March 1 , 1898 .] 
Sup])lement to the “ Tropical Agriculturist" 
659 
manipulated, and tlie opening is by this means 
effectually prevented from healing. Little or 
nothing can be done while the cow remains in 
milk, but the repair of such an injury is not 
beyond the skill of the surgeon after she has been 
dried off. Occasionally, however, interference 
witli a fistulous opening will cause inflammation 
of the lining membrane of the duct, which may 
lead to its thickening or occlusion, and as it is 
better to have two holes in a teat than none at all, 
it should be seriously considered whether the 
benefit likely to result is worth the risk. 
Occlusion of the duct and obstructions in the pas- 
sage are by no means rare. For cases of stricture 
or thickening, occurring as a complication of mam- 
mitis or resulting from inflammation of the lining 
membrane of the duct set up as suggested above, 
there is nothing that can be done to give relief 
except the frequent passage of probes or syphons 
of gradually increasing size. 
Obstructions to the free flow of milk, other than 
stricture, consist either of small growths attached 
to the lining membrane or of lacteal calculi or 
milk-stones. Small tumours attached by pedicles 
to the membrane may be felt to block the passage 
as the teat is manipulated with the hand. They 
are difficult of removal ; in fact, it can only be 
accomplished with a specially designed instru- 
ment. Masses of curdled milk or lacteal calculi, 
to be felt as nodules along the course of the duct, 
can sometimes be extracted, but the usual plan is 
to push them back into the galactophorous 
sinuses, where they sometimes remain. A quill, 
or wing-feather of some bird, is generally the 
rough substitute for a probe employed, but in 
every place where cows are kept, proper silver- 
plated teat tubes or milk-syphons should be kept 
for use as required. As all impedimenta to the 
free flow of milk tend to cause mammitis, garget 
or i ndurated udders, from retention of the milk, 
every care should be taken to overcome obstruc- 
tions, and that all the milk is obtained in spite of 
the difficulty or the longer time occupied in strip- 
ping the udder. 
Relaxation is a teat trouble of a different order 
to those we have been considering, since in this 
case a free flow takes place resulting in more or 
less loss of milk. The original cause is generally 
over-distension, giving rise to a weakness of the 
sphincter or ring-like muscle by which the milk is 
normally retained, but in some cases there may be 
a natural weakness. The milk either drips away 
as the cow stands, or squirts out in a forcible 
stream as the animal moves, and the distended 
bag is pressed by the thighs. Narrow-built 
animals with well-developed udders waste most 
when the sphincters are weak, but as a rule the 
loss is less than is supposed, since a little milk, 
like a little blood, makes a much bigger show on 
the ground than it does in a pail. There is 
nothing can be done in these cases but to replace 
the w’eukened muscle by an artificial sphincter in 
the shape of a rubber ring, designed to fit with 
sufficient accuracy to close the passage but not to 
strangulate the teat. Here lies the difficulty, 
since if the ting does not compress the teat tight 
enough to close the duct it is useless, while if if. is 
tight enough to cause constriction it will cut into 
the teat substance and cause soreness, or by inter- 
fering with the blood-supply cause it to atrophy 
just as we cut off a wart by ligature. The best 
way out of the difficulty is to set the cow that 
wastes her milk to rear calves, who will see that 
the udder does not become over-distended, and 
when she is too stale for this business, to dry 
her off, and fatten her out. — M.R.C.V.S. in Mark 
Lane Express Almanac. 
GENERAL ITEMS. 
According to Mr. McJanet’s well-known tables, 
the live weight of cattle is to the deadweight as 
7 is to 4, or the deadweight is f of the live 
weight. Thus the carcase of an annimal when 
live weight is 7 cwt. with weight 4 cwt. 
The Australian Tropiculturist for January pub- 
lishes the 4th prize essay on the slaughter of 
cattle. We have already reprinted one of the most 
instructive of these essays, and do not therefore 
consider it necessary to reproduce the latest one in 
extenso, though the subject is of local interest. 
Tile writer of the pre-ent paper (J. Lindsay) 
mentions that the old theory of starving cattle 
for longer or shorter periods before killing, is now 
quite exploded, and all practical men agree that 
tile better the animal is treated in the matter of 
rest, food and water, the more wholesome will be 
the meat. For oxen, the writer considers the 
pole-axe the most efficient and humane means of 
slaughter, far preferable to “Greener’s” system. 
The most humane method of killing calves is 
said to be by stunning them with a mallet and 
then inserting a small knife at the back of the neck 
and severing the spinal cord, thus destroying, 
all sense of feeling ; the head, being immediately 
severed, is preserved in good and saleable condi- 
stion. The practice of bleeding calves is nearly 
or quite discarded, as it is now generally held 
that the colour of the flesh depends entirely on 
the feeding. In slaughtering sheep the best is 
t he method in vogue of inserting a sharp-pointed 
knife just behind the jawbone and quickly sever- 
ing the spinal cord. 
Pea-nuts or ground-nuts are now recom- 
mended as a cure for consumption. The Journal 
of Hygiene states that Dr. Brewer’s treatment of 
consumptives consists of inhaling the fumes of 
vinegar and the eating of pea-nuts. He gives his 
patients as many pea-nuts as they can eat 
without injuring their digestive organs. Two 
young ladies, who had been the rounds of the 
doctors and taken cod-liver oil and tonics till they 
were nearly dead, were put on his treatment and 
recovered. Concerning these cases Dr. Brewer 
says; — “I now commenced feeding pea-nuts. One 
would think this a very indigestive diet, but 
they craved them, and it has always been my 
policy to find out what my patients desire to eat, 
and unless it is too unreasonable I humour them. 
Both young ladies have become quite plump, and 
after a year’s inhalation have ceased coughing, 
and I pronounced them well. The pea-nut was 
long known as an excellent fat producer, and 
much more agreeable than rancid shark-oil that 
oftentimes is sold for cod-liver oil. While not all 
can digest pea-nuts, a great many, even with 
feebledigestion, eat them without discomfort.” 
