1576 
The  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
December  29,  1923 
Live  Stock  Questions 
Answered  By 
Dr  A.  S.  Alexander 
Age  of  Mule 
How  can  you  tell  a  mule’s  age,  and 
how  old  does  a  mule  get?  A.  s. 
New  York. 
The  dentition  or  teething  of  a  mule  is 
practically  the  same  as  that  of  a  horse 
of  which  animal  it  is  a  hybrid.  Like  the 
horse  the  mule  tends  to  live  as  long  as 
its  teeth  perfectly  can  masticate  feed, 
provided  it  is  at  all  times  given  an  ade¬ 
quate  supply  of  nutritious  feed.  The 
molar  or  grinding  teeth  gradually  descend 
in  their  sockets  as  the  grinding  parts 
wears  off.  When  the  age  of  20  years  is 
attained  the  grinders  are  much  worn 
and  always  tend  to  become  irregular  so 
that  they  do  not  grind  properly  unless 
attended  to  by  a  veterinarian.  The  sharp 
points  of  the  grinders  (molars)  next  to 
the  cheek  in  the  upper  jaw  and  next  to 
the  tongue  in  the  lower  jaw  become 
sharp  when  the  animal  is  eight  years  old, 
or  thereabout,  and  should  be  filed  down 
each  Spring  and  Autumn  to  make  masti¬ 
cation  of  feed,  especially  roughage,  readi¬ 
ly  and  perfectly  done.  The  first  set  of 
incisor  or  nipper  milk  teeth  present  in 
the  front  of  the  upper  and  lower  jaw 
until  the  animal  is  2 %  years  old  or 
thereabout  are  pearly  in  color,  smaller 
than  the  permanent  incisors  and  have 
not  the  yellow-brown  mark  running  up¬ 
ward  from  the  gums  seen  in  adult  horses. 
The  incisor  milk  teeth  are  replaced  by 
permanent  incisors,  as  follows:  The  mid¬ 
dle  pair  at  about  2 y2  years,;  second  pair 
at  about  3 %  years;  corner  pair  at  4 y2 
to  5  years ;  tushes  or  bridle  teeth  come 
in  at  about  4^  to  5  years.  There  is  a 
cup  or  cusp  on  the  grinding  surface  of 
each  incisor  tooth,  above  and  below,  that 
is  dark  in  color  and  termed  the  “mark.” 
This  mark  wears  out  of  the  middle  pair 
of  incisors,  below,  at  about  six  years;  the 
next  pair  at  about  seven  and  the  third 
or  corner  pair  at  about  eight  years  of 
age.  Then  the  marks  disappear  from  the 
upper  middle  pair  of  incisors  at  about 
nine  years,  second  pair  about  10  and 
corner  pair  at  10  to  12  years.  After 
eight  years  one  has  to  judge  of  the  age 
largely  by  the  state  of  wear  of  the  grind¬ 
ing  surfaces  of  the  incisors  which  year 
by  year  become  more  and  more  triangu¬ 
lar  and  directed  forward.  As  the  animal 
ages  the  temples  also  show  grey  hair  and 
the  depressions  above  the  eyes  become 
deep  while  the  lower  jaw  bones  become 
sharp  where  they  previously  were  fleshy. 
The  veterinarian  also  takes  into  consid¬ 
eration  the  appearance  of  the  grinders 
(premolars  and  molars),  but  that  scarce¬ 
ly  is  necessary  for  the  layman. 
