Abortion in Cows. 
455 
Farm 15. — Mr. I.'s. Mr, I. keeps 7 milch-cows. This case was taken 
on Jan. 8th, 1886, when ergot, if present, is not usually discernible. On 
April 12th, 1884, he brought from Mr. U., on whose farm abortion was said 
to be rife, three barren heifers, a cow newly calved, and a barren cow, that he 
thought afterwards (from external appearances) had cast her calf. To this 
last-mentioned animal Mr. I. attributed the blame of conveying infection to 
his herd, as in June one of his cows aborted, and between that date and 
April 1885 five or six more did so. All but two were out ; these two were 
not together, but in sheds with other in-calvers, which went their full time, 
though isolation was not practised. In both years, Mr. I. had some ewes 
which aborted, consequently the abortion in the ewes must have preceded 
that of the cows. Further allusion will be made to this case, with reference 
to the suspected source of infection on Farm 26. 
Total number, 6 or 7.* 
Farm 16. — Mr. P. N.'s. Mr. P. N. keeps 4 or 5 milch-cows. In April, 
1885, he purchased from the Mr. U. (mentioned in the previous case) three 
laying ofl-calvers ; these were turned out with a home-bred in-calver, and 
during the first week in May one of the purchased animals aborted. The 
other three were immediately sent to a distant pasture, and in June his 
home-bred animal aborted, the other two going their full time. Mr. P. N. 
had two more in-calvers in a pasture near home, but not that in which the 
first had aborted in May. In July one of them aborted, but was not removed 
from her companion, who went her full time and calved in October or 
November. 
On Jan. 25th, 1886, his only in-calver cast a living calf, about six weeks 
off the fvill term, the cow standing next to her having calved at full time 
two months previously. She had been fed with cake and hay from two 
stacks, and had an opportunity (when turned out to water) of partaking of a 
third sample of hay which had been purchased. 
I closely examined the first two samples of hay, but found no ergot, though 
there were many dark suspicious-looking spikes of rye from which ergot 
might have fallen. 
Further allusion will also be made to this case with reference to the sus- 
pected source of infection on Farm 26. 
Total number, 4.t 
Farm 17.- — Mr. J. F.'s. Mr. F. keeps 8 cows in-milk and some heifers. 
On Jan. 26th I was walking through his farm, and found a few ergotized 
grasses in a sheltered spot. I then made enquiries, and found that one of 
Mr. F.'s heifers had recently aborted. I called on him on the 28th. He 
informed me that he came to that farm in January 1880. In the following 
March a cow aborted, and two or three have done so each year since, gene- 
rally about six weeks off their full time. 
On January 10th, 1886, he observed two heifers due in March to he " spring- 
ing." On January 17th one aborted. The other had made a fair " bag " by 
Jan. 28th, and might abort at any time. We then looked over the pasture on 
which the cows were allowed to graze for an hour or so daily, and found a few 
specimens of ergot in sheltered spots ; we also closely examined the hay, but 
found nothing abnormal. I recommended him to keep the in-calvers up 
altogether, which he did, and no abortions have since taken place. The heifer 
which had made a fair bag remained in much the same state, and calved at 
* On August 30th, 1886, I examined the pastures in which the abortions had 
taken place and found ergot in them ; part of one liad been mown, and the hay 
was then being carted to the stack ; in this hay I found ergot still adhering to 
the spikes of rye-grass. 
t August 30th, I examined these pastures and found ergot in them. 
