SOME EXPERIENCES IN THE SOUTH. 
755 
tence to a knowledge of the diseases of animals is pressed into 
service. 
There is one section of the State, however, in which the live¬ 
stock is of considerable value, and that is on the sugar planta¬ 
tions, some single plantations owning mules to the value of 
$20,000 or more ; and of course the maintenance of health 
among these animals, from an economic standpoint, is a matter 
of great importance. Mules have been cheaper of late, but not 
so long ago sugar mules averaged from $175 to $250 per head, 
which will give you some idea as to the class of animals. The sugar 
belt being easily accessible from New Orleans, a good deal of 
the practice is done by veterinarians resident in that city. I 
have had a good deal of experience myself with the sugar plan¬ 
tation stock and its management, or perhaps I ought to say mis¬ 
management, and to give a little of that experience might be of 
interest to the meeting. 
I might state here that it is estimated that something like 
$100,000 is paid annually for sugar mules to replace those that 
die frv>m disease and injury. This represents an enormous 
amount of loss, and it is evident there must be some substantial 
reason for it. Dietetic diseases are responsible for the largest 
percentage of the mortality, and gaseous or flatulent colic about 
heads the list. This is largely due to an almost entire want of 
knowledge of the anatomy of the digestive system and the 
physiology and chemistry of food and feeding. When first mak¬ 
ing investigations as to the predisposing and exciting causes of 
so many fatal cases of colic, enteritis, etc., I found an absolute 
lack of anything approaching a proper system of feeding. It 
was common on some plantations to feed the mules—during 
hard work—only once per day, and that at night, the manger 
consisting of a long wooden trough, and the mules all loose ; 
the consequence being that, having to undergo such a long in¬ 
terval of fasting, the animals were so voracious that before their 
hunger could become appeased they had “ bolted ” a consider¬ 
able quantity of grain, not at all or imperfectly masticated, re¬ 
sulting in fermentation, from want of proper mixture with the 