is  present  in  mammitis  or  garget,  in  that 
it  is  not  hot,  painful  or  red  in  color  and 
that  it  pits  or  dents  under  pressure  of 
the  fingers.  In  many  instances  the  pres¬ 
sure  of  blood  is  so  great  and  the  removal 
of  venous  blood  so  imperfect  that  the 
walls  of  some  of  the  tiny  blood  vessels 
(capillaries)  rupture,  whereupon  blood 
escapes  into  the  tissues,  the  milk  secret¬ 
ing  sacs,  chambers,  alveoli  or  acini,  as 
they  are  variously  called,  and  may  be 
stripped  out  in  a  pure  form,  or  stains 
the  serum  or  lymph  red.  This  presence 
of  blood  or  of  bloody  serum  often  is  found 
in  aggravated  cases  of  congestion  of  the 
udder  before  calving  and  after  calving 
the  milk  is  bloody  or  pure  blood  may 
come  for  a  time,  instead  of  milk.  Over¬ 
feeding  and  lack  of  exercise  before  calv- 
those  forming  the  true  joint.  That  is  a 
much  worse  sort  of  spavin  than  the  visi¬ 
ble  one,  generally  called  a  “jack”  spavin 
by  horsemen.  Lameness  due  to  an  occult 
spavin  is  practically  incurable.  That 
due  to  a  visible  bone  spavin,  especially 
a  large  one,  is  curable  by  the  operation 
of  line  and  point-firing  and  blistering  to 
be  followed  by  a  six  week’s  rest,  tied  up 
in  a  stall.  To  test  for  a  spavin  that  can¬ 
not  be  seen  and  to  prove  that  the  hock 
is  seat  of  the  lameness  apply  the  hock 
test,  as  follows :  Have  the  mare  led  out  to 
halter  and  instruct  the  attendant  to  trot 
her  forward  when  you  give  the  word  of 
command.  Now  pick  up  the  foot  of  the 
lame  leg  and  hold  it  up  to  the  mare’s 
belly  so  as  to  tightly  shut  the  hock 
joint.  Hold  it  in  that  position  for  three 
or  four  minutes ;  then  drop  it  and  give 
the  word  “go.”  If  the  hock  is  the  seat  of 
the  lameness  the  animal  will  now  hop  off 
on  three  legs  for  a  rod  or  so,  or  at  least 
go  very  much  lamer  than  before  the  test. 
If  found  necessary  to  treat  by  firing  and 
blistering  a  qualified  veterinarian  should 
On  page  1529  we  told  of  a  “ton-litter”  raised  by  II.  0.  and  II.  B.  Ilarpending  of 
New  York.  Here  is  a  picture  of  this  Berkshire  litter,  born  May  IS,  1923,  weighing 
n  oo  a  n.  .  tvt _ _ v  -*  t 
2,364  lbs.,  November  17. 
ing,  lying  upon  a  concrete  floor,  chill  of 
the  udder  in  some  other  way  and  in  some 
instances  bruising  between  the  thighs 
when  the  cow  is  made  to  run  or  walk 
far  causes  the  blood  in  the  milk.  It  sub¬ 
sides  when  regular  milking  has  been  done 
for  some  time  and  the  milk  veins  are  per¬ 
fectly  performing  their  function.  Pre¬ 
ventive  treatment  consists  in  reducing 
rich  feed,  enforcing  daily  exercise  with¬ 
out  undue  bruising,  persistent  massage 
of  the  swellings,  stripping  away  a  little 
of  the  fluid  and  rubbing  in  warm  melted 
lard  at  night.  Cover  the  concrete  floors 
with  cork  brick  or  boards. 
do  the  work,  possibly  putting  the  mare  on 
an  operating  table  and  ..under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  an  anesthetic  to  preven  undue 
suffering.  He  will  then  instruct  you  how 
to  give  correct  after  treatment.  Slings 
may  be  used,  if  necessary,  to  keep  the 
unare  on  her  feet  while  resting  but 
usually  are  unnecessary. 
Surprising  “Come-Back” 
"Veterinarians  said,  'better  kill,  than  try  to 
cure  so  bad  a  case’.  1  had  not  used  him  for 
three  months  before  I  wrote  for  your  free 
book  It  is  six  months  since  I  stoppedltreat- 
tnent  and  there  is  not  a  mark  of  the  trouble 
left.  After  I  started  treatment,  I  worked 
the  horse  and  he  was  cured  In  about  two 
months."  L.  J.  Cornwell, Watertown, N.Y. 
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Color  Your  Butter 
“Which  weeds  are  the  easiest  to  kill?” 
asked  the  city  chap  of  the  farmer. 
