The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1901-01-31

Experiences with Btont
r. B. Linield. Of the Utah Expert
ment Station. has the. following to say
Of their experiences with bloat. when
ieeding COWS on alfalfa Qucern):
A very great drawback to pasture
feeding In this state Is the trouble
with bloat when there is any lucern
In the pasture. / have seen something
Of the trouble with bloat In the east
where clover was %pastured. yet 1t can
hold no comparison with the danger
from loss on alfalfa or lucern. l pre-
sumo there are thousands of dollars
lost In the state every year from this
trouble, and with very many farmers
lucern is discarded entirely as a pas
ture fodder, because of the danger to
cows or sheep from feeding upon 1t.
1t might be of value to others to
record here a little of our experience
with bloat during the past I'VE or six
years. Our practice in feeding has
been to let the pasture get a good start
In the spring before the cows are
turned upon It. 1t must not be for
gotten that the pasture is made up OF
quite a variety of grasses. SO that the
cows have q large number to select
from when turned out. The cows are
always well filled up on dry hay before
being turned on the pasture. and fol
the first two or three days q mar 10
kept with them continually, provided
with a stimulant, and with = trocar
and canula. The stimulant we have
used to advantage in the early stages
of bloat Is a tablespoonful of turpen-
tine in a quart OF linseed oil. When
once started on the pasture the cows
are kept on 1t continuously night and
day, and they have the run OF the
whole pasture. An irrigation stream
is constantly running through the pas
ture, SO that the cows never have to
leave the field except for a short time
twice a day. when they are driven
into the corrals to be MIXED.
Under the management above de-
scribed we have had animals bloat
slightly. but have lost but one from
this cause In six years. and that re-
suited from a transgression OF u
usual practice. There is considerable
lucern in the pasture. cannot say
that like favorable results will always
follow from the management described
above, but at least the results are en-
couraging. | want In this connection
to note an exception. There was one
COW in the herd that we could not
safely pasture. Whether she had been
in the habit of bloating before we
purchased her l do not know. though
l am inclined to think she had. We
tried her on the pasture for a few
months. but finally had to take her of
and feed her in the stable on green
soiling crops. generally lucern. When
fed in the stable on the green, though
slightly wilted lucern. we had no trou-
BILE with the COW till in the fall after
the lucern was frozen.
1t would seem that We would be JUS
tilted in drawing the conclusion: first,
that as some cows are more subject to
bloat than others, therefore the condi-
ton Of the digestive apparatus of the
cow has some relation to the cause OF
the trouble. In the second place, fresh
lucern, in the field, seems TO be more
dangerous than that which is partly
wilted. The difference in Its effects.
however, may be due to the fact that
the lucern which was cut and fed In
the stable was more matured than that
in the pasture. When the cows have
the run of the mixed grass pasture,
with an abundant water supply always
available, and the cows are kept on
the pasture continuously, night and
day, the danger of bloat seems to be
reduced to a minimum II care Is ex-
ercised in starting them on the pas.
ure in the spring.