Abortion in Cows. 
where cases have already taken place in a herd, removal from 
ergotised pastures or withdrawal of hay so affected, have in all 
cases, where it has been effectually carried out, proved successful. 
I would strongly urge every farmer, in the event of his having 
one or more animals (whether cows, sheep, or others) abort, 
carefully to examine all the articles of provender of which they 
are now or have lately been partaking. 
If such cases take place from September to December, whilst 
the animals are out, and are caused by ergot, such should 
readily be discovered in the pastures.* When seeking for this 
article, first direct your attention to the sheltered places, under 
trees, hedges, »Scc., especially the north side of such (that is, the 
south side of the field) ; if not found there, go conscientiously 
over the whole pasture, I give this advice from experience, as 
in one instance I failed to fin<l it in its usual habitat ; but when 
returning, I discovered a plentiful supply in the centre of the 
field. The explanation of which is, that the whole field was 
stiff clay, but the borders were so wet that nothing but bull- 
fronts or tufted hair-grass {^Aira cxspitosa) grew there, and 
though Prof. Fream and others have found ergot on that coarse 
grass, I have not.f 
In the remaining months it is not easy, under ordinary cir- 
cumstances, to discern it in fields ; nothing but a minute and 
persevering search on hands and knees can be successful, as it 
has then left its host and is among the short grass. I own that 
1 have never been sufficiently enthusiastic to practise the latter 
procedure. 
If ergot should be found in a pasture, I would advise the 
farmer, first of all, to mark the portions of the field where it 
* A word of ■warning; may be useful in similar circumstances to the following, 
which have occurred to myself. Animals have aborted in certain pastures during 
spring and summer, seasons when ergot is not discernible, if present ; in such 
cases, if ergot be tlie cause, we should naturally expect to see it growing freely 
in such pastures in tlie following autumn. As a rule, I think it will be so 
found, but not always. Take the past season, for example ; in this neighbour- 
hood we had little or no rain from the commencement of June till the middle of 
July, the first fortnight of the latter month being intensely warm. As a conse- 
quence, the pastures were eaten verij bare, and probably man}- of last year's ergots 
which had fallen to the ground were eaten with the grass. When the rain came, 
there were fewer ergots to germinate than usual, and many of those that ger- 
minated might have failed to propagate their species from the absence of suitable 
hosts, namely, grasses in flower. I have visited many pastures where ergot was 
growing abundantly at this season last year, and now it is difficult to find a speci- 
men, there being scarcely a grass in seed to be found in them, except crested dog's- 
tail (C;iiwsuriis crisfatus), on which I have not yet found ergot. Uniler such cir- 
cumstances, if we find but a small quantity of this fungus present in itself insuffi- 
cient to be injurious to animals, especially if that small quantity be found in 
v.irious parts of the field, we may, I think, conclu'le that it is highly probable it 
was present in greater abundance the previous year. 
t I have, since writing the above, found ergot in Aira cxapitosa. 
