The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-09-23
Feeding Corn Smut.

The contradictory opinions entertained
by farmers in regard to the poisonous
qualities of corn smut and the current
reports of cattle dying from this cause
led to the experiment of feeding it to
two cows selected from the farm herd at
the University Experimental Farm, Mad
ison, Wis. A report of this experiment,
given by Professor w. A. Henry and in
corporated in the tenth annual report OF
the Wisco sin Dairymen's Association,
furnishes the following facts:
The COWS experimental with were both
natives and about eight years old. One
designated as the cred cow was farrow
and was being fattened for the butcher
The other, black COW, was giving about
live quarts of milk per day. Both ami
mails were in good condition. They were
placed in comfortable quarters and al
lowed two hours exercise during the
middle of the day. Each was fed five
pounds of bran morning and night and
what meadow hay they could eat. In
addition to this the red COW received at
noon each day peck of ears of corn,
chopped in small pieces. The smut was
saved by the men at huslling-time and
all fed previous to November Is was
carefully cleaned and sieved, in order
that so far as possible nothing but pure,
clean spores should be fed. On and
after the 18th the smut was prepared by
simply freeing it from the corn stalks,
leaving it often in punches of cOnsidera-
BILE size. 1t was fed dry mixed with
bran, half in the morning and half at
night The smallest amount of smut fed
on any one day was six ounces and the
largest amount siXtv-fOur ounces. The
experiment began November TO-
The red COW was q greedy, huge
feeder and soon accepted her quarters
The black cow was nervous and more
uneasy in her partial confinement
November 16 the black COW refused to
eat all the bran and smut mixture, leav-
ing about two-thirds of it. For a couple
of days again she ate it all, and then
grew so Indifferent that she would scarce
ly taste it, and on the twenty-third day
of the month was turned out with the
rest of the cattle as being smut proof.
The red COW ate all that was given to
her and seemed to thrive freely, when a
sudden change came. On the morning
of the 9th she refused her food. but at
that time exhibited no signs of pain. At
nine o'clock she was found living down
and soon gave evidence of great suffer-
ing. Her temperature fell rapidly and
at half past eleven o. clock she died. Her
symptoms during sickness were loss of use
OF limbs; head thrown forward so as to
bring nose on a line with back: hard
breathing and groaning; spaSmodic con-
fractions of the body; horns and LEGS
cold, the latter stretched out stiffly and
hoofs rafting when shivering; some
trothlng at the mouth, from which also
flowed quite quantity of thin, yellow
lsh mud. No f2ces passed after she Law
down, but passages had occurred during
the night. The eXcrement was some
what watery and of a peculiar blackish
color
In an experiment on this point by Pro
lessor Gamgee, under the direction of
the department at Washington. smut
fed when wet produced noill effects, and
when fed dry at the rate of thirty-six
ounces per day caused the COW to lose
flesh. No other i'll effects followed.
With these experiments Professor
Henry concluded it is fact that COWS
re liable to die suddenly and without
arning when they eat smut in large
quantities. He also believes it is quite
evident, too, that smut is not an active
poison in moderate quantities. In n
word, he considers that the principal
danger from this cause lies in turning
cattle into stalk fields, where they often
gorge themselves with dry, indigeslble
corn fodder and smut. Professor Gam
gee recommends for animals sick from
this cause some purgatIve, as II pound of
EPSON salts or pint of linseed oil for Il
grown animal and to induce the animal
to drink water as soon as possible ~
y. Worid.