Abortion in Cows. 
453 
cow had been knocked down by another whilst going to drink, and had rolled 
down a steep bank a short time before casting her calf. The other three 
occurred whilst the cows were out. Ergot was present in the pastures. 
Isolation not practised, the remaining cows going their full time. 
Total number, 4. 
Farm 9. — Mr. T. D.'s. Usual number of cows kept, 8. This is the 
first instance in my investigations in which the first of a herd afi"ected was 
known to be exposed to a possible source of infection. In October 1877 or 
1878, within a few days of their breaking a fence and getting to a neighbour's 
cows, one of Mr. T. D.'s aborted ; they were taken up in the latter part of 
the month, and from that time until spring all his remaining cows aborted 
from half time up to within six weeks of full time. In the following summer, 
all his heifers did likewise. He attempted to breed from all during the 
following winter, and, without an exception, they again aborted, mostly at 
an earlier period, from three to four months. He then fed them, and has 
continued that practice in all subsequent cases. He mentioned a symptom 
which came on whilst fattening that has not beea noticed by my other 
informants, viz., the joints, especially knees, became enlarged, rendering 
them lame, and sometimes necessitating their being carted to the butchers. 
Isolation was practised in the early part of the outbreak. For the past six 
years he has had odd cases at intervals, generally two or three in each year, 
which have not been isolated. The last case was in March or April, 1885, 
when four in-calvers were in one shed ; one aborted, her three companions 
going their full time in close proximity to the one affected. These cows 
were served by a neighbour's bulls. He keeps two, which serve all the cows 
in the township, and has himself only had an occasional case of abortion ; 
and his other patrons, as far as is known, have been free from this affection. 
I found an abundance of ergot in Mr. T. D.'s pastures, especially Moore-field, 
which was sown down eight or nine years ago, and has been mown twice since. 
Two prematurely-bom calves, from the same cow (not twins), grew up ; 
they were small and delicate, unfit to breed from. 
Total number 25 to 30. 
Farm 10.— Col. S.'s. In the winter 1883-84 he had at this farm 10 in- 
calvers. In March one aborted at about half time. In April a second did 
so ; the remainder, however, went full time. 
In the winter 1884r-85 he had four in-calvers. Id March one aborted, and 
another in April, their two companions going full time. 
Isolation was not practised in either instance. Straw was mostly given as 
long as it lasted, afterwards hay. In one, if not both years, the hay also ran 
short ; it was then supplied from a farm on which milch-cows were not kept. 
Total number, 4. 
Farm. 11. — Mr. J. H.'s. This case might have been noticed with, or 
preceded No. 10, as both occurred on the same farm. Mr. J. H., after an 
occupancy of nineteen years, left it in 1882. During his tenancy he had 
about six cows abort at intervals ; they were not separated from the rest, but 
nothing approaching an epidemic ever occurred ; he is quite sure that no 
two cases happened in close succession. 
This is the farm into which Mr. T. D.'s (Farm 9) cows strayel, and from 
whence he attributed the source of infection to his cows ! 
Mr. H. does not remember the circumstance, consequently he is unable to 
say whether one of his cows had recently aborted or not about that time. 
The bulls used were the same as No. 9. 
Total number, 6. 
Farm 12. — Mr. J. S. keeps 14 cows, 4 in one shed, the fame number in a 
second, and 6 in a third. 
