AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
THE SEBRIGHT BANTAM, 
ambition. But the day of reckoning conies; 
the poison accumulates in the system, and the 
high-mettled plethoric steed loses all his artifi¬ 
cial qualities, so much admired; his mettle and 
ambition desert him, his muscles shrink, and he 
soon becomes food for the ravens and other 
beasts of prey. The sharp edges of a worn- 
down tooth, or a tooth in a state of ulceration, 
may give rise to profuse salivation ; then again, 
a rough bit, and a hard master may be set down 
among the direct causes of this complaint. 
Lastly. Indifferent fodder of any kind, and 
impaired digestive organs, are apt to produce 
augmented salivary secretion. 
Treatment. —The causes must be diligently 
sought for, and if practicable, ought to be re¬ 
moved ; this important step may, of itself, pro¬ 
cure relief. If the trouble can be traced to a 
oarious tooth, let it be extracted, or should the 
edges of a tooth irritate the inside of the cheek, 
apply the tooth rasp, and make all smooth. If 
any irritation exists about the glands of the 
throat and mouth, apply a stimulating applica¬ 
tion to them, composed of hartshorn and olive 
oil. When the malady is supposed to originate 
in consequence of the presence of some obnoxi¬ 
ous article in the fodder, change the diet, and 
give the following: 
Powdered barberrry bark, ) 
“ gum myrrh, j 
goldenseal, \ of each 1 ounce, 
ginger, 
sulphur, J 
Mix , divide the mass into eight parts, and mix 
one into fine feed, night and morning. 
In some cases we have used gargles, com¬ 
posed of decoction of witch hazel, bayberry 
bark, tincture gum catechu, and a solution of 
alum, either of which is good when an astrin¬ 
gent is indicated. There are cases, however, 
that often baffle our utmost skill, such, for ex¬ 
ample, as are supposed to depend on some le¬ 
sion of the nervous structure, known by a par¬ 
tial paralysis of one side of the face. 
Mr. Cox relates, in the Vetei'inarian, the case 
of a cow, “ which was said to be constantly sla¬ 
vering, and more so when she was ruminating. 
The symptoms were, one eye half closed, 
caused by inability to raise the eyelid ; the ear, 
on the same side, hanging down ; and likewise 
the upper lip on the same side. It was evi¬ 
dently an attack of paralysis which was the 
cause of the e appearances. The treatment was, 
blisters applied round the base of the ear, &c., 
and laxative medicines given. In a month she 
appeared well. 
“Another, having the same symptoms, was 
cured by a like treatment. 
“Another case yet, of like symptoms and 
treatment, with the addition of the insertion of 
setons, never recovered; her eyelid, and ear, 
and side of her lip, remained down, and she 
continually kept slavering, until, at last, I lost 
sight of her. 
“ I knew a mare in which the saliva ran out 
ot the mouth in a most astonishing manner. 
The cause I found to be a slight attack of par¬ 
alysis on one side of the upper lip. 
“ My attention was once directed to a cow 
that had been slavering for upwards of nine 
months previous. Gallons of saliva might be 
caught in the course of twenty-four hours. I 
examined this cow over and over again, but 
never could find any apparent cause for the 
morbid secretion. She had milked well the 
greater part of the time, and had never failed 
in her appetite. Although she had become 
very poor, she was sold to a slink butcher. I 
had not an opportunity of making a post mor¬ 
tem examination. The person that opened her 
could discover 1 nothing the matter.’ 
“In another case of a cow, which presented 
the symptoms of the case last described, and 
which had been amiss about a month, we treated 
thus • a gentle purge was first given; after¬ 
wards, an occasional stimulant and tonic were 
administered; and the region of the parotid and 
submaxillary glands well blistered; and this 
was repeated. She ultimately recovered.” 
ALIAS, THE GOLD AND SILVER LACED BANTAM. 
The article which follows is amusing, and at 
the same time highly valuable; it shows how 
the proud and beautiful little bird was made up 
from several varieties, to form a distinct breed. 
The English know more of the science of breed¬ 
ing than all the world beside; and this know¬ 
ledge is exercised on their domestic animals 
from the noble racer down to a Tom cat, Guinea 
Pig, or Lop-Eared Rabbit; and from the proud 
and graceful Swan to the no less proud, and 
scarcely less graceful Bantam. 
A few remarks may not be uninteresting to 
the readers of the Poultry Chronicle upon this 
beautiful bird. It is one whose value and real 
perfectness is scarcely yet known to the public. 
I will draw my descriptions as nearly as I can 
from my own recollections, and also from glean¬ 
ings from a friend of mine—Mr. Hobbs—who 
was with the late Sir John Sebright, Bart., (of 
this neighborhood,) upwards of forty-five years, 
and who was very assiduous in assisting him in 
all his perfections. 
Sir John was liked by his tenants, beloved by 
the poor, and was to all very charitable ; in ev¬ 
idence of which we have alms-houses and insti¬ 
tutions, founded by him, for charitable purposes. 
Notwithstanding all this, he was a determined 
man—one of the old baronial school. In what¬ 
ever he determined to do he seldom or never 
failed—and if he did, it was not for want of per¬ 
severance. I am informed that many years 
back his whole attention was devoted entirely 
to the improvement of sheep. I have myself 
seen in his park Spanish and South-downs to¬ 
gether, (not white-faced Spanish;) I have no 
doubt there are many farmers at the present 
day who remember his celebrity for judgment 
in sheep. At one time he attempted to obtain 
a tortoise-shell tom-cat, but in that he failed; 
they always turned out of the feminine kind, 
though he strictly kept to the tabby and sandy. 
