THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



181 



dant as in the horse, but it seems to be attended 

 by a greater loss of energy, and by some de- 

 gree of fever. It appears to vitiate the blood, 

 and it debases the quality and diminishes the 

 quantity of the milk — not more than half the 

 usual quantity being sometimes yielded, and 

 the loss in purity and richness being still 

 greater. Little butter can be obtained from 

 it, and that little has more the appearance and 

 flavor of hogs lard than butter. All this takes 

 place, too, in the very season when more and 

 better butter is expected than at any other. 

 The disease then soon runs into a kind of flux 

 similar to the scours in the horse, and into that 

 species of overflow of gall known as the yellow 

 loater, which generally terminates in death. 



All these are generally accounted for, by 

 heat of the weather, want of rain, too much 

 rain, bad air, presence of the dog star, or 

 changes of the moon, &c. &c. &c. We will 

 venture to say, that in nearly every case of 

 these diseases, if examination be made, it will 

 be found beginning with a slabbering which 

 had not been duly attended to. Yet the slab- 

 bers are easily checked, and their evil conse- 

 quences avoided, at almost any period of the 

 disease, before the scours have set in. One or 

 two feeds of bran will frequently give relief; 

 and even the worse cases may be cured by 

 putting the animal in the stable, feeding wholly 

 on dry food, and entirely shutting up from pas- 

 turage. In some parts of the country the la- 

 boring horses are shut up the whole of the 

 slabber season, to avoid the effects of the dis- 

 ease. Wheat bran and dry fodder seem to be 

 the most certain and effectual of all remedies 

 for it. As we before said, in the disease itself 

 there is nothing very serious, further than the 

 weakening of the horse's strength, and dimi- 

 nution of the cow's milk for the time being. 

 Its real injuries are in the diseases which it 

 brings on, and a great loss results from it, be- 

 cause of the notion people have of its trifling 

 character. 



As to what causes the slabbers there is 

 much difference of opinion. Some think it is 

 caused by the Canada thistle ; some attribute 

 it to the lobelia, and some to the spur found on 

 wire grass. Some believe it to be caused by 

 the spider webs found on the grass and weeds 



in great plenty at this season of the year. 

 Many more think that the second growth of 

 clover, called Rowen, is the cause; and we 

 ourselves have observed many cases of the 

 slabbers in horses which have made a meal 

 of this grass. All agree, however, that the 

 cause is to be sought for in the pasturage of 

 the animal; that it is some species of grass 

 which he finds when allowed to go at large. 

 We have lately received a pamphlet which 

 names an herb different from any which we 

 recollect to have seen brought forward as a' 

 cause. The author, a Mr. John Forman, of 

 Western New York, states that after long and 

 careful observation, he is convinced that the 

 disease is produced by a plant known among 

 botanists as the Digitaria Sanguinalis, and 

 which being without a common name, he 

 christens the "slabber grass." It is a species 

 of the grass which dogs eat when sick for the 

 purpose of procuring a vomit, and according 

 to Mr. Forman, this very species is sometimes 

 used by them. It will sometimes rise from 

 three to thirty inches in height; but when it 

 has full scope, will branch out on the ground 

 in every direction like garden pursley. The 

 leaf is stoutly coated with fuze, almost beardy. 



This grass has been observed to be most 

 plentiful on pastures from which a crop of 

 clover has been taken; and this may account 

 for the fact that horses are so frequently at- 

 tacked with the slabbers after pasturing on 

 the rowen. It is very injurious to other ani- 

 mals besides the horse and cow. Upon geese, 

 according to Mr. Forman, it acts as a power- ( 

 ful poison and speedily "scours them out of 

 the world," to use his phrase. The hog can- 

 not be prevailed on to touch it. 



To destroy this grass it is only necessary to 

 keep the ground heavily covered with herds- 

 grass, or anything else that will furnish a thick 

 and strong sward. Like Indian corn it will 

 not flourish in the shade, and by herdsgrass 3 

 &c, it is easily smothered. 



SCAB IN SHEEP. 



Sheep, as soon as possible after shear- 

 ing", should be let roam at large on newly 

 burnt woodland, It is an almost certain 



