Diseases  of  Cattle  and  Sheep. 
549 
In  many  parts  of  England  it  is  a common  practice  to  tie  up 
cattle  of  different  ages  in  the  houses,  during  the  winter,  that  are 
intended  for  depasturing  in  the  following  spring.  Where  there  is 
plenty  of  room,  good  ventilation,  and  cleanliness,  and  the  cattle 
not  too  suddenly  exposed  to  the  weather  when  turned  to  graze, 
there  is  not  very  much  to  object  to  the  practice  ; but,  generally 
speaking,  the  cattle  buildings  are  quite  inadequate  for  such  a 
purpose  ; they  are  frequently  in  a wretched  condition  ; there  is 
seldom  drainage  for  the  liquid  matters  below,  or  free  ventilation 
for  the  exit  of  foul  aerial  matters  above,  and  the  young  cattle  that 
are  secured  within  them  are  far  more  liable  to  disease  than  those 
exposed  to  the  inclemencies  of  winter’s  rains  and  snows. 
Such  a condition  of  things  may  do  for  fattening  beasts,  because 
in  such  a warm,  close  atmosphere,  the  respirations  are  but  little 
exercised,  and,  the  blood  being  but  imperfectly  decarbonised,  fat 
will  more  readily  accumulate.  But  a very  different  management 
is  required  in  the  rearing  of  stock  intended  for  breeding  or  for 
depasturing  in  the  summer.  Under  such  a state  of  affairs  the 
vital  processes  naturally  become  weakened,  without,  perhaps, 
disturbing  any  particular  organ ; and  on  the  cattle  being  turned 
from  their  warm  quarters  into  the  open  fields — oftentimes,  too, 
with  very  little  hair  on  their  backs  (for,  from  the  hot-house  system 
of  management  which  they  have  undergone,  they  are  prematurely 
preparing  to  put  on  their  summer  coats) — disease  is  induced  in 
various  ways.  The  sudden  transition  from  heat  to  cold  produces 
internal  congestions — of  the  liver  in  particular,  which  has  been 
stimulated  throughout  the  winter  with  highly  carbonised  blood, 
and  hence  diarrhoea  and  dysentery  are  a common  occurrence. 
Catarrh  is  also  produced  from  the  same  influences,  besides  incur- 
ring a predisposition  to  any  epizootic  influence  that  may  prevail. 
My  experience  during  a period  of  more  than  a quarter  of  a 
century  as  a veterinary  surgeon,  in  an  agricultural  district  in  the 
west  of  England,  enables  me  forcibly  to  contrast  the  methods  of 
wintering  store  cattle,  alluded  to  in  this  essay,  with  one  now'  fast 
gaining  ground  in  public  opinion, — that  of  keeping  them  in  small 
yards,  having  comfortable  roomy  sheds  attached,  where  they  are 
sorted  according  to  age,  and  supplied  with  a fair  allowance  of  roots, 
hay,  cake,  or  corn.  Supposing  the  summer’s  treatment  to  be  the 
same,  well-bred  beasts  managed  in  this  manner  are  commonly  tied 
up  to  fatten  at  about  two  years  old,  and  manufactured  into  good 
beef  at  two  and  a half  or  three  years  old  ; whilst  the  same  breed, 
ill  fed  in  calfhood,  and  subsequently  wintered  in  large  open  straw- 
yards,  or  in  close  ill- ventilated  cattle-houses,  and  fed  on  turnips 
and  straw'  chiefly,  will  generally  take  another  year’s  keep,  and  are 
then  only  fit  to  be  sold  in  store  order.  Thus,  leaving  the  liability 
to  disease  out  of  the  question,  proper  management,  which  implies 
