The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-08-29
Farm anu GarDcn.
The Cattle Plague.

colnIioH-seHseu, 1ntelgent person, 1Or me 10 say
that we are all living in an age of humbugs.
We have had our lion age, our golden age, our
age OF great and good men, and are all now living
in an age of humbugs. Humbug clergymen can
be found anywhere, humbug politicians can be
found everywhere humbug lawyers and doctors
can be found, probably, in any and every com
munity But of all the humbugs in this or any
other age, the greatest humbug is the pretended
scientific man, dubbed professor. OF all ami
mails, he is the wisest ass, which lives moves and
has a being These asses can be found in all the
professions and paths of life. Your little boy
bruises his leg and you send for the sef-conceited
| quack surgeon, and forthwith this scientific sur
geon commences to anputate the boys leg, with
out even inquiring whether or not the leg may
| not be saved to the boy and restored TO health.
come to her death, and let the cry be raised that
! the woman is murdered, and the doctors be call.
ed in, with murder running rot in their scien-
life brains, and every old brick and post in the
,eller on which may have lain piece Of meat,
Or hung chicken, will bristle TO these excit-
u stAtIlIlIC uOctDTs, Will tLe DloOu VI pun,
murdered woman. Some farmer is digging
we'll on the prairie and his spade strikes an
I'D sunken limb of some gnarled oak, which has
ain under ground since the flood: Tho self
;onceited zoologist pronounces this petrifed
imb the bone of some mastedon, which trod these
,rairies long before the buffalo, deer and elk had
local habitaton and name. The bone is at
3nce shipped 10 the scientific in the European
world, and has wider run than while in its
reign upon is parent trunk To fully illustrate
ny idea | must be permitted 10 recall an Incl
lent which came under my swn observation.
n boyhood, while attending school in Bethel,
Oxford county, Maine, there was scientific man
.nong the good people of Bethel, who had
laine for every rock and every flower, and who
lnew everything and more too. a farmers
lub was organized, and the question, 'why do
clhe sheep eat more than black ones z" was I'M
Ter discussion. The club, finally, unable to ar.
rue, referred the intricate problem to this scien-
ifc man among them. This man of science
abored some three months, watching the habits
4 sheep, run through al his works on zoology,
Will 4Due W lNc 4llel!s
.uced al elaborate pamphlet and submitted the
anne to the Bethel Chi. The pamphlet main
ainef thai black color absorbed more heat than
White, aud, as "A consequence, black sheep would
warmer Than whi tc ones, and, matter OF
curse, white sheep would require more food
han black ones. In the meantime, honest
Id farmer who had raised sheep from boyhood
p 10 old age, by exercising good, common sense,
olyed the problem satisfactorily to the club and,
!.lso, to the man OF science by saying the reason
Why white sheep cat more than black ones is,
because there are more of them.
While in New York, at III. Democratic Ma
ional Convention, saw a large flag thrown to
he breeze on Broadway, on which was printed
S large as life, a stately looking rooster, head
ess and without any appearance OF ever having
NY head. Thousands especially Of the scien-
iic. were rashing to see this wonder in science,
rooster. born without head. \ sensible old
adv, who lived lust out OF New York, and who
ad raised ROSTERS and knew them like book,
aid that tho rooster was born with head and
hat some cruel New York cuss had cut off its
aGal anu LNEHru ILls cklIl NpNH ONtE lLG Ntcs,
ust as she did when she roasted one. This led
an enquiry and was found to be true. The
'olice got after the cruel cuss and the rooster,
I'd the men Of science were seen no more on
Broadway. Just say parenthetically that the old
ady added, ''that this headless and harmless
ooster aptly illustrates the blacl-and-tan candi-
ate for the presidency.'0 Bully for science!
5ut, when this writing fit came over me, de-
igned 20 make some observation. upon the cattle
Hague in Illinois, and the scientific men who
re Investigating the causes thereof.
OF course, if person lis murdered in town,
nd stranger happens to be in town at the time
the murder, he viii be charged with the crime.
Row, Il native cattle die in large numbers in
Champaign county and Texas cattle happen to
c any where in the county, they will be charged
With communicating the disease. Now, notice,
attic in Champaign and Ford counties are dying
(f some unknown disease. Texas cattle
lerding in these counties The cry is raised
" SRierestCd stock rasers of this state that the
leap Texas cattle are diseased, and the scientific
re summoned to investigate and report. Pro-
eSsor piniEce Has HIS lheory' Ilelolleu III with
he people in their cry against the Texas cattle.
On examination no finds native cattle have died
n large numbers, in town where no Texas
attic have been berded for the season and, when
n fact, never were herded any Texas cattle. And
lere is stumper on the Professors theory, and
ciencc must bend to his theory, andnot his theory
10 science