Ttrr RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
1873 
Live Stock Notes 
Inspection of Home Killed Meat 
Could you advise me what steps a 
farmer has to take in order to sell beef 
cows already dressed? I intend to 
butcher and dress them on my own 
farm; would like to know if the beef 
must be inspected by a doctor. 
Orange Co., N. Y. II. c. p. 
The following statement is made by 
the Chief of the Meat Inspection Division 
of the bureau of Animal Industry. This 
covers Federal inspection only. There 
may be a if inspection demanded by the 
local board of health in tlm town where 
you sell the meat. Look that up care¬ 
fully before you begin. 
The Federal ment inspection law and 
regulations refer particularly to inter¬ 
state and foreign commerce, and are not 
applicable unless such commerce is in¬ 
volved. The law provides that Federal 
inspection may not apply to animals 
slaughtered by any farmer on the farm 
and so’d and transported as interstate 
or foreign commerce. Howovo*-, 
such products a v e transported from 
the State the carrier shall require and the 
shipper shall make am] d Tver to the 
carrier a shipper’s certificate in duplicate 
in the following form : 
Date.191.. 
“Name of carrier . 
Shipper ... 
Point of shipment. 
Consignee . 
Destination . 
T hereby certify that the following de¬ 
served uninspected meat or meat food 
products are from animals slaughtered by 
a farmer on the farm, and are offered for 
transportation in interstate or foreign 
commerce as exempted from inspection 
according to the act of Congress of June 
30. 1900, and that at this date they are 
sound, healthful, wholesome, and fit for 
human food, and contain no preservative 
or coloring matter or other substance pro¬ 
hibited by the regulations of the Secre¬ 
tary of Agriculture governing meat in¬ 
spection . 
Kind of Product Amount and Weight 
(Signature of Shipper) 
(Address of shipper)” 
1 
The foregoing certificate should ac¬ 
company products of animals slaughtered 
he a farmer on the farm r<‘ga**d’ess of 
whether the farmer hi»<se1f or other per¬ 
son shins them from the State. In case 
you'* co-respondent forwards no meat or 
meat food product from the State his 
operations are not subject to th* Federal 
ment inspection law. but are subject to 
whatever local health measures are in 
force. R. P. STKOPOM. 
Chief, Meat Inspection Division. 
Slaughter Meat at Home 
The two pictures shown on this page 
were sent us by Mr. Fd F. Seymour, of 
Otsego County, N. Y. Mr. Seymour 
makes a business of raising pigs on 
pasture, slaughtering them at home and 
then selling out the pork to best advan¬ 
tage. He feeds a good deal of swill, and 
when there is not enough of that he 
adds grain enough to it to keep the 
pigs growing. They seem to run at pas¬ 
ture in «uch a field as is shown in the 
pictu-e. although there is not as much 
pasture here as we would like for our 
hogs. Many of these pigs are bought in 
the Soring, although Mr. Seymour says 
he has some brood sows and raises some 
pigs of his own. He Calls the pig a mort¬ 
gage lifter, for he sold 8 1 SOO v*orth of 
dressed oork last year. lie h-d in all 
during the season 102 pigs, and says he 
nev«r lest o>»e from hog cholera. One 
good fifing Mr. Seymour says is that 
while be has had a good many hard 
knocks he does not consider himself a 
knocker. The year 1919 was a hard 
one in the pig business. Prices for stock 
were h'gh, and the cost of g-ain was out 
of sight. After this expensive prepara¬ 
tion. the price of cork slumped until it 
was very hard to get out even. The pig 
business, however, like everything else 
which means a success, is not a job for 
one season, and if a man goes into it 
be must expect to stay in it for a num¬ 
ber of years and balance the good season 
against the poor one. 
These P'gs are butchered at home and 
the dressed pigs carried to market in the 
car. Most of them were sold in Oneouta. 
and the picture shows how they start off 
with the load. We hear a good deal in 
this city about tlie “end-hog” who gets 
ou the end of the car neat and makes 
everybody else climb over him rather 
than give up his place. We see that 
Mr- Seymour has an end-hog on the 
seat with him. This one, however, does 
not crowd and pays for his passage when 
he gets to market. We think that in 
the near future there will be very jnuch 
more of this home-raised meat slaugh¬ 
tered and sold on the farm. With the 
growth of public markets such as have 
been developed around Johnson City, N. 
Y., there will be a good Kale for all 
kind of meat and produce direct to the 
consumer, and this is going to make 
extra business for the farmer who will 
take care of his stock and produce it at 
reasonable cost. 
Ailing Animals 
Answered by Dr. A. S. Alexander 
Sick Cats 
What is the matter with my cats? 
