it, and then the remedy. 



Mr. Heaps: Well, sir, the person that can tell you 

 that will be a Galileo. It is supposed that it is caused 

 by microbes. You may have one experience and it 

 may not recur, but very often others will have it in 

 your herd. In that case, it is what is called epizo- 

 otic abortion. Scientists claim that it is caused 

 by a germ or microbe that affects a ligament and 

 produces general action on the generative organs, 

 and abortion is the result. The general history of the 

 disease is, as Mr. Boyd says, you will have one case, 

 and in a very short time, without any notice or pre- 

 monition at all, you will have another, and so it will 

 spread from one to the other. Its effect is very pecul- 

 iar, the animal will evidently not be anticipating it, it 



