1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
809 
Farm Hygiene. 
BY F. S. BILLINAS, VETERINARY SURGEON, BOSTON, MASS. 
The reader may not realize the extent of 
the meaning of the words which head this 
paper. Hygiene means the principles and 
practices of keeping healthy. Hygiene is the 
aim of modern medicine, i. e., to keep well, 
and to prevent disease. Farm hygiene em¬ 
braces two different systems, or more plainly, 
classes of animal life, hygiene of the farmer 
and his family, as well as that of the animals 
upon the farm. Leaving out of the question 
for the present the important topic of the 
health of the farmer and his family, we turn 
to the second part of farm hygiene, that of 
our domestic animals. Of animal hygiene 
something has been written, but it has been 
but little read, and much less digested. 
The hygiene of domestic animals is fully 
as comprehensive as that of man. It in¬ 
cludes, first, the general health of pur ani¬ 
mals per se; second, that each animal shall 
be kept in just that condition which will best 
induce to the desired results, viz., that the 
working ox, or horse, shall "be in just that 
physical condition in which it can do the 
work required, and still keep in the best bod¬ 
ily condition. An emaciated, overworked 
ox is poor property at the end of a season. 
It takes too long, and too much feed to fit it 
for the market. A horse, in the same condi¬ 
tion, is at once passed by the dealer. The 
milch cow must be so fed that she will give 
the greatest yield at the least possible cost to 
the system. The market animal must be so 
fed that not a pound of food is wasted, yet 
the desired end, converting food into flesh, 
attained in the shortest possible time. This 
can not be done economically in the present 
American fashion. The individuality of each 
animal must be studied. What will fatten 
one will not do it by another. One cow will 
give the greatest possible yield of milk and 
beef, in good condition, on an amount of 
feed that another will become thin upon. So 
it is of the work animals. The farmer should 
be fully conversant with the feeding con¬ 
stituents of the different kinds of feed, and 
know just how many pounds of proteine 
stuff, salts, ashes, extractives, water, etc., 
each kind of feed contains, and how* much 
of each is necessary per cwt. to each animal 
to keep it in the desired condition. These re¬ 
sults have all been attained at Experiment 
Stations. The average being known, it is 
only necessary for the farmer to study the 
individuality of each animal to gain the re¬ 
sult desired. 
There is still another phase of animal hy¬ 
giene w r hich has received still less recognition 
than the above. It is one of moral responsi¬ 
bility. It is the duty which the producer 
owes the consumer. It is this, that it is the 
former’s duty to keep only healthy animals, 
and to keep them in such condition that their 
products contain nothing that can be inju- 
rions to the health of the consumer. Recent 
research has made it highly probable that the 
milk from cows afflicted with tuberculosis 
contains specific germs capable of producing 
a similar disease in young animals when fed 
upon it. If this be true of young animals, it 
is no less so, if such milk is used to bring up 
babes by the bottle ; milk from cows affected 
with garget assumes the characteristics of 
colostrum. It is known that this peculiar 
material acts as an intestinal irritant, and 
causes the expulsion of the meconium, or 
first contents of the intestines in the young. 
It is also known that if the condition of the 
new milk continues too long, that it produces 
a dangerous and sometimes fatal form of di¬ 
arrhoea in the babe and young animal. This 
being so, may not such milk, when mixed 
with other, be one cause of summer diarrhoea 
among children, especially 
of the poorer classes? Such 
milk contains numerous 
forms of germ life, and 
putrifies quicker than sound 
milk ; it is, therefore, cer¬ 
tain that chemical changes 
upon such mixed milk take 
place very quickly, and can 
be the source of disease to 
the consumer. Great excite¬ 
ment has lately occurred 
with reference to trichina; in 
our pork, and we hope to 
say something of this here¬ 
after. The duty of the farm¬ 
er is to demand that Con¬ 
gress make appropriations, 
and take means to investigate the subject. 
Meat contains other parasites which invade 
man and cause serious disturbance to health. 
A Handy Pump Handle Device. 
“ A Constant Reader ” writes: “We have 
had many pump handles 
broken out by stock run¬ 
ning against them when 
they were left up. We 
tried fastening the handles 
down with strings and 
straps, but calves, colts, 
and sheep would gnaw 
these in two and let the 
handle up, when it was 
liable to get broken, or 
the pump split. A hole 
was bored in the handle 
above the fulcrum pin, 
and when the handle is 
brought down it comes 
past the pump far enough 
to put an iron pin in the 
hole, which pin has se¬ 
cured our pump handle 
from danger ever since.” 
—The accompanying en¬ 
graving, made from the 
sketch sent, shows the 
pump handle pin. position of the handle, 
pin, etc., when held down out of the way. 
Local §ocict ies—Tlie Washtenaw, 
OTIcH.—The greatest good is not done by the 
largest Societies. National, State, County, 
and Town Societies, all have their uses, but 
the most real work is accomplished by the 
smaller associations, whether town or vil¬ 
lage, If the farmers, fruit growers, or gar¬ 
deners, as it may be, get together once a 
month, and do nothing.but become acquainted 
with one another, a useful result is ac¬ 
complished. But more than this is done. 
At these meetings subjects of general interest 
are discussed, and every member either 
learns something, or tells others something, 
and the general knowledge is increased. The 
Cor. Sec. of the Washtenaw (Mich.) Pomo- 
logical Society writes us that this Association 
meets monthly, at Ann Arbor, the locality of 
the State University, and a number of the 
Professors hold offices and take active part 
in the work of the Society. Ladies are 
members and aid in the good work. Let 
every other county follow this example. 
A Flood Fence. 
Mr. H. C. Thompson, Washington Co., Mo,, 
A FLOOD GATE IN POSITION. 
sends a sketch of a flood fence, to put across 
sloughs when they are too wide for a flood 
gate. The posts are driven or otherwise put 
down three to four feet, with the tops about 
j one foot above ground ; the other posts, that 
the planks are nailed to, are bolted to the top 
of the inserted posts, and a wire is placed 
over the tops. The ends of the panel that con¬ 
nect with the post on the bank are slightly 
nailed with cross strips near the top, so as to 
be easily broken loose when the flood comes. 
There are also temporary braces bearing up¬ 
stream, put in to prevent the fence from fall¬ 
ing, but are easily washed out, -when the fence 
falls down stream, and logs and other ob¬ 
structions pass by readily. As soon as the 
flood goes down, the fence is easily raised, a 
panel at a time, to its proper place. 
A Handy Ladder Attachment. 
W. D. Howard, Worcester Co., Mass., 
writes :—“ I do not know as you will think a 
boy 15 years old can send any information that 
will be worth publishing in the American 
Agriculturist; but I have made a drawing of 
a handy attachment to go on a ladder for 
hanging it to a roof for use in patching, or 
in case of a fire. I took some old buggy tire 
that was cast aside, and cut off a piece 30 
inches long, with a cold 
chisel; then bent one 
end up one way and the 
other end the other way, 
as shown in the draw¬ 
ing. With a small cord I 
secured it to the ‘ round ’ 
of the ladder. Father 
was so pleased with it 
that he told me to send 
a drawing and descrip¬ 
tion of it to you. It is 
very easy to make, and 
answers the purpose 
just as well as one cost¬ 
ing a dollar or two.” 
We are pleased to hear 
from young and ingeni¬ 
ous farmers, especially 
when they send so clear 
a sketch and description 
as this, of a device of their own construc¬ 
tion. The engraving shows the ladder hook. 