They all get sick and die when about 
three or four months old and almost full 
growu. They get plenty of good milk 
and bread, and all are in healthy condi¬ 
tion until suddenly one takes sick and 
dies, aud the others follow. They have 
a yellow vomiting and wasting away, and 
sit around two or three days doubled up 
and refuse to eat. I have given castor 
oil and sulphur and milk, expecting that 
to help them. I would like to raise some 
eats, as we have quite a few rats and 
must have cats. g. w. 
New York. 
In our experience it is an injurious 
practice to feed cats on new warm milk 
from the cows. They do better if given 
milk that is 12 hours old and from which 
the cream lias been removed. The better 
feed for cats is raw meat. If possible 
change to that feed experimentally. It may 
he added that cats are subject to tubercu¬ 
losis contracted from the milk of affected 
cows. If your cows have not been tested 
with tuberculin that should be done by 
a trained veterinarian. Distemper is the 
commonest and most fatal disease of cats 
and is contagious. On places where it 
has been prevalent all cats should be kept 
immunized by vaccination. That, too, can 
be done by the veterinarian. New quar¬ 
ters should bo provided where the infec¬ 
tion has not been carried. A. S. A. 
Stumbling 
Milton A. Brown, Bristol County, 
Mass., on page 880. says “if a horse 
stumbles on a smooth road, doctor the 
kidneys.” I would like to know what to 
use for a case of kidney trouble. I have 
a mare 11 years old that shows a slight 
symptom of kidney weakness when- she i« 
doing heavy work; then when 1 drive her 
on the road she stumbles pretty often. At 
other rimes she is all right. I.. w. O. 
New Jersey. 
Kidney trouble, commonly considered 
prevalent among horses, is extremely rare 
in our experience, and is not the cause of 
a horse flinching when the backbone is 
pinched at the loins. Weakness of the 
muscles of the loins and actual disease 
of the loins may cause stumbling with 
the hind feet, but other causes are much 
more common. Stumbling with the fore¬ 
feet is not caused by “kidney disease.” but 
by conditions affecting the feet, bones, 
joints, tendons or muscles of the forelegs. 
Bad shoeing or poor conformation, such 
as extra steep pasterns, or “buck knees.” 
also may cause stumbling, as may ab¬ 
normally low withers, heavy forehand, 
etc. Dive us full particulars and we may 
be able to suggest helpful treatment. 
Thin Horse 
My horse is very thin, has had no care 
whatever until I got her recently. What 
should I feed her to get her in good con¬ 
dition again? Is there any powder or 
tonic which I can give her? I have been 
advised to give her bran with flaxseed 
meal, and not give her any grain or heavy 
feed until later on. She chews hm* hay 
and grass all right, but spits it out when, 
it is like a cow’s cud; does not seem to 
eat any of it, and does the same to her 
feed, Let she eats that after chewing it 
UP- M. A. M. 
New Jersey. 
As the mare “quids” her feed it is quite 
evident that the teeth are out of condi¬ 
tion, and for that reason you should at 
once Like her to a competent veterinarian 
for necessary attention. It is probable 
that the trouble is due to sharp points, 
irregularities or a split or diseased molar 
tooth. If she is very old it may prove 
impossible to put the teeth in. such order 
that perfect mastication of feed will he 
made possible. In that event she will 
have to be fed mashes of bran, oilmeal, 
steamed oats or barley, roots aud hay or 
grass; but. it seldom pays thus to fuss 
with an old horse that cannot eat ordi¬ 
nary feed without trouble. If it is found 
possible to regulate the teeth, then feed 
crushed oats and one-ninth part of wheat 
bran dampened with molasses and water 
at meal times, and in addition feed car¬ 
rots and good hay when grass is not 
available. If she fails to plump up when 
she eats well give her half an ounce of 
Fowler’s solution of arsenic night and 
morning until she is in good condition; 
then gradually discontinue the treatment, 
taking at least 10 days to the process. 
Knuckling 
1 have a colt about 314 months old that 
is going over on its front feet—what is 
generally termed club feet It is rather 
young to shoe: in fact, I don’t believe 
shoeing would do any good. I tifiuk the 
back tendons must he drawn. What cau 
I do myself, as it is almost impossible to 
get a veterinarian? It is a very fine, 
well-grown colt, in good condition, and 
seems to be perfectly sound and healthy. 
Virginia. A. R. 
Such a condition usually is termed 
knuckling or cocked ankles. Home treat¬ 
ment will- not be likely to avail. In cases 
which are not helped by shoeing, the only 
recourse is to sever the flexor tendons 
and then give appropriate after treatment. 
