Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-06-09

troublesome ana destructive TO cultivated
plants and animals are those known as
microscopic fungi, and there is not a
plant or animal on this earth which is
not, under certain conditions, liable to
the attacks of these minute pests. Even
the hair on our horses and cattle is often
infested with vegetable growth which
destroys its elasticity and renders it as
brittle as glass.
The grains in our fields are attacked
by rust, smut, and mildew, as are also
many kinds of fruits, these being the
vulgar names of the various kinds of
microscopic fungi which grow, bloom,
and ripen their spores, as those minute
organs are called which perform the
functions of seed. There are also giant
species of parasitic plants, like the mis-
tletoes, which sometimes destroy the
largest trees of our forests; but they are
not sufficiently common to do much
harm, or of any special interest to the
agriculturist, the minute species being
the most formidable, and causing the
most severe losses to both the farmer
and fruit-grower.
To write the natural history of the
most common species of parasites infest-
ing cultivated plants and domesticated
animals would require volumes; conse-
quently we can only briefly touch upon
the general principles which govern
their multiplication and the best meth.
DDS of repelling their attacks. It would
appear from a general view of the habits
of the minute parasites, whether of the
animal or fungoid tribes, that their
special mission is to hasten the destruc-
ton of the feeble among their natural
victims and avoid the strong and vigor-
,ous. For instance, if farmer neglects
his horse, giving him only poor, innu-
triious food, and compelling him to
sleep in a filthy yard or stable, with all
surroundings of nature to cause gen.
eral debility, millions of parasitic enc
mics, lowering about, pounce upon the
unfortunate brute, adding to his miser-
les and fastening his destruction. If
his feet and legs are constantly covered
with filth, fungoid diseases, known as
grease, foot rot, or thrush, appear on
them, eating into and destroying both
horn and flesh. If grooming is neglect
ed in summer, the eggs of the bot fly re-
main on the hairs of his legs and breast
until licked off by his tongue aud car
ried into the stomach, where they soon
hatch and become troublesome bot
worms or larvae. If kept in filthy stables
in winter, lice multiply in his hair, the
mango mite burrows in his skin, the
hair comes off, and deep and trouble
some sores are produced. With clean
stables and good grooming such para
sites would be destroyed; and even if
the animal could have unrestrained lib
erty in the open air, he would probably
be able to resist these attacks, provided
the climate was not too severe. lntes-
final worms invariably appear when the
animal is kept upon poor food, because
he is unable for want of strength to re-
sist their attacks, and the poor old
neglected horse is the natural and prin-
cipal prey of both internal and external
parasites.
Among cattle the same principles hold
good. Wet pastures, filthy, muddy
yards, exposure to severe storms, with
insufficiency of good nutritious food,
destroy the natural protection to the
is an invitation to all the hordes of par
asitic enemies ever present awaiting
victim. It is not medicines that the
stock owner should seek, but preventives,
and these are always to be found in
proper care and food. HorfAail and
wolf-in-the-tail are imaginary diseases
that have their origin in exposure to
cold storms and an empty stomach. In
festival worms never bother the sleek,
well-fed horse or OK, because they are
.abundantly able to resist the attacks OF
auch Insignificant natural enemies.
Mango in horses, cattle, sheep, dogs,
and. other animals, means filth and un-
favorable surroundings, and while it
may spread from the unhealthy to the
healthy and well-cared for, it is always
readily cured among the latter.
If we pass from animals to plants, we
find that the resistant theory still holds
good, aud that the apple-tree that is
carefully and literally fed is always able
to resist the attacks of the various
species of bark-lice and similar parasitic
enemies. Of course we must make ex-
captions with respect to trees planted in
unfavorable soils and climates, for in
such cases weakness and general debility
follow from other causes than lack of
,sustsnance and care, and there may be
instances where over-stimuiation will
produce unhealthiness in both plants
and animals; but these are comparatively
rare An animal may become too fat
by generous feeding, with little or no
exercise, but parasites seldom infest the
overfed, while they are certain to attack
the poor and feeble.
Mildew on plants is usually attributed
to unfavorable seasons, which is no
ioubt true; but it is the extremes in tenn
perature or some hygrometric condition
that weaken the vitality of the plant and
make the conditions favorable to the at
tacks of the microscopic fungus recog-
nized as mildew. Our grasses are FREE
quently attacked by mildew during the
summer, after several days of cloudy
weather, which prevents the leaves from
performing their proper functions; but
several cold dry days may produce the
same results; and this leads us to believe
that any extreme which weakens vitality
is favorable to mildew. The finding of
bacteria in the branches Of peach-trees,
or Of . particular species of fungus on
the curled leaves in spring, is no indica-