At another time, for his amusement, he had a 
beautiful black dog, (the character and likeness 
of which, painted by Charles Hamilton, Esq., 
now hangs up at Beechwood Hall;) he taught 
him many conjuring and amusing tricks at 
cards; poor animal! it was his master’s will 
that they should die together. I must not omit 
his great care and encouragement of the pigeon. 
He was a very great fancier, and I am given to 
understand that he was the first importer of the 
Archangel. I remember he had two sorts— 
copper-colored, black wings, and black, copper- 
colored wings; however, I leave that to “B. P. 
B.,” Mr. Eaton, and others; your horticultural 
friends can, I dare say, give you a better ac¬ 
count of the Beechwood or Sebright melon 
than I, as I fear I should trouble you with any 
further comments not relative to that most 
beautiful of birds the Sebright Bantam. 
The Cochin and Dorking for weight and 
quietness—the Sebright for haughty carriage 
and diminutive beauty. 
I remember a friend of mine having lost the 
prize at the Sebright private show onty by 
weight; the little hen, five minutes after she 
was weighed, laid an egg—had she laid five or 
six minutes sooner, it would have obtained the 
£10 prize. 
Well, Mr. Editor, my right-hand friend and 1 
will now begin and give you a brief narrative of 
what happened while he was with the late Sir 
J. Sebright. I need not tell you how to judge 
upon a Bantam, or its qualities, as most of your 
readers know. The last object Sir John aimed 
at was to improve the Bantam to a clear, erect 
carriage. To effect this, he, about forty-five 
years ago, obtained a buff-colored Bantam hen, 
at Norwich ; she was very small indeed, with 
clear slate-colored legs; on the same journey he 
purchased a cockeral, rather inclining to red in 
color, destitute of sickle feathers, with a hen¬ 
like cackle, and also (at Watford) a small hen, 
resembling a golden Hamburg. After this, by 
drafting for five or six years he gained the very 
pencilled-feather he so anxiously sought after, 
by in and in breeding for about twenty years. 
He afterwards had a white cockeral from the 
Zoological Gardens, by which he made his sil¬ 
vers. 
If any one were to take a trip to Boxmoor, or 
Markyate street, in the month of August, and 
stroll around the present Sir Thomas Sebright’s 
park or lodges, (before he drafts his birds in 
September and October,) and were to see his 
magnificent birds—the most perfect of the class 
in England—he would not regret the day’s 
journey. Sir Thomas is very liberal, and would 
not, I believe, object to any person looking 
round his walks who might apply to Mr. Spary. 
TREATMENT OF THE HORSE DISTEMPER, 
By request, and in consequence of having had 
an unusual number of horses under treatment, 
during the last few weeks, suffering from influ¬ 
enza, (commonly called distemper,) which die 
ease I believe to be, to a certain extent, conta¬ 
gious, I ask the liberty of communicating 
through the Journal, to gentlemen who own, or 
are interested in that noble animal, the horse, 
my opinion of what predisposes and makes 
them more susceptible of being affected by it, 
also what ought to be done to prevent it. The 
conditions inducing it may not produce any ap¬ 
parent effect while they exist alone, for some 
exciting cause may be required for their full de¬ 
velopment ; for instance, gunpowder wants a 
predisposion to dryness, and peculiar composi¬ 
tion in order to take fire from a spark. The 
most prominent predisposing causes are, sudden 
and undue exposure to extremes of cold and 
heat, impure atmosphere when in stable, aris¬ 
ing from dampness, darkness and bad ventila¬ 
tion. 
The skin of a horse at ordinary work is raised 
in temperature in order to maintain organic and 
animal activity, there is an unusual rapid pas¬ 
sage of blood through the lungs and the whole 
system, and perspiration is excited; if, under 
such circumstances, he be suddenly exposed to 
the action of cold, by being put in a cold, damp 
stable, or any other way, this action of cold 
would greatly disturb the balance of circulation, 
(particularly in spring, when a horse changes 
his coat,) and produce a contracted state of the 
skin and its vessels, consequently blood collects 
round and within internal organs, by being re¬ 
pelled from the outward surface, which causes 
congestion of the internal organs, a condition 
only one stage short of inflammatory action; 
for instance, suppose wo perspire from exercise, 
then to cool off, sit in a draught; in a short 
dme we shall shudder without and chill within, 
and probably in less than twenty-four hours, 
suffer from sore throat and chest, caused by it. 
[ believe that a cold northeast wind, (which 
ought most to be guarded against,) in which 
there seems to be something especially irritat¬ 
ing, blowing into a well-ventilated stable, would 
induce cold and cough, for which reason I should 
recommend gentlemen contemplating building 
stables, not to have either doors or windows, or 
any other way exposed to the northeast. If 
the stable be warm, close, and damp, bronchitis 
and pneumonia will present themselves, and 
sometimes bad cases of influenza (if that dis¬ 
ease be prevailing,) will follow the cold and 
cough contracted as above. A horse shuns of¬ 
fensiveness instinctively, because his lungs re¬ 
quire such a quantity of good air, he avoids of¬ 
fensive smells probably more resolutely than 
any other animal. 
The heart of a man averaging about eight 
ounces at each pulsation, propels about two 
ounces of blood into the system, say, one hun¬ 
dred and forty to fifty ounces a minute, and 
about as much more is sent into the lungs in 
the same period ; his lungs during ordinary 
breathing, contain one hundred and seventy to 
eighty cubic inches of air for the support of 
life. To maintain this at the proper purifying 
standard, he breathes out (expires) all hurtful 
