232 ILLINOIS DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



matter, and said if people had abortion in their herds, to get 

 rid of the herds, because it was an incurable disease. We have 

 all found that it was not an incurable disease. It can be stamped 

 out. But the ordinary help on the farm is not going to stamp 

 it out. 



The greatest cause of its getting into your herd is through 

 your bull. The farming out of your bull to your neighbors is 

 one of the greatest sources. And using the bull without disin- 

 fecting from one animal to another is the way it stakes through 

 the herd, as a general rule. And the only thing we can do is to 

 thoroughly disinfect the cow before service, and the bull as 

 well, and thoroughly disinfecting the barn as much as once a 

 week, anyway. In cases where I have taken charge of these 

 herds, I have used a compressed air spraying machine, a gallon 

 spray or three gallons, as the case may be, and use carbolic acid 

 or creolin. I like creolin the best. And spray those animals, at 

 least once a week, thoroughly. And usually continue it as long 

 as there is any danger. It is a good thing to do that all the 

 time; that is, make a practice of doing that not less than once 

 a month ; and spray your barn, and stalls, and cows. 



A Delegate: — How would you go about it, with a cow? 

 Would you inject her? 



Mr. Cobb: — Yes, sir, we do. Take about a two per cent 

 solution of creolin. That is not as irritating as carbolic acid. 

 And there are a good many people that are feeding carbolic acid. 

 I have never done that, because I never had occasion to, because 

 I have always checked the disease by these protective methods. 



Mr. Glover: — I might supplement what he has said in 

 regard to abortion. When you have abortion in your herd, you 

 have a serious matter to contend with. But I might say there 

 are three kinds of abortion. The first is contagious abortion, 

 which undoubtedly is caused by a germ -getting into the herd. 

 Second, we call sympathetic abortion. One animal sees another 

 cow abort, and she goes and does likewise. Apparently there 

 is something to that. And then cows abort by becoming hurt 



