Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-03-06
He Need Not Have Died.
A STEER KILLED BY A CONSTANT DIET
OF CORN STALKS AND STRAW.

j. s., Kankakee, ILL.,: Please tell me
what allied my two-year-old steer, which
was in good condition. On Tuesday
morning we noticed that he was walk
ing as if dizzy. We put him in the
barn; where we gave him about quart
of raw linseed oil, which did not help
him any. Then We gave him pound
and half Of epson salts, which did not
help. Then We gave another quart Of
raw linseed oil, which did not move his
bowels. He had high fever twice, and
at last could not get up. He drank q
little water but did not eat. he died
Thursday afternoon. Examining him
we found his bowels to be all right, but
his liver and lungs were covered with
blood. His feed was cornstalks, in the
field, In good weather, and straw and
shredded fodder when it was stormy.
He had good water to drink, and got all
the salt he needed.
Your steer, l think, had one form Of
the so-called cornstalk disease, 80 preva-
lent in your state and in some others.
know of no remedy for this other than
for the corn growing states to abandon
some of their old-time customs in feed.
ing their cattle microbes and spores on
vegetation and dried up, frostbitten
cornstalks to rasp the digestive tract,
thus furnishing plenty of opportunity
for germs to infest, even when the dry
cornstalk don't impact the bowels.
Your treatment was all right, but had
you put your stalks In silo and fed
them az silage, with some hay and wheat
bran or linseed meal, the losses that yon
sustained would not have occurred. 1t
is reports of securing cattle, impacted
manifolds, gastric fever and kindred
diseases that every year we look for
from Southern New Jersey, Southern
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois
and Iowa. All can safely be called corn
stalk effects. When 1t is not the tearing
of the Intervals with the dry stalk 1t is
the germs in the mouldy, shredded fod-
der. l don't know when these con-
ditions will cease. at was fathers
practice, and | can't abandon it." seems
to be the prevailing excuse.
1t seems to be impossible for us to un-
learn the things taught us in our youth
which were erroneous. We are much
like the fellow, who through careless
ness was losing his cattle. When the
hired man came in and told him another
COW was dead, he rolled over in bed and
said: "Well, John, bury her." An
hour later the man came in and said:
"Another COW is dead" The answer
was the same, "Bury her." The wife,
being more spirited, said: "Why don't
you get out and 60 to doing something's"
Shortly after the man came for the third
time and reported another COW dead,
when the wife said: "John, this is
judgment of God resting upon you for
your sinfulness and lack of energy In
caring for your CATTLE" To this threat
John turned and said: "Don't you real
ize, if the Lord has any judgments against
me, that l can pay them off in cows
easier than any other way?" am sorry
to say there is by far too much Of Johns
logic being used in animal management
the land. The Lord doesn't
hold many judgments against the farmer
who studies diligently to so feed and
care for his animals that they will not
be sick. Now please don't consider this
a slap at you. 1t is not 80 intended at
all. You ask advice and l give it to
you. Manage in your feeding so as to
abandon the cornstalk disease.-C. D.
Smead in Tribune Farmer.