1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
349 
Ailing Animals. 
ANSWERS BY DB. F. L. KILBORNE. 
Collar Gall on a Mule. 
My mule has a callous sore shoulder. What 
will cure It T w. e s. 
Missouri. 
A thick callous or tumor usually re¬ 
quires excision with the knife. A slight 
callous might be softened and reabsorbed 
by applying a bin ! odide of mercury 
blister around it, or entirely over it if 
the skin were intact. If there is a raw 
surface, apply benzoated oxide of zinc 
ointment morning, noon and night. 
Poll Evil on a Horse. 
How can poll evil be cured ? c. E. o. 
Oregon. 
Treatment of these cases is usually un¬ 
satisfactory, except under the personal 
direction of a competent veterinary sur¬ 
geon. The treatment should often be 
changed from time to time, to meet 
varied conditions and extent of disease. 
In this case, a free incision should be 
made into the abscess, preferably at its 
lower border, to allow of free drainage 
of the pus. Then syringe out daily with 
some astringent solution, as one ounce 
chloride of zinc in one quart of water, 
or one ounce lead acetate with three- 
quarters ounce sulphate of zinc in a quart 
of water. 
Epileptic Fits in a Cow. 
My cow, seven years old, seemsiwell and In good 
flesh, but Bince October, she has Bpells that I call 
fits. She falls as though she had been struck 
with an ax. Her legs are stiff. She kicks, 
struggles and Jerks, and breathes hard for a 
minute or more, then rolls up and lies naturally. 
She holds her head high, jerks all over, drools at 
the mouth, and in five minutes, will be all right 
again. For about two weeks past, she does not 
give a full mess of milk at the next milking, and 
does not eat as well for three or four hours after. 
Her feed is ensilage, with wheat bran and gluten 
for grain. She was fresh in December. What 
causes the fits, and what is a remedy ? p. a. b. 
Pennsylvania. 
The fits are due to epilepsy. They are 
usually attributed to some brain lesion 
in the case of adult animals, but the real 
cause is usually ascertained only on post 
mortem, if at all. Treatment is rarely 
satisfactory. Some cases are benefited 
by a laxative diet, with an occasional 
dose of Epsom salts, followed by half¬ 
ounce doses of bromide of potassium two 
or three times daily. 
Milk Fever. 
1. What must I do to save my cows? I lose 
about two out of every five with milk fever. They 
take it about 12 hours after calving, and die in 
about 24 hours. Is it in the feed or water, or is 
it just pure poor man’s hard luck? The feed is 
pitted malt, bran, sometimes Bhipstuff, clover 
hay, sorghum, pea hay and corn fodder; some¬ 
times corn, when It is not too high. They drink 
from a large pond, are sheltered in bad weather 
and fed and salted regularly. They have no grain 
for about three weeks before calving, nothing 
but clover hay and corn fodder, and have good 
box stalls. I have tried salts, linseed oil and 
other purgatives before calving, but it amounts 
to just the same. 2. How would it do to spay 
them at five or six years old, and then milk until 
fat enough for butchering ? That appears to be 
the age at which they begin to die. a s. l. 
Missouri 
1. Milk fever istbe price of having im¬ 
proved, heavy-milking dairy cows, and 
of keeping and feeding them so as to get 
the largest returns. If we would return 
to the old common native stock, and give 
them little or no care and attention, we 
would have no trouble from milk fever. 
Various theories have been advanced as 
to the cause of the disease ; but it must 
be admitted that, as yet, little is posi¬ 
tively known as to the real cause. The 
latest plausible theory (J. Schmidt) is 
that it is due to an abnormal secretion 
of colostrum (the first milk secreted after 
calving) with the absorption of poison¬ 
ous toxins into the circulation from the 
udder. Specific treatment consists in in¬ 
jecting solutions of iodide of potash into 
the udder. 
Your failure to prevent the disease by 
the use of purgatives is, probably, due 
to the fact that jou have not pushed 
their use so as sufficiently to deplete the 
system. In our present light on milk 
fever, it appears to be necessary materi¬ 
ally to deplete or weaken the system, 
especially the circulation, in order to 
prevent the disease. The cow should be 
freely purged a few days to a week be¬ 
fore calving, and then again immediately 
after .the calf Is dropped. Full doses of 
Epsom salts, or equal parts of Epsom 
salts and common salt (one to two pounds, 
according to the size and condition of 
the animal), to which may be added one 
to two ounces of ginger, and one-haif to 
one pint of molasses to advantage, may 
be given as a drench, dissolved in one or 
two quarts of warm water. If not freely 
purged by the first dose, repeat it in 36 
to 48 hours. Then after the cow is 
purged, keep her bowels loose by feed¬ 
ing sloppy bran mashes, roots, or other 
succulent food. It is, also, well to begin 
milking before calving in susceptible 
cases, as soon as the udder is well filled. 
The New Jersey Experiment Station 
also advises bleeding, which, while I 
have not tried it, I have no doubt would 
prove more effective than purgatives as 
a preventive. It would certainly act 
more promptly. The success of either 
method evidently depends largely upon 
its being pushed so as sufficiently to de¬ 
plete the system. Also see Milk Fever, 
page 209, of The R. N.-Y. of March 18. 
