THE COW-HER DISEASES AND MANAGEMENT.-NO. 8. 
364 
Black Tartarian, Knight’s Early Black, Downer’s 
Late Red, Elton, Downton. 
Apples —Varieties recommended for general cul¬ 
tivation, Early Harvest, Large Yellow Bough, 
American Summer Pearmain, Gravenstein, Summer 
Rose, Early Strawberry, Fall Pippin, Rhode Island 
Greening, Baldwin, Roxbury Russet. For particu¬ 
lar localities, Yellow Belle fleur, Swaar, Esopus 
Spitzenburg, Newtown Pippin. 
Pears .—Varieties recommended for general cul¬ 
tivation. Madeline, Dearborn Seedling, Blood- 
good, Tyson, Bartlett, Seckle, Louise Bonne de 
Jersey, Flemish Beauty, Beurre, Bose, Winter 
Nelis, Beurre D’Aremberg, Golden Beurre, of Bil- 
feoa. For certain localities, White Doyenne, Gray 
Doyenne. 
THE COW—HER DISEASES AND MANAGE¬ 
MENT.—No. 8. 
Rheumatism of the Loins , or Lumbago. —The 
cause of this disease is attributed to obstructed per¬ 
spiration, brought on by colds; and this cause will 
he the more active where the body of the animal is 
already in a morbid state. The seat of the malady 
is evidently in the tendons and muscles of the loins 
which acquire a diseased rigidity and harshness. 
The first symptoms of the disease are a loss of 
milk, attended with fever, costiveness, and loss of 
appetite. On motion in the stall, the animal reels 
from one side to the other, and sometimes falls 
down, as if having no use of her hind legs : she 
then rises with the greatest difficulty, or cannot 
rise at all without assistance. When turned loose, 
she walks with great difficulty with her hind limbs; 
and, in addition to these symptoms, in the progress 
of the disease, her skin adheres tight to her body. 
Many symptoms may also show themselves from a 
violent strain of the loins, by one cow riding 
another, as happens in times of heat; but this 
accident may generally immediately be perceived. 
The first remedy to be applied, in the treatment 
of this malady, as in other inflammations, is bleed- 
ing, proportioned in its quantity to the violence of 
the symptoms, and the strength and condition of 
the animal, say from three to five pints. When 
the bleeding is over, the following medicines may 
fee mixed together and given, milk warm, in two 
quarts of water gruel and half a pint of molasses :— 
Sulphur, from 9 oz. to 1 lb.; grains of Paradise, 
(cardamom seeds), 3 drachms; saltpetre, lg oz.; 
tumeric, loz.; cummin seed, | oz. 
This medicine usually operates briskly, and will 
•often continue for ten or twelve hours. After its 
operation is over, the following combination will 
be proper, mixed together and given to the animal, 
atone dose, in three pints of mild ale or beer, with 
a handful of wormwood previously boiled, which 
dose may be repeated, if necessary, once a day :— 
Saltpetre (nitre), 1| oz.; flour of sulphur. l\ 
©z.; camphor, | drachms; juniper berries, lg oz.; 
long pepper, | oz.; oil of turpentine, lg oz. 
Besides the above, local applications will often 
fee found highly useful. For instance, the following 
charge , laid on the loins of the animal,- as the weak¬ 
ness appears more in that part than any other; for 
she can generally raise her fore parts, while" the 
hind ones seem useless :— 
Black and Burgundy pitch, | lb.; oxycroceum 
and paracelsus plasters, 3 oz.; bole Armenian and 
dragon’s blood, lg oz. 
To be melted over the fire, and spread, while hot, 
hut not so hot as to scald, all over the rump, as 
well as the loins. Some wool or saddler’s stuffing, 
should be stuck on it, in order to keep it in its 
place. As soon as this is completed, the cow must 
be got up and put into a sling, made of sacking 
and ropes, so that she may feel the floor with her 
legs, which are to be well rubbed two or three 
times a day. She must remain in this situation till 
she can stand of herself, and get up without the 
assistance of the sling. The disease generally 
gives way to this practice in the course of ten or 
fifteen days. 
The food and drink to be given during the treat¬ 
ment of this disease may be the same as recom¬ 
mended in other inflammations, such as an abundance 
of warm water gruel, or mashes made of malt, bran, 
or Indian meal. 
Consumption , or Wasting .—This complaint is 
generally caused by cold and improper food ; the 
former excites inflammation, and produces ulcera¬ 
tion in the lungs; while the latter, either by convey¬ 
ing deficient nourishment or nourishment of an im¬ 
proper kind, will produce the same effect. In proof of 
this last assertion, there are instances on record, of po¬ 
tatoes being given to cows in excess, and continued 
for some time, with the view of increasing their 
yield of milk, the consequence of which was, that, 
though they gave a greater proportion of milk, they 
fell into this disease, and were seized with a wast¬ 
ing and a cough. Besides this, where food of a 
forcing nature is given to the animal, as beets, car¬ 
rots, parsnips, &c., for the purpose of promoting 
the flow of milk, the consequence will be to pro¬ 
duce this disease. 
The predominant symptoms of this malady, are 
a gradual emaciation of the body of the animal, or 
pining away, attended with a slow fever and a 
cough ; but where the appetite is not much affected, 
the progress of the complaint is generally marked 
by an attack of looseness, which, in the end, 
proves fatal. During the course of the disease, 
there prevails a remarkable flow of milk, which 
tends to exhaust the strength of the cow, and con¬ 
sequently the symptoms increase. It may be re¬ 
marked, however, that this wasting seldom occurs 
in the country, but is chiefly confined to cows con¬ 
fined to stalls in town, the mode of feeding of 
which is different from that of those kept in a free 
and open situation, on different food. 
When the first symptoms of this complaint ap¬ 
pear, the object should be to prevent, as far as pos¬ 
sible, the wasting of the body from going farther, 
to the injury of the animal. She should be dried 
off immediately, or kept no longer for the purpose 
of milking. This will often be sufficient to effect 
a cure. Where the disease is connected with in¬ 
flammation of the lungs, bleeding, and the same 
treatment recommended under the head of “ Inflam¬ 
mation of the Lungs,” at p. 207, is the only plan, 
perhaps, that can be adopted with success; but 
when the disease is far advanced, this and every 
other mode of treatment, as far as known, will be 
found ineffectual. 
