BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



251 



legs were then swelling above the knees. One that had been affected 

 without losing hoofs and had apparently rceovered, was taken down a 

 second time. Many people said their feet were frozen, but the owner 

 says they have now changed their minds. He had looked carefully in 

 their mouths for sores but had found none. 



This was undoubtedly ergotism, and was so diagnosed by Dr. Germer, 

 the health officer of Erie, Pa., after the Kansas disease had been attrib- 

 uted to this cause. 



In recent years several epizootics of ergotism have also been observed 

 in New York by Professor Law, in Iowa by Professor Stalker, and in 

 Colorado by Professor Favillej and it seems probable that when our 

 veterinarians learn to recognize this disease and to refer it to its proper 

 origin, we shall find that it is not an uncommon affection of cattle. 



TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF ERGOTISM, 



When the first signs of this disorder appear the most important point 

 to be attended to is to make a complete change of food, and to see that 

 this is of good quality, nutritious, and free from ergot. It would also be 

 proper to give a dose of physic (from one to two pounds of Epsom salts), 

 in order to remove as much as possible of the poison still contained in 

 the digestive organs, and to follow this with soft food, as mashes and 

 roots. In the most severe cases, those in which a part of the limb is al- 

 ready lifeless, treatment will avail but little. The greater number of 

 cases, however, have not advanced to this stage when lameness is first 

 noticed, and these will be greatly benefited by removing the cause, and 

 placing the animal under conditions favorable for resisting the poison. 

 A very important condition is warmth. Even when animals are fed 

 large quantities of ergot they seldom suffer except in cold weather; and 

 consequently in attempting to check the advance of the disease, advan- 

 tage should be taken of this tact by placing the cattle in warm sheds. 



Another condition believed by some to have much influence on the de- 

 velopment of ergotism is the water supply. With plenty of water al- 

 ways at hand it is believed that larger quantities of ergot may be taken 

 for a longer time than when the water supply is deficient. In the cold win- 

 ters which occur over much of our cattle-raising country, it is difficult 

 to induce the animals to take a sufficient amount of water. Holes cut 

 through the ice soon freeze over, and the weather is frequently so severe 

 that the cattle will drink only a few swallows of water before they will 

 leavetoseek a shelterfrom the cutting winds, and when, later in the day, 

 they try to obtain more water, the drinking holes are frozen over. 

 Where ergotism prevails the watering should receive close attention. 



Ergotism can probably be entirely prevented by cutting the hay be- 

 fore the seeds have formed. Both in Missouri and Illinois I saw the 

 clearest examples of this. Hay composed of the same kinds of grass, 

 cut upon the same land, was free from ergot or largely infested with it, 

 according as it had been cut green or ripe. This mat ter is worthy of care- 

 ful consideration. Hay cut green is more digestible and in every way 

 more valuable than that which is allowed to become ripe and woody; 

 and the latter is much more liable to produce severe disease, such as in- 

 digestion, impaction, and ergotism. 



This fatal disorder may, therefore, be prevented in the future by 

 proper and careful management; the chief points in this being to cut the 

 hay before the seeds have formed, to see that the animals have a suffi- 

 cient quantity of drinking water, to keep them in good condition by 

 the liberal use of nutritious food, and to protect them as much as possi- 



