1278 
Iht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ailing Animals 
Answered by Dr. A. S. Alexander 
indigestion 
I have a gelding 11 years old which 
is in poor condition. He has a long coat 
of hair almost always. His kidneys ap¬ 
pear affected, and about five weeks ago 
he passed a long white worm six or eight 
inches long. He has attacks of weakness 
and staggering while at work. I am feed¬ 
ing him oats and hay. I have fed this 
horse some copperas and saltpeter, but 
it docs- not seem to do him much good. 
The mate to this horse is in good con¬ 
dition with the same feed. w. M. 
Clip the horse at. once and also have 
his teeth put in order by *a veterinarian. 
Afterward mix in feed twice daily for 
two weeks a mixture of two parts of 
powdered wood charcoal and one part 
each of bicarbonate of soda and pow'dered 
nux, gentian and fenugreek. Also allow- 
free access to rock salt. Give the feed 
from a large box to prevent bolting. The 
clipping alone w'ill be likely to do a great 
deal of good in such a ease. 
Rupture 
I have a 10-mont,hs-old mare colt that 
has a ruoture at the navel (about six 
inches in front of udder), the protuber¬ 
ance of which is about the size of a goose 
egg. Will it be likely to injure her for 
use, and what would be the chance of a 
surgical operation effecting a permanent 
cure? What would you advise? 
New York. c. u. B. 
Such small ruptures at the navel tend 
to disappear as the animal develops. This 
may be hastened by applying tincture of 
iodine tw'o or three times a week, or keep¬ 
ing a sole leather truss firmly up on the 
part by means of elastic harness. If the 
rupture increases in size, it should be 
treated by applying wooden damps unou 
the loose skin and sac of the hernia after 
returning the bowel to the abdominal 
cavity by manipulation with the fingers. 
The veterinarian will know how. this 
should be done. 
Obstructed Teat 
I have a cow w r hose one back teat 
seems to close up in between milkings, 
and when we get the milk started it 
comes in a fine spray. At times it seems 
hard like a lump on inside; does not 
hurt. I have been using zinc ointment. 
I read once of inserting a clove in a 
cow’s teat, but do not remember w-hat it 
was for. It will soon be time to dry off 
cow, and would like to get the teat in 
good milking condition before drying off. 
I have another cow that seems to itch 
around the head and face; has rubbed 
almost all her hair off. There are some 
sores under her neck. F. F. 
A clean clove sometimes is used as a 
teat plug between milkings in cases where 
a scab forms on a sore on the tip of 
the teat. In the- case in question such 
treatment may not avail. It would be 
better to have a veterinarian cut. down 
through the obstruction with a teat bis 
toury and then strip away a little milk 
often during the healing process. Before 
cutting and twice daily after the opera¬ 
tion immerse the teat for two or three 
minutes in hot water contaiping all the 
boric acid it W'ill dissolve. 2. Ringworm 
is the probable cause of the spots and ir¬ 
ritation. Cleanse them perfectly, remov¬ 
ing scabs or crusts and when dry ap¬ 
ply tincture of iodine twice dailv until 
well. _ 
Catarrh 
I have a two-year-old filly that has had 
a heavy cold for two months in the left 
side of her head; has a discharge that is 
quite strong, also under the left eye is a 
hard swelling about one inch high. Can 
you give me any advice? d. j. r. 
A diseased or split molar tooth in the 
upper jaw probably causes the discharge 
from the nostril, or there is a collection 
of pus in the sinus of the head where you 
notice the lump. It will be necessary to 
have a veterinarian trephine for removal 
of the tooth or pus and instruct you as 
to appropriate treatment. 
Heaves 
We have a mare 18 years old. 8he 
lias been troubled with heaves for several 
years. About a year ago she had dis¬ 
temper; a thick mucous discharged from 
nostril. When we attempted to use her 
she strangled and coughed in a terrible 
way. There were two bunches on her 
throat; we used a liniment and they grew 
less, but we have not been able to use 
her any for a year. She eats well, and 
seems all right till she exerts herself a 
little; then the strangling and coughing 
begin. Is there any cure for her? 
New York. s. m. i.. 
Heaves or emphysema of the lungs is 
incurable, but not contagious. The ten¬ 
dency to it is considered hereditary. If 
a veterinarian has examined the mare 
and decided that she is not afflicted with 
glanders she may safely associate with 
other horses. The strangling spells indi¬ 
cate either that there is an obstruction 
in a nostril, such as asthma (polypus), 
which could be removed by a veterinarian, 
or >a stricture in the windpipe (esoph¬ 
agus) which will necessitate the inser¬ 
tion of a permanent silver tracheotomy 
tube, which would make it possible for 
her to work. Instructions for the feeding 
and management of a horse affected with 
heaves often have been printed here. See 
answers under the heading of “Heaves” 
in back numbers of the paper. 