“Widows’  weeds,”  replied  the  farmer ; 
“you  have  only  to  say  ‘wilt  thou’  and 
they  wilt.” — The  Lyre. 
“  Dandelion  Butter  Color  ”  Gives  That 
Golden  June  Shade  which 
Brings  Top  Prices 
Before  churning  add  one-half  teaspoon¬ 
ful  to  each  gallon  of  cream  and  out  of 
your  churu  comes  butter  of  Golden  June 
shade.  “Dandelion  Butter  Color”  is  purely 
vegetable,  harmless,  and  meets  all  State 
and  National  food  laws.  Used  for  50 
years  by  all  large  creameries.  Doesn’t 
color  buttermilk.  Absolutely  tasteless. 
Large  bottles  cost  only  35  cents  at  drug 
or  grocery  stores. 
Wells  &  Richardson  Co.,  Burlington,  Vt. 
Lame  Mare 
Cause  of  Blood  in  Milk 
What  causes  cows  to  give  bloody  milk 
for  several  days  after  becoming  fresh? 
This  has  occurred  with  nearly  all  of 
them  during  this  last  year.  They  give 
bloody  milk  from  two  or  three  days  to 
a  week  ;  then  the  milk  is  apparently  all 
right.  The  cows  are  kept  with  good  care 
in  a  warm  stable  although  not  too  warm  ; 
stand  on  cement  floor  but  are  well  bed¬ 
ded.  c-  J- 
New  York. 
It  should  be  understood  that  when 
calving  time  approaches  the  udder  be¬ 
comes  engorged  with  blood,  that  being  a 
necessary  condition  that  materials  for 
milk  secretion  may  be  stored  up  in  the 
tissues.  The  flow  of  blood,  for  a  long 
time,  earlier  than  that,  also  brings  to 
the  udder  materials  from  which  true 
milk  secreting  gland  tissue  is  formed. 
That  explains  the  gradual  enlargement 
of  the  udder  which  should  take  place  in 
every  well  bred  and  well  fed  heifer.  In 
the  adult  cow  the  large  flow  of  blood  is 
for  the  purpose  of  milk  elaboration.  The 
arterial  blood  flowing  into  the  udder  dis¬ 
tends  the  tiny  blood  vessels  (arterioles) 
and  if  the  veins  do  not  perfectly  remove 
the  used  blood  and  its  waste  products 
some  of  the  liquid  portion  of  the  blood 
flows  out  into  the  surrounding  tissues. 
This  escape  of  lymph  enlarges  the  udder 
or  causes  the  swollen  'or  caked  condition 
noticed  by  the  attendants  or  owners  and 
when  excessive  causes  a  dropsical  condi¬ 
tion  called  edema  or  an  edematous  swell¬ 
ing.  The  enlargement  is  different  from 
that  seen  in  true  inflammation,  such  as 
I  have  a  mare  which  weighs  1,050  lbs., 
nine-years  old,  always  fat,  an  easy  keeper. 
She  ran  in  pasture  when  not  working 
during  Summer;  work  was  light  and  lit¬ 
tle  on  the  roads.  The  last  few  weeks 
when  taking  her  from  the  stable  I  have 
noticed  in  the  left  hind  foot  she  walked 
on  the  toe  until  she  would  go  for  five 
minutes  or  so  then  she  would  walk  natu¬ 
ral.  \Ye  have  a  man  here  who  practices 
some  as  a  veterinarian.  He  says  the 
symptoms  are  bone  spavin.  There  is  no 
swelling.  If  it  is  bone  spavin,  is  there 
anything  to  be  done?  c.  J.  w. 
New  York. 
The  veterinarian  was  perfectly  correct 
in  surmising  that  a  bone  spavin  is  the 
probable  cause  of  the  symptoms  described, 
hut  a  careful  examination  is  necessary. 
