The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-25
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CORN STALK DISEASE AND 4 s''' I K. 4
ITS EFFECT ON CATTLE
Various
by Prof. r. A. Craig. Purdue Asrieultural College.


Many theories as to the cause OF
cornstalk disease have been advanced,
but none Of them has proven satisfac.
tory. In its carly history stockmen
were OF the opinion that eating the
corn smut caused sickness and death
among animals pasturing in stalk
fields. The popular opinion regarding
the disease producing properties of
smut led to large number Of feeding
tests. These tests and the observa-
tions Of stockmen as well have proven
beyond doubt that corn smut In 1t.
self is not poisonous to animals pas
turing on stalks.
Billings attributed cornstalk disease
to germ infection. The infectious germ
he believed identical with bacillus
which produced a. disease of corn
known as corn blight or Burrill dis
ease. Cultures of this bacillus from
the tissues Of cattle that had died in
the fields. when fed TO rabbits or in.
jected into the tissues caused death
within few days. A pure culture in.
jected into the jugular vein OF calf
caused death In two days, Later in
vestigators demonstrated the nonin.
fectious character of the Burrill bacil.
lus by feeding cornstalks affected with
this disease. Furthermore, a bacterial
examination OF the organs of cattle
that died in the stalk fields showed no
single species of bacteria constantly
present. t
BrimhaIl found that all outbreaks of
so-called cOrnstslk disease occurring
in Minnesota were not this disease but
specific affection caused by a cocco.
bacillus, and known az haemorrhagic
septicaemia. The clinical symptoms
occurring In the latter disease differ
In many respect from the former, In
that they do not so closely resemble q
toxic poisoning and are not as uni
formly nervous in character. At the
outset of haemorrhagic septicaemia
there 10 usually high fever, diar.
rhoeal discharges may occur. blood
stained urine is sometimes passed, and
symptoms of severe congestion and
Inflammation of the lungs may be
manifested. The postmortum LESSONS
are often marked, as would be expect.
ed in disease of this character.
Mayo describes two outbreaks of
poisoning in cattle resulting from feed.
ing on corn fodder containing q large
quantity Of nitrate Of potassium. BE-
meath the leaf sheaf which surrounded
the stalk the nitrate had crystallized
in fine white crystals that rcsembled
white mold. A chemical analysis of
samples Of stalks from the fields where
the poisoning Occurred showed 1873
per cent. of potassium nitrate. The
occurrence Of nitrate In perccptible
quantities in cornstalks Is, without
doubt, very rare, as none OF the later
investigators has reported crystals
in any form as E-csent beneath the
leaf sheath or in the stalk.
After a careful study OF cornstalk
disease, Moore stated that the accumu.
lated data indicated a disease of q
toxic nature. The character OF the
poison was not determined but 1t ap.
peared to be restricted to tho corn
plant. He considered the observations
made by Mayo of much importance. as
the finding OF poison In cornstalks
grown under certain conditions might
afford \ key to the cause of the dis.
ease. A WI n
During the summer Of 1901 Peters
investigated a number Of deaths among
cattle that resulted from feeding on
growing sorghum. In most fields
where loss was reported the sorghum