Abortion in Cows. 
479 
stance per vias naturales " to animals of the bovine tribe. The 
following is the outline of such an experiment : — " Purchase 
six in-calf cows in August, if possible served by the same bull, 
and due to calve in November or December. Tie them up in 
one shed, and feed them with normal grass for one or two 
weeks, accurately measuring the milk from eacli at every meal. 
Each cow to be provided with a tub, into which her eatables 
are placed, so that we may know if she consumes all that is 
provided for her. 
During this time they will probably have settled down and 
become accustomed to their residence and companions, and we 
shall have made ourselves acquainted with their normal state, 
and any peculiarities they may have. Doses of ergotised grass 
are now to be given to, say, Nos. 1, 3, and 5 ; Nos. 2, 4, and 6 
having during the whole period normal grass or hay, as far as 
can be ascertained. Nos. 1, 3, and 5 would have different 
doses administered at varying intervals ; but the quantity and 
frequency of the doses we should mainly determine as the ex- 
periment proceeded. We should get an approximate weight of 
the ergot consumed, by detaching the visible spurs from a 
certain number of the spikes or panicles, say twenty or fifty, 
and weighing them. A strict register to be kept of each dose, 
and the time of its administration. 
In the event of a cow or cows refusing to partake of all that 
is specially provided for her or them, it may be necessary to 
sprinkle it with meal or condiment, in which case the whole 
number would receive the same amount of meal or condiment, so 
as to prevent error as far as possible. If an experiment con- 
ducted on this principle succeeded, it would not only conclu- 
sively prove ergot (taken per vias naturales) to be capable of 
causing abortion in cows, but by allowing the animals aborting 
to remain with the others, infection and sympathetic influence 
would have an opportunity of asserting their power ; and as all 
would be under similar circumstances with respect to the bull 
and water, these agencies would to a certain extent be put on 
their trial. Such an experiment, carefully and accurately carried 
out, is urgently needed to demonstrate to farmers that this 
malady can be and is frequently brought on by other agencies 
than injuries, infection, or sympathy, and might eventually lead 
to the discovery of an antidote. 
But, thanks to our " Humane Vivisection Act," I have been 
gravely assured by those who know the law better than I do, 
that I could not perform this very simple experiment without 
getting a license for myself and premises, — to obtain which 
involves a great amount of trouble and annoyance, as all par- 
ticulars of the proposed experiment, the reasons for so doing. 