A  bone  spavin  occurs  as  a  hard  or  bony 
enlargement,  bunch  or  lump  on  the  inner, 
lower,  front  surface  of  the  hock  joint 
just  at  the  top  of  the  large  skin  or  can¬ 
non  bone.  On  examination  you  will  no¬ 
tice  a  large  vein  running  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  hind  leg  and  crossing  the  hock 
joint.  That  vein  (Saphena  major) 
usually  crosses  the  hock  at  the  seat  of  the 
spavin  and  just  in  front  of  the  chestnut 
or  horny  excrescence  which  you  will  see 
at  that  point.  Look  from  between  the 
mare’s  fore  legs,  comparing  the  contour 
of  one  hock  with  the  other ;  then  look 
from  an  angle  from  the  side  of  the  mare, 
in  front  of  the  stifle  joint  and  then  from 
between  the  hind  legs,  the  tail  being  held 
to  one  side  by  an  attendant.  When  the 
visual  examination  has  been  made  feel 
the  part  with  the  fingers.  If  you  cannot 
detect  a  lump  such  as  we  have  described 
the  spavin  may  be  a  hidden  or  occult  one 
among  the  bones  of  the  hock,  especially 
We  sell  DIRECT  FROM  THE  FACTORY. 
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“Just  What  Cows  Need 
To  Increase  Milk  Yield” 
Dairy  experts  say  that  an  increase  of  only 
10%  in  milk  yield  will  double  the  net  profit 
in  the  average  dairy.  How  important  it  i3 
then  to  get  from  every  cow  the  last  ounce 
of  milk  of  which  she  is  capable. 
The  milk-making  functions  of  the  cow — her 
digestive  and  genital  organs — are  the  key  to 
the  milk  yield.  Sluggish  organs  mean  a  low 
yield,  plus  a  tendency  to  disease. 
Kow-Kare  has  a  definite  medicinal  action 
on  these  organs — tones  them  up  to  greater 
health  and  activity.  As  a  preventive  of 
disease  and  an  aid  to  greater  milk  yield  this 
famous  remedy  adds  to  its  friends  each  year. 
John  Peters,  Meservey,  Iowa  says  :  "One  of 
my  new  milch  cows  was  giving  about  ten 
quarts  to  a  milking,  when  she  suddenly  fell 
off  to  less  than  half  that  amount.  I  gave 
her  the  Kow-Kare  treatment  for  six  days  and 
it  brought  her  back  to  her  full  flow,  and  she 
is  now  better  than  ever.  I  gave  some  of  the 
medicine  to  my  other  cows  and  every  one 
of  them  improved.  Kow-Kare  is  just  what 
cows  need.  I  shall  tell  my  neighbors  what  a 
fine  cow  medicine  this  is.” 
G.  P.  Lanterman,  Dexter,  N.  H.,  writes  us ; 
"I  have  used  Kow-Kare  for  three  or  four 
years  and  can  recommend  it  to  all  having 
cows.  With  this  alone  I  have  cured  all  ail¬ 
ments  that  cows  are  subject  to,  and  as  a 
milk  producer  it  has  no  equal.” 
Thousands  of  dairymen  write  us  of  the 
wonderful  results  of  the  Kow-Kare  treatment 
for  such  cow  diseases  as  Barreness,  Abortion, 
Retained  Afterbirth,  Scours,  Bunches,  Milk 
Fever,  Lost  Appetite.  It3  benefits  are  so 
prompt  and  sure  that  those  who  try  Kow- 
Kare  always  keep  it  on  hand. 
As  a  general  conditioner  and  aid  to  greater 
milk  yield  the  usual  dose  is  one  tablespoonful 
twice  a  day,  one  week  in  each  month — at  a 
cost  of  one  cent  a  day  per  cow.  Our  free 
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Feed  dealers,  general  stores  and  druggists 
sell  Kow-Kare,  large  size  $1.25,  medium  size 
65c.  If  your  dealer  is  not  supplied,  order 
direct.  We  pay  postage. 
DAIRY 
ASSOCIATION 
CO.,  INC. 
Lyndonville,  Vt. 
Makers  of 
Bag  Balm,  Grange 
Garget  Remedy, 
American  Horse 
Tonic  and 
Horse  Comfort 
FREE 
BOOK 