Canker; Thrush 
What can I do to cure a dog, an Aire¬ 
dale pup, eight months old. which has 
itching ears which it has scratched so 
vigorously as to lay the ends open? She 
does this usually when coming in from 
the outside- and gives them no chance to 
cure. Dog is on the farm and in the 
pink of health. 2. I bought a horse in 
town. He has hard and contracted feet 
which have been further hurt by being 
rotted with thrush. Even the frog is 
hard. His hoof is growing nicely on 
top, and neighbors claim he will grow a 
new shoe provided I do not allow the 
thrush to get the upper hand. I keep 
him bedded clean ; took his shoes off. only 
take him out od slushy days; sound 
otherwise. The rot has gone down ouite 
deep into his foot. I cut away all I can 
occasionally but there seems to be no 
end to it. Should I pack his feet in 
grease and keep it on with a boot? G. G. 
Pennsylvania. 
Twice daily cleanse the ears with wood 
alcohol or peroxide of hydrogen or ab¬ 
sorbent cotton tied on a small stick. Then 
hold the dog on his side and pour into the 
uppermost ear a little of a solution of 
one dram each of sugar of lead and pow¬ 
dered alum, two drops of carbolic acid 
and 30 drops of glycerine in two ounces 
of soft water. Allow the sediment to 
settle into the ear: then treat the other' 
ear in the same way. Let the dog live 
an outdoor life, so far as possible, but 
keep him out of water. 2. Canker of 
the sole is a possibility in this case and 
if so home treatment will not avail. 
Cleanse the hoofs, cut away all rotten or 
under-run horn, then swab with a 1-500 
solution of corrosive sublimate. When 
dry cover diseased parts with a mixture 
<>f subnitrate of bismuth, calomel and 
boric acid, equal parts, cover with ab¬ 
sorbent cotton and bandages. Renew 
the dressing daily. 
Bullnose 
1 have ;i hog about IS months old. It 
i* s thin, does not eat very well, and acts 
as though it had something in its nose. 
I think it does not weigh any more than 
a hog should at the age of six months. 
Lately a buran bus come -,fj jaw. Ib> 
you think anything can be done for it? 
Pennsylvania, b. b. l. 
The hog probably is afflicted with snuf¬ 
fles or bullnose, technically known as 
necrotic rhinitis, and caused by the filth 
germ, Bacillus necrophorus. If that is 
the case, you might as well destroy the 
animal and burn the carcass. A veteri¬ 
narian could make the necessary diagno¬ 
sis. The disease mentioned is contagious 
and incurable, and commonly associated 
with rickets, which tends to distort the 
bones and cause swelling of the joints. 
The bones of the snout become distorted 
and the air passages of the nostrils are so 
lessened in caliber thereby that breathing 
comes difficult and the hog therefore snuf¬ 
fles or snores. That is why the Germans 
call the disease schnuffelkrankheit.- If 
you do as we have suggested, the hog 
houses then should be cleansed, disinfect¬ 
ed and whitewashed and the yards plowed 
and seeded. The germ causing the dis¬ 
ease is the Bacillus necrophorus, which is 
found in the intestines of all hogs, and, 
therefore, is prevalent in all places where 
hogs have been kept. This germ also 
causes canker sore mouth in pigs, slough¬ 
ing skin disease of hogs, and necrotic en¬ 
teritis of hogs, which often is mistaken 
for cholera, and sometimes proves about 
as fatal. The prevalence of these dis¬ 
eases should emphasize the necessity and 
importance of maintaining sanitary con¬ 
ditions where hogs are kept. Giving 
tester taking stock of results from testing. 
drugs internally will not suffice. Clean¬ 
liness is of paramount importance, and 
it pays. 
City and Country Folks 
The Philadelphia North American, un- 
der the title “The Farmer’s Long Fight,” 
printed a very strong article on the food 
situation. It begins with the following 
little story : 
At a greengrocer’s shop in this city the 
other day a woman paid nearly $6 for 
vegetables that just filled a capacious 
market basket. As she counted her change 
she remarked that a few years ago the 
same tilings would have cost her less than 
$2. “The farmers,” she added, “have 
learned how to profiteer, too.” Her com¬ 
ment. though she did not suspect it, had 
a curious relation to her own life story. 
This woman, now a little past middle 
age. was “raised” in Eastern Pennsylva¬ 
nia. in a county which during her girl¬ 
hood had few industrial enterprises, 
though now it has many. Thirty years 
ago she married a skilled mechanic, and 
they came to Philadelphia to live. Her 
husband being a steady and exception¬ 
ally competent workman, they prospered; 
for more than 20 years his monthly earn¬ 
ings. averaging nearly $70, were turned 
over to the frugal wife, and they en¬ 
81 zing Up His Herd 
The. Farm Bureau is helping very considerably to establish cow testing associations, 
in dairy sections. A Delaware farmer and 
•Tuly 31, 1920 
joyed a comfortable existence. In recent 
years the family—two sturdy boys were 
reared—has done much better, being able 
to move from the industrial district to a 
pleasant residential section in West Phil¬ 
adelphia. When the country entered the 
war the husband responded to the urgent 
call of the government for men to build 
huge military cantonments, and for a year 
earned nearly as much every week as for¬ 
merly he had earned in a month. Later 
he went to Hog Island at a still higher 
rate of pay, and after the war ended had 
no trouble in getting a steady position, 
where he works shorter hours than ever 
before and earns about four times as 
much as he did when he married. 
