The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-10-21
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 Wisco7 sin Dairymen's Association.
furnishes the following facts:
The cows experimental with were bott.
natives and about eight years old. One
designated as the ssred COW" was farrow
and was being fattened for the butcher.
The other. q black COW, was giving about
FIVE 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 husking-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 benches of considera-
bic size. Il was fed dry mixed with
bran, half IN the morning and half Al
night The smallest amount of smut fed
on any one day was six ounces and the
largest amount sixty-four ounces. The
experiment began November 10. &
The red cow was a greedy. hugt
feeder and soon nccepted her quarters
The black COW was nervous and more
uneasy in her partial confinement
November is the black COW refused to
eat all the bran and smut mixture. leav-
ing about two-thirds of it. For couple
Of days again she ate it all, and then
grew so Indifferent that she would scarca-
" taste it, and on the twentythird 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 seemedto thrive freely, when .
Sudden change came. On the morning
of the Path she refused her food, but 1T
that time exhibited no signs of pain. At
nine o'clock she was found lying down
and soon gave evidence Of great suffer
ing. Her temperature fell rapidly ard
athaf 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 q line with back; hard
breathing and groaning; spasmodic con-
fractions of the body; horns and legs
cold, the latter stretched out stiffiy and
hoofs rattling~ when shivering,o some
frothing at the mouth, from which also
flowed quite quantity of thin. yellow
ish fluid. No feces passed after She lay
down. but passages had occurred during
the night. The excrernent was some
what watery and Of peculiar bIackish
color. s.. q S. I.
Inan 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 Ill effects followed.
With these experiments Professor
Henry concluded It is fact that cows
are liable to die suddenly and without
warning when they eas smut in large
quantities. He also believes II is quite
evident, too, that smut is not. an active
poison in. moderate quantities In .
word. he considers that the principal
danger from this cause lies in turning