REPLIES, BY MR. C. DICKINS. 317 
cular and mucous coats of the stomach: it is supposed to arise 
from the winter’s cold and an insufficient quantity of food. The 
treatment, when any is attempted, is to give strong astringents 
with absorbent earths; but they rarely do good. 
Milk fever is a very common disease in the summer season, or 
at any other time of the year when cows are in great condition 
at the time of calving, and when the udders have been full of 
milk for several days: in this state the milk cannot be drawn otf, 
or only a small quantity at a time, and the animal is unable to 
rise. The treatment found most successful is to bleed largely, 
open the bowels w ith laxatives and clysters, and apply stimulat¬ 
ing liniments over the loins. 
REPLIES. r 
, t 0 • , s I 
By Mr. C. Dickins, Kimbolton. 
1 . The Yorkshire cows are by far the most prevalent here, 
2. The only cross we have of any consequence is from the 
Derby, by which means they get the stock heavier. 
3. The York are generally preferred; for as milkers they find 
them keep their milk longer, and also get a more ready sale 
for them in the London mart. 
4. But little used in husbandry. 
5. The diseases they are generally subject to are, diarrhoea, 
dropping after calving, inflammatory fever, red water, and blain; 
but think the first more frequent than any. 
Red water is a disease often produced a few miles from here* 
generally if the beasts are bought in and put on the woodland 
land, which would lead us to suppose that it was owing to 
some strong diuretic quality existing in the herbage. We ge¬ 
nerally subdue it by bleeding and Epsom salts. But you must 
indul ge me with a little forbearance here, w hile I relate a story. 
A few years back there was a gentleman living in this county 
who w r as very celebrated for the cure of red w^ater; and his son, 
a most respectable farmer, tells me the following was his never- 
failing recipe; bol. armenian 3ii, a handful of salt, and a quart 
of strong decoction from the common nettle: of this he made 
a drink, which he used to sell for 2s. 6d. 
Blain is rather an unfrequent disease in this part of the 
country, but when found is always in marshy lands. There is 
a peculiar sharp, broad-leaved grass found there, which the 
VoL. IV. XX' 
