ANOMALIES OF LACTATION. 429 



If there is any afFectiou of the intestinal canal, or of the blood, 

 etc., it must be combated by an appropriate treatment. 



3. Pat Milk. 



This anomaly is observed in ewes which are subjected to an in- 

 tensive regimen or an alimentation rich in leguminous plants; it 

 may also appear during the ratting period of the female. 



In lambs the ingestion of fat milk produces gastro-intestinal 

 catarrh, diarrhea, etc. We remedy this accident by subjecting the 

 mothers to a cooling diet and exercising them as much as possi- 

 ble. We must especially avoid giving them foods which contain 

 too much nitrogen. 



4. Curdled Milk. 



A too rapid coagulation of the milk, also called caseification, con- 

 stitutes one of the most frequent alterations of cow's milk ; it is also 

 observed in the goat. 



Etiology. Its principal causes are : diseases of the digestive 

 apparatus, acid food (malts), affections of the udder and particularly 

 mastitis, hyperemia, and tumefaction of these organs in advanced 

 gestation, nymphomania, overheating of the body by work. Some- 

 times it is the result of external influences : great heat, very great 

 electric tension of the atmosphere during thunder-storms, damp 

 stables, uncleanliness of the mangers. 



According to Fleischmann, it is sometimes determined by the con- 

 sumption of rusty grain. 



Characters. Milk may begin to curdle a few hours after it is 

 drawn, but coagulation happens especially when it is undergoing 

 the boiling process. Milk which is drawn in the evening has 

 more tendency to curdle than that of the morning's milking. Its 

 acidity is very slightly evident (hence the name of sweet curdled 

 milk). The cream forms but a very thin covering, and it is hard 

 to make butter with it. In mastitis, the milk contains flaky clots 

 as it leaves the udder. 



Treatment. This is subordinate to the cause. A regulated ven- 

 tilation, a mild and uniform temperature of the stable, are positively 

 necessary ; we should also look to the absolute cleanliness of the 

 dairy utensils. Refrigerant apparatus must be recommended, and 

 some alkaline may be added to the milk (a pinch of bicarbonate of 

 soda or 0.25 gramme of salicylic acid per litre of milk). The in- 