I would advise you to write Director E. 
B. Voorhees, Agricultural Experiment 
Station, New Brunswick, N. J., for a 
copy of their recent bulletin on milk 
fever. 
2 Experiments made by the United 
States Bureau of Animal Industry a few 
years ago, on spaying dairy cows at six 
or eight years of age to keep up their 
flow of milk, were a complete failure so 
far as keeping up the milk flow. They 
did not do as well as cows that are 
simply allowed to go farrow. The opera¬ 
tion itself was a success, it having very 
little effect upon the animal. 
“ Hollow Horn ” in Cattle. 
My cow Is very poor and failing in her milk. 
She is fed hay, turnips and bran mash. I have 
been t.ld that it is hollow horn. Is there any 
such thing ? j t. a. 
Ontario. 
There is no such disease as “ hollow 
horn” in cattle. It is a name applied 
indiscriminately to any disease of cattle 
by ignorant cattle doctors and quacks, 
and means nothing more than that the 
animal is sick. See pages 271, 363 and 
811 of The R. N.-Y. of 1898, also, page 
14 of The R. N.-Y. of January 7. Spe¬ 
cific treatment cannot be advised with¬ 
out a more definite knowledge of the 
cause of the trouble. The following 
general powders might prove beneficial, 
although it would be much better to em¬ 
ploy a qualified veterinarian personally 
to examine and prescribe for the cow : 
Powdered dry sulphate of iron, 6 ounces ; 
nitrate of potash, gentian and ginger, 
of each eight ounces; mix and divide 
into 24 powders. Give a powder in the 
feed night and morning. 
Removal of Afterbirth from Cow ; Weak Sow ; 
Piles in Pigs 
1. My cow, fresh March 31, has not passed 
the afterbirth. The calf was dead when found, 
a few minutes after It was born. The cow is 
milking well, and seems all right. 2. What shall 
I do for a sow that has lost the use of her hind 
legs ? I first noticed her lame in one leg In the 
morning, and by night, she had lost the use 
of both legs. I then weaned her pigs. Her 
feed was bran and separated milk. 3. Her 
pigs have been fed bran and separated milk, and 
they have something like the piles. What is the 
cause ? a. w. r. 
Ohio. 
1. The afterbirth should be carefully 
removed by hand not later than the 
second or third day after calving, if 
it does not come away naturally. If k ft 
to rot away, it is very liable to cause 
inflammation of the womb, or a chronic 
catarrhal condition. It will, also, cause 
the cow to fall off rapidly in flesh, and 
even though she survives, she will be 
more or less of a wreck, and of little or 
no profit during that season. The nat¬ 
ural expulsion of the membranes can be 
favored by keeping the cows in a vigor¬ 
ous, healthy condition. Then as soon 
as the calf is dropped, give wa^m drinks, 
hot bran mashes or warm linseed gruels. 
Some breeders give laurel berries, anise 
seed, savin, rue or other carminatives, 
but it is doubtful whether they are of 
any specific value beyond their slight 
stimulating effect. When retention of 
the afterbirth has caused a chronic dis¬ 
charge, the womb should be washed out 
daily with milk-warm water, until it 
runs away clear, and followed by some 
antiseptic solution, as one to two pints 
of a two-per-cent solution of carbolic acid 
or creolin, or a solution of corrosive sub¬ 
limate, one part to ten thousand of water. 
The injections are very conveniently 
made through a piece of half or three- 
fourths-inch rubber tubing, three or 
four feet long, into one end of which a 
funnel is fitted. 
2. The diet of the sow as well as the 
pigs has been too exclusively non-nitro- 
genous. As brood sow and growing pigs, 
they should receive a ration higher in 
protein and salts, or flesh and bone- 
formers, such as wheat bran, ground oats 
and oil meal. Give the sow one fourth 
teaspoonful of powdered nux vomica in 
feed twice daily, and gradually increase 
the dose until at the end of a week or 
10 days, teaspoonful doses are being 
given. Rub the back and loins with a 
liniment of equal parts of sweet oil, 
stronger ammonia and turpentine, well 
shaken together. The sow will do better 
on a dry dirt floor or in a small ya: d 
than on a board floor. 
has been made since 1891, when the tax 
was levied : 
Quantity. Tax paid. 
Year. Pounds. Dollars. 
1891 . 43,571,422 871,488.44 
1892 . 47 283,750 945,675.00 
1893 . 65,061,775 1,301,235.50 
1894 . 66 427,900 1,328,558.00 
1895 . 53,264,475 1,065,293.40 
1896 . 47,623,773 952 475.46 
1897 . 42.534,559 850,691.18 
1898 . 55,388,727 1,107,774.54 
Most of the oleo is made in Illinois and 
Kansas. Last year, out of 55,388,727 
pounds, these two States together pro¬ 
duced 33 166,930 pounds. It will be seen 
that the heaviest production was in 
1894 After that, the amount declined 
until, in 1898 there was an increase of 
over 13.000,000 pounds over the year be¬ 
fore. It is said that this year’s returns 
will show a large increase of production. 
