542 
Diseases  of  Cattle  and  Sheep. 
whether  they  shall  "row  up  healthy  profitable  stock,  or  become 
unthrifty  or  weakly,  and  prove  a loss  to  both  breeders  and 
feeders. 
Both  science  and  practice  have  established  the  fact,  that  a proper 
supply  of  food,  and  warmth,  and  air,  is  necessary  for  the  rearing 
of  healthy  animals ; but  in  each  of  these  particulars  the  greatest 
carelessness  or  errors  in  management  frequently  prevail.  The 
principal  points  laid  down  by  this  Society  as  the  base  of  this 
essay  have  especial  reference  to  two  of  these  agents  as  extrinsic 
causes  of  disease  amongst  cattle  and  sheep  ; and  a knowledge  of 
their  influences  not  only  constitutes  an  essential  branch  of  physio- 
logy, but  is  replete  with  practical  pathological  examples,  cf  vital 
importance  and  universal  application  to  the  agriculturist. 
In  the  order  necessary  to  he  followed,  agreeably  to  the  precept 
laid  down  by  the  Society,  the  effect  of  insufficient  food  is  to  be 
considered  at  different  periods  of  growth — a very  proper  arrange- 
ment, as  the  several  changes  in  organization,  as  well  as  in  ex- 
ternal circumstances,  which  cattle  and  sheep  undergo,  even  in 
their  comparatively  short  lives,  may  be  expected  to  he  attended 
with  corresponding  tendencies  to  disease.  In  compliance  with 
this  regulation,  the  diseases  of  calves  and  lambs  will  first  come 
under  consideration,  afterwards  yearlings  and  hog  sheep , followed 
by  older  cattle , milch  cows,  and  breeding  ewes,  <Scc. 
1.  Insufficient  food  at  different  periods  of  growth. 
— Most  of  the  diseases  of  calves  have  reference  to  the  organs  of 
digestion  and  assimilation,  and  arise  from  derangement  of  the 
functions  of  the  stomach  and  bowels. 
Imperfect  nourishment  quickly  embarrasses  the  digestive  func- 
tions, producing  loss  of  tone  in  these  organs.  Thus  constipation 
is  a very  common  complaint  incidental  to  calves  fed  on  skim 
milk.  In  these  cases  there  is  a quantity  of  hardened  curd  accu- 
mulated in  the  stomach — and  there  appears  a want  of  power  in 
the  intestines  of  propelling  their  contents.  This  causes  irritation, 
pain,  swelling  of  the  abdomen,  inflammation,  and  generally  death. 
Those  who  feed  their  calves  in  confined  pens,  or  cold  dirty 
out-houses,  with  little  other  nourishment  than  skim  milk,  are  but 
too  well  acquainted  with  this  highly  dangerous  disease  ; and  they 
should  understand  that  the  vigour  of  the  digestive  functions  can- 
not be  maintained  with  such  mismanagement;  for  although  it 
may  succeed  with  strong  healthy  calves,  it  induces  disease  in 
those  whose  constitutions  are  differently  constituted. 
This  disease  should  not  be  confounded  with  another — that  of 
the  rumen — which  is  occasionally  produced  in  calves  that  are 
taken  from  the  cow  immediately  at  birth,  and  taught  to  drink 
milk  from  the  pail,  which  they  very  readily  learn  to  do,  and 
