Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1901-190?, 1902-10-23
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Observation-Disclosures
We are fast coming to the time of
| year when reports commence TO come
in from the country telling of dire dis
| tress and loss in the corn-stallt fields.
Last year cattle and horses died by
the hundred and all of the deaths were
attributed TO corn stalk disease"
/ disease which is said to be due to a
| germ or fungus spore which Is found
adhering to the leaves and stems OF
| the corn plants. Now as we are
strongly of the opinion that not half
Of the deaths, If that many, are due to
| the said disease, we desire to make
some remarks and give some advice
which may lead many owners of stock
| to save their animals by proper care.
| It is Our opinion that most of the cases
are simply impaction of the rumen or
third stomach with dry masses Of food
which have not had sufficient moisture
TO keep them soft in the digestive
tract. When a steer loads its stomachs
day after day with n great quantity
Of dry, coarse fodder, much of which
Is cellulose and indigestible, the juices
IF the stomach are taxed to their limit
In an attempt to moisten the mass.
It is a law in nature that an over
.axed organ of any kind is bound to
break down after time, and this is
exactly what happens to the digestive
organs OF the steer or other animal.
! For time the beast does fairly well.
The mass of food Is kept moistened
and moving by the natural juices pro-
vided by the secreting organs and by
he churning motion (peristalsls) of
the stomachs. This work goes on well
so long as the work to be done is not
90 hard but after a time the organs
become tired, as it were, with over
work and refuse to work longer. They
nutiny. so to speak, and the result
s impaction and the train of symp-
.oms which are usually attributed to
,orn-stalk disease. The animal first
troops, stands idle with lowered head.
The membranes of the eyes commence
10 look red and then sunken. The
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small mucous or blood-coyered balls
Of manure. The animal now becomes
,razy from reflex irritation trans
| 'erred to the brain and goes dashlng
about or staggers, falls and becomes
nsenslble, paralyzed. and soon dies
Animals are sometimes SO mad under
| .hese circumstances that they chase
|
bitten by a mad dog. At other times
they merely suffer a fit or two, then
TALL dead, and are thought to have
oeen poisoned. Knowing the cause of
the trouble as stated in the above
lines, II should not be a very difficult
natter to prevent this disease so long
as 1t is not caused by specific germ.
In our opinion the way to prevent
.rouble In the corn-stalll fields is, first,
20 very gradually accustom the ami
mails to the change to this class of
,ood. Second to see that they have at
al times an abundance or fresh, pure
water and n good supply of salt, and,
.hirdly, that they are allowed into the
stalk fields for but few hours a day,
and when not in the stalks are fed
an abundance of other foods, such as
hay, bran, roots. ensilage or other
'oods, which will be likely to regulate
the bowels. The state of the bowels
should be the index to the state of the
digestive organs, and 1t becomes the
iuty of the owner or feeder daily to
iote the manure that passes from each
feeding beast, and at once change the
'ood to soft mashes or give a dose of
salts or oil when the first evidences
If commencing impaction or constipa-
lion appear. Taken in time the ami
nal may be saved. Allowed to go
,ostive for even two days usually pre-
vents successful treatment, hence the
Importance and necessity of constant
watchfulness. II has been proved by
experiments that it is not the smut in
,orn fields that does the mischief, and
srgot Is not present, as has been
claimed by some veterinarians who
ought to know better. The annual
losses in the stalk fields are nearly all
due to the culpable carelessness Of the
owners in suddenly turning the cattle
INTO such fields and leaving them there
to feed for themselves without any
supervision whatever. Give the cat.
lie a due amount of attention when
they are turned into the stalk fields
and gradually accustom them to the
change of food and with the above
methods of prevention carefully fol
owed out, the losses will be slight
Lastly, keep horses out of the stalk
aolds. They have no business there
Farmers Review.