LIVE-STOCK FEEDERS 
should see that a guaranteed analysis 
accompanies every bag of 
Cotton-Seed Meal. 
It la the only safe way to avoid adulterated 
Meal. Every bag shipped by the American Cotton 
OH Company contains a red tag guaranteeing 
not less than the following analysis: 
Ammonia. 8.50 per cent. 
Nitrogen...... 7.00 “ 
Protein.43.00 “ 
Crude Fat and OH. 9.00 “ 
See that the name of The American Cotton-Oil 
Compant Is on the red tag attached to bag. 
Send your address for free Information about 
cotton-seed meal. 
THE AMERICAN COTTON OIL COMPANY, 
27 Beaver Street, New York City. 
3. Piles in pigs are usually due to con¬ 
stipation. Some green food, fine wheat 
bran or oil meal should be fed them to 
improve condition of bowels, and avoid 
constipation. Give castor oil in doses of 
one tablespoonful to each 30 pounds of 
pig, to move the bowels. Repeat, if 
necessary. When there is a protrusion of 
the rectum, give injections of warm soap¬ 
suds to soften and remove the hard¬ 
ened feces, after which the bowels should 
be carefully returned with the oiled 
finger. 
Mare and Sheep Out of Condition; Difficult 
Breathing in Pigs. 
1 My mare, seven years old, is thin in flesh, 
and of late, her legs swell considerably. What 
should I give her as a remedy? 2. What would 
you suggest giving to sheep that are weak and 
thin in flesh ? They were fed upon clover hay 
and rowen. 3. My pig, nearly six months old, 
produces a sound, apparently in drawing breath, 
similar to the sound produced by swine In snor¬ 
ing. During a cold storm, it became worse. Its 
quarters were in a stable with other live stock. 
Another pig, two weeks old, of the same dam as 
the first, shows slight symptoms of a similar 
affection. Wnat is it, and is it curable ? j b. m. 
Maryland. 
1. Try the treatment advised for 
“stocking” of the legs in a mare, page 
778 of The R. N.-Y. of November 12, 
1898. A mixed grain ration of ground 
oats, corn and wheat bran might be bet¬ 
ter for her than whole oats. 2. A lib¬ 
eral grain ration of wheat bran, ground 
oats and oil meal, in the proportion of 
about 4, 4 and 1 by weight. 3. Such 
difficult breathing in pigs is usually due 
to enlargement of some of the glands 
about the throat. Treatment is rarely 
advisable, as it is usually better to fat¬ 
ten and kill them for pig pork. 
Sheep Shearing by Machinery' —As 
an indication of how western live stock 
interests are developing, it is stated 
that, in one town in Wyoming, a sheep¬ 
shearing station has been established. 
Machines are used for the work, and 
3,000 sheep can be sheared in one day. 
The owners take contracts for shearing 
entire flocks, and the sheep are driven 
up to the station in turn, and then 
driven back to their ranch. In old days, 
the shearing was all done by hand, and 
during the season, the expert sheep 
shearer was the king of the ranch. The 
machine now does the business, and the 
hand shearer is losing his job. 
The “Oleo” Business. —There has been 
a good deal of discussion about the 
amount of oleomargarine manufactured 
in this country, and the internal revenue 
tax that it represents. The following 
table shows how much of this substance 
O RAISE THE CALVES Q 
on Blatchford’s Calf Meal, the 
perfect Milk Substitute, and sell the milk. 
“Have Spring Calves as Big as Cows." 
J. li. Cooley, Now Woodstock, N. 'SC 
Ask your Feed Dealer for it. 
J. W. BARWELL, Waukegan, 111. 
J. I; 
O 
N. X. 
o 
The Most Power 
can be gotten from a horse, or two or three horses, 
by using a 
SMALLEY 
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This cut shows our 2- 
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Provided with 
Laos; all our 1, 2 
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are equipped with the 
Smalley Patent t.uvern- 
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off the 
be thrown out or 
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indoors. Applicable to all purposes requiring power. 
Don't buy until you get our free POWKR CATALOG UK. 
Smalley MfS>. Co. Box 22, Manitowoc, Wis. 
CHARTER GASOLINE ENGINE 
Any Place 
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Stationarles, Portables 
Engines and Pumps. 
State your Power Needs. 
Charter Gas Engine Co , Box 26, Sterling, III. 
, Galvan¬ 
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i Steel 
Self-oiling, 
Best Governed. 
Acknowledged , 
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[We have every- 1 
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Towers, 
Tanks and 
Pumps, 
, - rumps, 
^ Cutters, Grinders, 
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nxifar mills 
Catalogue, full of ralviable points, free. 
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\ 2? Fargo Jit. _ BATAVIA, ILL. 
DRILLING 
Machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep or 
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CIDER 
MACHINERY 
Hydraulic, Knuckle Joint and Screw 
Presses, Graters, Elevators, Pumps, 
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BOOMER & BOSGHERT 
PRESS CO., _ , 
118 W. Water St., Syracuse, If. 
