Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-06-11
Garget.

i. b. Arnold contributes to the Lire
Stock Journal an exhaustive article on gar.
get, from which We take the following
He says garget is hardening Of the sub
stance Of the udder, arising from imaamma-
tion consequent upon obstruction in its tubes
or tissues inflammation may precede and be
the cause of the obstruction and the harden
ing, or they may come from external ini6ry.
The udder is divided into four distinct parts,
connected only by membraneous fiaments 80
that an affection Of one part does not neces-
sarily involve the rest
Inflammation is n frequent cause of gar
get in heifers. Previous to birth, and pre-
paratory to the active secretion of milk,
there is, as every dairyman knows, deter
mination Of blood to the udder, swelling its
blood vessels and tissues and rapidly en-
larging the whole mass. In this engorge-
ment of blood, If there is anything in the
way Of free circulation, stoppages are easily
made. To guard against any unnatural in
terruption at such a time, it is important
that the blood should be thin and 10 its
natural condition, aud that the udder should
be free from external pressure or violence.
In heifers this enlargement is not as easily
effected as in older cows, and Instructions
are more likely to happen at the first birth
than afterwards.
To keep down the tendency to inhama.
ton and hardening of the udder, heating
food like cornmeal should be avoided or
fed sparingly, if at all, to heifers. Nor is it
advisable for old COWS at this time A lit
tie oil-meal, rye bran or rye meal may with
advantage form part Of the food before com.
ing in. They act upon the glandular system
and by their relaxing tendency help make
the circulation free and easy. The refuse
of the Touring mill and green food. of any
kind are excellent for milk stock at this
period.
In cows that have been MIXED, garget
frequently ari ses from leaving curdled milk
in the bags when drying them off in the fall
or winter. Milk left in the udder too long,
when cows are dried off, becomes feverish,
curdles, and fills up the milk tubes. The
udder, or so much as is thus treated, swels
up at once, becomes inAamed, and some.
times the inflammation does not subside be-
fore the flow starts again in the spring.
This often results in case of incurablc gar
get, and loss of one-quarter or more of
the bag. If the inflammation subsidies, leav.
ing slugs of clotted milk, they will be in the
way when the new milk comes again, and
choking up the tubes will give rise to a new
inflammation and more curdling, aud case of
garget less severe perhaps than that instan-
ced above, will take place, but not without
danger of spelling the part involved. Great
care, when drying off COWS, is necessary to
prevent inflammation of the bag, and oOnse.
quent thickening of the milk. The time
from one milking to another should not be
so long as to give rise to any extra warmth
or swelling of the bag. If either Of these
symptoms appear, daily milking should follow
till they entirely subside. have observed
more cases of garget and loss of teats from
carelessness and neglect in drying off COWS
than from all other causes combined If the
milk should chance to become thick, it must
be worked out. If it will not come away
readily by milking in the usual way, the
bag should be rubbed down and manipuIa-
ted till it is all worked out.
Bruising the bags when COWS are giving
milk is another case Of garget. lnaamma-
tory action, whether local or general, causes
milk to curdle. Where cows bag is heated
so that the bruised part becomes inAamed,
the milk which lies in contact with the in-
famed part soon coagulates and stops the
passage, which is more easily done by reason
Of the inAamed part.
Garget often occurs in seasons of drouth
| When water becomes scarce, so that the herd
cannot get full supply, the cows, especially
those giving large messes, soon become fever
ish aud the udder feels the feverishness
even more than the rest of the animal. From
the deficiency of the water, the blood be.
comes less thick than usual, augmenting the
difficulty. In the elaboration of milk the
substance of the milk glands is decomposed
| and under a state Of inflammation the work
is imperlectly done, the minute vessels al
the extremity Of the milk tubes become
clogged, the elaboration of the milk Is
checked, the inAammatory action is again
aggravated, aud the bag by the engagement
Of fluid is hardened into a case OF severe
garget. Cases of this kind are most likely
to occur with large mixers and those with
Aeshy udders. Under all circumstances
COWS with udders are the most liable to at.
tacks of garget.
A full supply Of water is of course The
preventive of cases like the above, and il
about as good an agent to remedy them
when they occur as anything that can b.
prescribed,
There are various other causes that con
tribute to the hardening of the udder, sucl
as irregularity Of milking, worrying the cows
especially when their bags are full, feeding
with an excess Of heating food, etc., which
need not be noticed here particularly,
The farmer who fully appreciates how
much better prevention is than cure, will
seldom have occasion TO use remedy. Blu
cases will sometimes occur, and when the,
do, sure relief may be afforded by prOpe
treatment.
In cases which are not very severe wash
ing the bag two or three times day witt
water will be sufficient. Many recommen,
cold water but warm water is much better
Cold water will produce, by reaction, RUS
Of blood to the parts chilled, and counteraoI
J in part, its efficiency. Warm water will a
any time reduce Inflammation, by an externa
app ,ieation, more rapidly than cold, If tn
bag is MIXED out clean, this treatment wi
generally be sufficient.
In severer cases, internal remedies ma
accompany the bathing Poke root, CRATE
aud given in mess Of feed, is the commo
: prescription, and, though | can sec no reasO