Nevada County picayune., 1888-12-19
DISEASES OF COWS.
More Sick AmiIntis Cured by NuSsinl
 Than Ir p12tor.u.. :.


 Than br Doctor
 10 the fa"ner wlodo for5uue, be 1t small or great. is wrapped up in cattle, there i5 no nors inpJetln subject than the dlaeases and accidents that may befall them. In the herd of cows kept for dairy purposes, the death rate is generally calcu ated at ten per cent, and this is liable to be tho case even where d certain r,nnbar Of them arc turned of to the hUtcler3 each year. To be sura. some farmers fare much better than this, but many others do worse.
 If we take tue bloo led herds of tho county WGese the '..5r'.ar ttt5 no 1g- ure in the calcala"5a. ten per cont, will not fairly represent the amount or yearly losses. This feet may not be owing to inherent wealaes5 in the ani- mals themselves, bu5 froGl the peculiar and nursing character of the care that has been bestowed upon the breed, for perhaps centuries baat; they feel at once not only the change of climate of this country. but we Americans have been accustomed to handling much rougher and tougher breed of cattle, and it is perhaps asking too much of us that we should change our natures all at once. and if we do so, we are apt to overdo the matter, and give that care which superinduces tenderness and lla- bilitv to disease.
 With our native stock, the care be- slowed on them is generally sufficient to meet their needs, especially with the matured and grown animals, for they are built on our plan. and know just what to expect, but with the young animals 1t is too often d case Of sur vival of che fttest, for generally they are given but little more attention than is bestowed upon the older ones. lhls is, of course, poor policy, and bad practice. but we must look for a gener- al improvement all along the line be- fore the young things can expect for better treatment.
 If we have properly outlined the | SllllaIlOn. farmer to make the proper provisions to meet the exigencies of each case as it arises. This he should do in two ways. first by informing himself as well as he can as to the needs and re- ouirements of sick and injured animals, and then prepare the proper accommo- dations for them. We would state here a fact that is seldom recognized on the farm. and that is that more sick animals are cured by good nursing than there are by doctoring. While every man should have on the farm lew simple medicines with the necessary syringe and drenching horn, yet the first thing to do when sick animal IS discovered is to make it as comfortable as possible At all times of the year, and especially in cold weather, the sick animal is greatly ill need ot moro warmth. Even fevers do not always do away with this requirement, for 1t is but a short step, as rule, from a
 hill to a fever.
 Along with warmth do not forget drvness, for d damp bed is poor con- fort to the sick. We believe 1t would pay the farmer, wEo has only native l or scrub cattle. to keep a small tent on | hand to raise over those animals found sick in the field and that could not be moved to the barn with any appliance found on the ordinary farm. It would only need a few yards of common cot | ton cloth made little longer than 1t IS wide. costing not over d dollar. This could be raised over the COW, and a trench dug around it to carry off the rain-water, while straw would make a | good bed for the patient.
 As for calling in the services ofa vet i erinarian or writing to the agricultural paper for advice, there are two or three ways of looking at it. The life, or rather the chance of life, with the or dinary animal is rarely worth enough to pay much of fee to doctor it if the veterinarian is, which is rarely the case. within calling distance--that is, the good and intelligent doctor-while the common COW lee"h or wise black smith is a bowling fraud. The family physician is good enough if he will come, The newspapers advice is al ways given with insufficient diagnosis and, fortunately, always comes after | the COW has died or recovered. d.-Aner- icdn DairymIa