The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-05-16
CATTLE DISTEMPER OR SPEMIC
FEVER.

MIR. OR:-The time for this dis
ease to make it's appearance will soon
be here and if any of our farmers who
are engaged in a cattle industry should
be so unfortunate as to have to contend
with the above-named disease, my ex-
perience may be worth something to
them 1t is not my purpose, however,
to try to prejudice any of our people
against Western cattle being used here
for beef, for they have some advantage
over our cattle in that respect, but
want to warn our people against allow
ing Western cattle to pasture with our
improved or native cattle, the latter be-
ing less liable to take the disease. This
disease is, in my judgment, the greatest
cattle plague known to us in this Sec
tlon of country. It is not communi-
Gated to cattle from one field to another;
diseased cattle driven over land infect
ing other cattle feeding on the same
land, or passing along the same road.
1t IS not safefOr our cattle to be allowed
to Craze in a pasture where thes3 dis
eased cattle have been for thirty days
after. Some of our veterinarians claim
that the germs are surely killed by the
first frost, but that has not been my
experience. 1t is, however, not so de.
structive after frost as before, but
nothing short of a good freeze will
check the disease for the season. Our
cattle can be pastured with infected
cattle after a good freeze, and no signs
of the disease will be seen during cold
weather The germs remain in cattle
until hot weather, when the disease will
thoroughly develop and none except
a close observer, and his experience
with cattle will detect this disease in
our cattle until they are in three or
four days of death. l have never
known any disease among our domes
tic animals that is attended with such
intense suffering in It's latter stages.
And yet if taken hold of in it's initial
stage, cattle can be cured, l think,
without injury to their constitutions.
The stage of incubation is from three
to six weeks in hot weather and the
blood undergoes, a material change. A
marked symptom is an increase of
heat from 103 to 1O6 degrees; the pulse
rises from As or so beats a minute up
to 120 beats minute. Yellow matter
is discharged from mouth and nOstrils;
the animal assumes a peculiarly de-
jected look; the back is arched; the
fanks become hollow; the gait I'm
steady the cough is more or less fre-
quent; the urine is highly colOred; its
face becomes scanty and a reddish dark
color. l made a thorough examination
of some of my cattle that died with
spemic fever, as I was anxious to know
how they were affected. There is but
little trace of the disease in the three
first stomachs, but the fourth shows
congestion; the gall bladder is filled
with thick, dark cOlored bile; the Sc
cretion in the bladder is usually b oody.
The spleene is much affected and en-
larged. Ny treatment for this disease
is a simple one that any one can use
who keeps COW or few yearlings,
and a very successful one if the disease
is taken hold of in its initial stage. l
am satisfied that no treatment we can
give will prove satisfactory, if the dis
ease is not taken hold of in it's first
stage. My mode of treating will be
given any one upon application. I
have learned by experience that sui
phur is very good to keep in the
trough where stock are fed to prevent
taking disease. It also causes the ticks
to drop off cattle which are very an
noying to cattle in some sections of our
State. "An ounce Of prevention is
worth a pound of cure" any time.
F. 2. WILLIAMS
Raleigh, N. @