446 
Abortion in Cows. 
Plan of Me. B.'s Shed, taken January 9, 1886. 
Calved at 
full time 
in Nov. 
1885. 
8. 
C.ilved at 
full 
time, 
in Nov. 
1885. 
Due in 
May. 
Calved 
at full 
time. 
Geld. 
Due in 
April. 
Calved 
at full 
time. 
Due in 
April. 
Calved 
at full 
time. 
Due in 
Jan. 
Calved 
at fuU 
time, 
Jan. 27. 
Cow fatten- 
ing. 
Aborted 
at about 
half time, 
Dec. 12, 
1885, 
probably 
from in- 
jury. Had 
not been 
out for 2 
months. 
Not re- 
moved. 
Farm 3. — Mr. R. B., in 1883, kept about 26 milch cows, and dealt in them. 
He is now reducing his stock, from the heavy loss sustained by this affection 
and the low price of milk. 
He took his cows up in the middle of Oct. 1883, and fed them on oat-straw 
and other food till Dec, when his straw ran short ; and as he did not want to 
thresh just then, he substituted hay for it. In the course of about ten days 
after this change three cows aborted in one shed, two of them standing next 
each other, six in-calvers (which all went their full time) being between them 
and the third. 
He then threshed and gave straw ; whilst consuming it no further abortion 
took place. On again using hay, the abortions recommenced ; two cases taking 
place in a second shed, two cows being between them, and another aborting 
in a third shed. 
Mr. B. thinks tliese intermissions, in conjunction with the administration 
of straw, took place on three occasions. He was not intentionally trying an 
experiment, as he then had no doubt the malady was infectious, and thus he 
did not notice the coincidence at the time. That his memory is likely to be 
correct may be inferred from the fact that between Dec. 1883 and June 1884, 
he had thirty cows abort. A labourer's cow which grazed with these in 
1883 and 1884, but was housed at home (consequently not partaking of the 
same hay) went her full time. 
Isolation was attempted at first, but became impracticable later on. The 
cows were served by two bulls, botli belonging to Mr. B., each of which had 
some cows abort, and some go their full time. In Nov. 1883, I bought 
from Mr. B. six supix)sed in-calf heifers served by the j'ounger Isull ; one 
turned out barren, the remaining five brought forth full-timed healthy calves 
in the spring. 
From June 1884 to Feb. 1885, all or nearly all Mr. B.'s cows went their 
full time ; in the latter month si.v. in-calvers were in one shed, one aborted 
and was 7wt removed, the other five going their full time. So far as is re- 
membered no further loss was sustained from this cause till Sept., when a 
cow which had previously aborted, again did so whilst out at grass. 
Six or seven years since, 28 acres were sown down to permanent jjasture, 
which has been annually mown and converted into liay up to 1884, since 
then jiart of it has been jiastured, in which last autumn I found ergot. These 
seed fields were allowed to stand till the rest of the haymaking was com- 
pleted, with the idea of allowing the seeds to ripen and drop ou the ground. 
It was this late-made hay ou which the animals were fed, alternately with 
straw, in the winter of 1883-4, when the abortions commeuced and inter- 