That operation can only be done safely 
and effectually by a trained surgeon. In 
many cases, taken in time, we get good 
results from hand-rubbing the tendons, 
flexing the joints and forcing the feet 
flat upon the ground two or three times 
daily. The colt also should be shod with 
shoes having projections, turned-up toes 
and ankle braces to be attached to the 
legs by means of wide buckle straps or 
padded bandages. 
Cough 
1. One of my horses has a cough; 
sometimes he almost chokes, and starts 
pawing with his front feet till he can 
cough. It is hard for him to breathe, as 
if his nostrils were closed, or his lungs 
filled with something; and when he 
takes his breath he has a kind of grating 
noise in hie head. His ears are warm 
sometimes, and sometimes they are cold. 
He eats very little, hardly any hay. and 
when he eats the food drops from his 
mouht sometimes, not always, and also 
when he grinde his grain or hay. His 
jaws seem to jump to one side, as if 
lrs teeth slipped off one or the other. 
Ilis nostrils are wet a little, or watery, 
lie drinks very little water. He has lost 
abort 200 lbs. of flesh in this time. He 
mostly stands hack in his stall, with his 
ears drooped. He had this sickness last 
Fall for a while. I gave him some cough, 
cold, distemper and fever drops for two 
days, and he was well again from then till 
now. I am feeding him oats, ground 
oats, and about a pint of oilmeal at each 
meal with his other grain. 2. Another 
horse has the same cough and hard breath¬ 
ing as the first, hut he has a white dis¬ 
charge from his nostrils. Sometimes it is 
thick and sometimes it is thin. He has 
a good appetite, and drinks well. Can 
yon tell me what to do for these horses? 
New York. jx. w. 
1. It should be apparent that a care¬ 
ful examination of the teeth and mouth 
should he made by a veterinarin in this 
case. In all probability a split, long or 
diseased molar tooth is causing the dif¬ 
ficulty in chewing and cough results from 
the irritation. The veterinarian should 
he able to mend matters in short o'-der 
by use of dentistry instruments. Mean¬ 
while dampen all feed, allow f**ee access 
to rock sa't and give cough medicine, such 
as glyco-heroin or equine cough syrup. 
Carrots would be good for tlm horse. 
Better stop feeding oilmeal. 2. The vet¬ 
erinarian should make sure in both cases 
that glanders is not present, :>« it is char¬ 
acterized by chronic discharge from one 
or both nostrils, as well as couch, a»d 
it is malignant and incurable. G : ve the 
second horse half an ounce of Fowler’s 
solution of arsenic night and morning 
until the veterinarian decides what is 
wrong. 
Umbilical Hernia 
What can I do for a heifer calf with 
a rupture? She is about two months o’d, 
and growing very fast. I thought she 
had a large navel, but a few days ago I 
found it was a rupture. g. a. h. 
New York. 
Tu a majority of eases of this* sort the 
rupture at the navel gradually disappears 
without treatment. This may be hastened, 
however, by applying a little tincture of 
iedin two or three times a week or keep¬ 
ing pressure upon the part by means of a 
Sole-Father truss kept in nlace by a har¬ 
ness having suspender or elastic 'included 
in it here and there to allow free move¬ 
ment of the •abdomen in breathing. What 
has been said relative to rupture at the 
navel is as true to scrotal runture or 
hernia of the bull calf or stallion foal. 
When a rupture oceurs away from these 
parts, however, spontanous recovery rare¬ 
ly occurs, and an operation has to be per¬ 
formed by a uualified veterinarian. In 
cases of umbilical (navel) hernia that 
does not spontaneously recover, the 
simplest method of operating is to pull 
upon the slack skin and sac of the rup¬ 
ture aud include them between wooden 
clamps, such as are used by old-fashioned 
castrators. Sloughing occurs in about 20 
days and leaves the breech closed. Great 
care must be taken not to enclose bowel 
wi'h the skin and sac, and to put the 
damns on so tightly that sloughing will 
certainly be caused. 
Worms in Cats 
Is there any cure for stomach worms 
in cats? We have a pet cat that we 
value and would like to cure if possible. 
She wants something to eat often, aud 
some*inies- throws up long white worms 
which must be the cause of frenueut eat¬ 
ing and not retaining food. She is in 
fair condition and seems all right other 
ways- E. L. o. 
New York. 
Starve the cat for 24 hours aud then 
give one to three grains of santonin, ac¬ 
cording to age and size. Follow in half 
an hour with a dose of casfor oil shaken 
up in milk. If the cat is large add five 
drops of pure turpentine to the dose of 
oil. Repeat in ten days. Ready-made 
worm medicine for cats may sometimes be 
bought at a drug store, with- directions for 
use. 