While the two sons were young, they 
and their mother used to spend part of 
each Summer with her sister, the wife of 
a well-to-do farmer near the old home¬ 
stead. The boys always hated to come 
back to the city; they envied their three 
cousins, and longed to grow up so that 
they, too, might live on a farm. 
But 10 years ago the elder boy, who 
had mechanical aptitude, got a “good job” 
in the city, after a short apprenticeship; 
he is married now and makes as much 
money as his father. The younger fol¬ 
lowed the same trade, lives at home and 
earns about $200 a month. Meanwhile 
two of the country cousins have come to 
the city and are likewise making good 
wages, while the third, overworked and 
discontented, is waiting for a chance to 
get rid of the farm and join them. 
The little story is commonplace, but it 
is a parable of tremendous meaning. It 
illustrates the deadly process by which 
the farms are being drained to build up 
out- industries and cities and by which 
the prosperity and the very life of the 
nation are being endangered. Better 
than columns of statistics and economic 
discussion it explains the growing and 
menacing disproportion between agricul¬ 
tural and industrial production. 
The prospering members of this family 
are quite unconscious that they sire fac¬ 
tors in the problem which manifests itself 
to them in increasing pressure of the cost 
of living. They were taught to believe 
that growth of the industrial centers was 
the salvation of the farmer—as it was, 
years ago-^and that his profits went up 
steadily with the rise of wages in the 
cities. It is not strange that they should 
have this idea, for it prevails generally 
throughout the business world. Associa'- 
tions of manufacturers and trade bodies 
generally accept the theory, and remain 
oblivious to the fact that intensified in¬ 
dustrialism is undermining agriculture 
and endangering the country’s food sup¬ 
ply. the first requisite of existence'. 
There is a strange but almost universal 
belief that agriculture is a peculiar and 
self-sufficient institution, whereas it is 
«i. , bject to economic laws just as much as 
ar_ other industries. Likewise there is a 
prevalent idea that farmers as a class are 
rooted in the soil; that theirs is a sort of 
entailed occupation, to which each suc¬ 
ceeding generation devotes itself as a mat¬ 
ter of course. This is a palpable delusion, 
as is suggested by the fact that many of 
our foremost leaders in business, financial 
and industrial fields came as boys from 
the farms. 
Another common error is the belief that 
agriculture at this time is not only pros¬ 
perous and highly profitable, but is ex¬ 
panding. keeping pace with the pace of 
other industries.. The notion is derived 
from the periodical reports showing the 
stupendous money value of crops; also 
from swelling deposits in country banka 
and the multiplicity of farmers’ automo¬ 
biles. But these tests do not go to the 
heart of the food supply problem. To 
learn the real situation one must study 
the statistics of abandoned or half-worked 
farms; of the increasing ratio of tenants 
to owners ; finally and conclusively, of the 
production of foodstuffs in tons, not in 
dollars. 
Teaching a Boy to Milk 
(Continued from page 1276) 
A fourth boy we had experience with 
wa* no better milker at the end of the 
season than when he began, as he gave 
too much attention to the proper closing 
of his fingers and too little to speed. The 
work always seemed laborious for him, 
and never became automatic, as be did not 
acquire right habits from the start. I 
visited a noted herd of 200 purebred Hol- 
steins, where about 15 helpers are ern- 
ployed in the barns and on the farm 
Quite a number of these big producing 
cows were milked three times a day. T 
noted that these expert hand milkers used 
rhe methods described, milking with appar 
cut ease, quickness and deftness. On a 
neighboring farm, where an inexperienced 
city man and two hoys of 10 and 12 years 
have this year learned to milk, the boys 
seemed to get the art of efficient milking 
even more quickly than the older milker. 
Numbness of the arm, in one who milks 
a great deal, is a symptom of overwork 
of the muscles involved that should be 
heeded or it may lead to “milker’s par¬ 
alysis.” and total inability ever to milk 
again. But this is not often found, un¬ 
less 15 to 30 or more cows are milked 
twice a day. One of our boys after a lit¬ 
tle developed a munbness of the lower 
arm. A doctor was consulted, and said it 
was probably due to over-use of a muscle 
previously not exercised. We had him 
give up milking entirely for a time, and 
gave the arm a thorough massage several 
times a day. When the symptoms had 
been suspended for a week or tw f ' he be¬ 
gan again, being careful to stop before the 
muscles became (t all fatigued, aud the 
trouble did not recur. M. G. F- 
