Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-03-20

CATTLE VERMlN.
Treatment Necessary TO Remove tho Nox.
fnus PeAta. 10 !

treatment NcocfHHry 10 NcmoNc the NON-
ious Pests.
Under this head might be mentioned
q very long list OF injurious parasites.
external and internal, but at the present
time we wish to mention only the moro
prevalent and intolerable pests which
make the lives of cattle, calves and
sheep burden to them at this season
of the year, when discomfort is severe
tax and greatly hinders thrift md
health. We need mention no more than
the lice which infests cattle and calves
and the ticks which annoy sheep to
have quite as much as will afford mat
ter to fill the space at disposal at this
time. Many wrong notions are preva-
lent in regard to these noxious pests.
It's often supposed that they are "bredn
by the weakness and ill-health of tho
suffering animals. This error was
taught not many years ago by that pop
ular and experienced writer upon cattle,
Youatt, who, in an essay once written
upon this subject for publication by tho
Society for the Diffusion of Useful
Knowledge" made the statement that
the common parasites were bred spon-
taneously by diseased matter. Truth
circulates slowly, while error spreads
with great rapidity and takes a strong
hold upon the popular mind. And so
it is that thousands Of farmers believe
at the present day that lice are 'natur-
all to weakly calves and ticks to un-
healthy sheep, and that it is useless to
try to relieve the tormented creatures of
their pests. Now we might as well
believe that calves and lambs are ''nat-
ural' to meadows and pastures, and are
bred spontaneously by the land and
the grass, without any process of gene
ration and birth, as suppose that lice are
bred in this way, without the interven-
ton of parents and the common pro-
cesses of generation. The principles of
life and reproduction ore the same for
all living matter, vegetable and animal,
and no living organism can come into
existence without systematic process
of generation and reproduction, and if
we could destroy entirely every single
louise or tick in the world to-day, or at
any time, there never would be seen one
single other one in the future. There
fore, farmer may be encouraged to
get rid of these pests in the hope that if
his stock and barns and sheds are once
free from them they may be kept free
from them by careful watch against
their future introduction from abroad.
Nevertheless, it is quite true that vermin
are encouraged by ill-health and un-
thriftiness, and that they subsist upon
diseased matter. This is an example
of great and universal fact in nat
engaged always in. the work of
getting rid of the weak and poor crea-
lures which cucumber the world with
out profiting it, and when an animal
fails in health it soon becomes the prey
of parasites which quickly end its life,
when finally "the worms consume it.
The first care then should be to main
tain every animal in perfect health and
condition, when parasites can not exist
upon it, or if they attack it by contagion
from infested animals, it is able by its
own strength to defend itself from the
attacks. But the next care is to relieve
the wretched creatures which are slowly
consumed by these pests. We recently
saw a miserable calf upon whose bacl;
lice were gathered in close masses
until the skin was wholly covered in
large patches and was quite raw and
exuding matter in many places. Such
cases are unhappily too frequent and
whenever they exist we would urge ON
readers to lose no time in taking means
to destroy the pest
There are two effective means of ex.
terminating these vermin, carbolic acid
and sulphur. The old-fashioned RENE.
dy, mercurial ointment, is too danger.
Gus to use, except in experienced hands
and then may do more harm than good
by absorption through the skin. Car
bolic acid in the proportion of one par
to one hundred of warm soapy water i:
the safest and easiest remedy. The
affected parts should be thorough,
washed with the mixture and dried will
soft cloth, and if mixture of on
part of the carbolic acid with fifty part
of raw linseed oil or sweet lard is ther
applied to the skin and well rubbed int
the hair or wool, nothing further neet
be done except in bad cases. A com
mon application, and good one, is &
mixture of four parts of lard one par
of kerosene oil, and one part of sulphur
we'll rubbed into the skin and hair. Bu
some internal remedy is required, anG
there is nothing better than warn
comforting mess of linseed or oatmea
Cruel given once day, and bellyfu
of good clover hay, with half q pint o.
cornmeal. This will make new Great
ures of the suffering animals, whethel
they are COWS or oxen or calves o.
sheep.-Ren,y SteOart, in N. Y. Times