The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-10-17
PERILs OF "HAIR BALLS"
A New Horse Disease Discovered in Delu
ware,


New Horse Disease Discovered In Della
Anew trouble assails the mush-afaict-
ed farmer. From various parts of the
country, but most particularly from
Delaware, comes the wall of the chair
ball." 1t is a killer of horses, and those
animals are dying of it in considerable
numbers.
The department. of agriculture has
received recently a good many ''hair
balls" They are the queerest looking
things imaginable. You could scarce
ly realize that they were not manufac-
tured articles. Picture to yourself 4
perfectly spherical ball, about the size
Of a baseball, of a yellowish brown
color. 1t is very hard, so that one would
suppose it TO be heavy; but it is very
much lighter than an equal bulk Of
cork. Such a ball four inches in diam
eter weighs less than five ounces. It
seems to be made of felt, and when
cut open it is found to be solid and to
consist of the same felt-like material
throughout. Upon examination under
a microscope, the mass proves ia be
composed of minute stiff hairs, pointed
at n end, and about one-tenth of an
inch in length.
Such is the new plague that has at
tackled the horse. The balls are found
in the stomach Of the animal. Thirty
of them, of greater or less size, are said
to be taken from one horse that died
ashort time agonear Milford, Del. These
balls plug up the intestines, thus pre-
venting the onward movement of the
food. Peritonitis ensues, followed by
gangrene. and the unfortunate beast
dies after q few hours of intense suf-
fering. It is not surprising thatfarla-
ers should have been greatly puzzled
as to the nature and formation Of the
balls. However, the explanation ~
simple enough. ri
The introduction of crimson clover
as a. forage. plant into the United States
is comparatively recent. AS is the case
with many other species of plants, parts
Of it Are hairy-notably the calyxes
of the flowers and the stalks Of the
flower heads. In the early life of the
crimson clover these hairs are soft,
but later on they become hard and
bristly, and the microscope shows that
their surface is covered with barbs.
If a horse is fed with hay that,is made
from the fully matured crimson clover,
there is pretty sure to be formed an
accumulation of the little hairs in the
stomach of the animal. They hang to-
gether by the barbs, and the sphere thus
formed is steadily increased in size by
the subsequent additions. Eventually
it stops up the intestine, interfering
with the vital functions. Hence the
trouble of which the farmers Of Della.
ware and elsewhere are complaining
just now.
The occurrence of hair balls in the
stomach Or intestines of horses, and
more commonly of cattle or sheep, is
familiar to veterinary surgeons. Usual
ly such balls are composed of hairs
taken into the stomach little by little
when the animals are licking their
coats. These finally become matted
into spherical concretions. In the sem
ter of the ball is frequently found q nail
or some other hard object, around which
the first hairs wrapped themselves.
Such hair balls sometimes consist Of
the so-called "beards," or awns, of oats,
barley or other grain.
The department of agriculture Gd-
vises the farmers never to feed crimson
clover to their stock after the plants
have ceased Towering, and especially
never to use for fodder the Atraw o fcrim-
son clover raised and threshed as a
seed crop. The dangerous hairs do not
become stiff until the plant has passed
the Towering stage, and has begin'ta
ripen.-St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Heading yer on