94 ILLINOIS dairymen's association. 



when he first commenced keeping cows, for eight years he lost on the average 

 a cow a year, but later on he had kept his cows on a cool shady pasture in the 

 summer, when the grass was short, and in winter kept them on light feed, and 

 as soon as they came in gave them four to six quarts of flax seed with a little 

 saltpetre, and he had not lost a cow, and he kept from forty to fifty cows all 

 the time. I have tried it since and have not lost any. A neighbor of mine claims 

 he has saved two cows by giving saltpetre. 



Mr. Allen: My boys have had four cases of the kind, and never lost 

 either one of them, and our remedy has been hot water bags over the loins and 

 across the kidneys. It has relieved them in every case. 



Dr. Tefft: Years ago a man who was living on my farm lost quite a 

 number of cows, with what he called milk fever, and I examined those cows, 

 and it proved to be inflammation of the Peritoneum of the womb. The cow may 

 take on that disease before she calves. I suggested to this man to bleed his 

 cows before they came in. He did that, and even after he bled his fleshy cows, 

 those that were taking on food liberally, and he told me he never lost a cow 

 afterwards. 



Question. How much blood did you take, doctor? 



Answer. Well, at different times, different amounts. A common ordinary 

 bleeding would be a gallon. We bled only once or twice before coming in, 

 about a week before. 



Mr. Lawrence: The English paper I referred to said that bleeding was a 

 sure cure. 



Dr. Tefft: I do not think it is always, but I think it will relieve more, 

 and there will be less danger of it, if the cow is very fleshy. 



Question. Is there anything in the nature of saltpetre that will thin the 

 blood? 



Answer. We use saltpetre in fever. I would put more confidence in 

 epsom salts. 



The convention adjourned sine die, and thus closed one of the most interest- 

 ing conventions held in the State. 



Attest: R. P. McGLINCY, Secretary. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO VISIT SPRINGFIELD. 



At the request of the Illinois State Board of Agriculture, a Committee was 

 appointed by the State Dairymen's Association at their annual convention at 

 Belvidere in December last, to meet with the State Board at their January 

 meeting at Springfield. The Committee consisted of C. C. Buell, Lovejoy 

 Johnson and H. B. Gurler. Mr. Buell died December 30th, and Mr. L. M. 

 Potter, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association, was added to 

 the Committee. The Committee visited Springfield at the appointed time, and 

 were very cordially received by the Board of Agriculture. We found some of 

 the members quite sore from the lashing received from the agricultural papers, 

 for their action in admitting butterine at the Fat Stock and Dairy Show, at 

 Chicago, in November last ; but the worst hurt members worked hard in our 

 interest. Your Committee introduced the following resolutions : 



