The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-27

 Ea from a disease affecting the ner- Vous system, popularly known as blind staggers or forage poisoning. The Department of Agriculture has received urgent requests for help against this disease from 16 different states, and as a result it is now pub fishing a bulletin containing definite instructions for combating this dis ease
 The states that appealed to the De- partment of Agriculture for assistance include the following:
 Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Loui- siana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregonss South Carolina, South Dakota Vir-' ginia, w. Virginia
 This shows the unfversaIity of the disease. Kansas and Nebraska bore the brunt of the aff1iction during the past year but other states have also suffered seriously. Kansas has had more than her share. Severe out breaks extended over almost. the en- tire State in 1891 and since that date have recurred with equal severity on tive occasions in various portions of the State.
 The bulletin takes notice of the fact that additional deaths have un- dodbtedly been due to the use of fake s'cures" sold by interruptions persons. It is reported that in Nebraska .fblack lex vaccine was used on at least r. 
 which are said to have died as a direct result
 Investigators have practically es- tabHshed that this horse disease can be controlled effectively only by a total change of feed and forage It is quite obvious that there is di- rect connection between the green forage, exposed pastuFage and new 1y cut hay or fodder which The horses eat, and this cerebro-spinal meningf- armT n-,Sr.- fists. In fact. eating of such forage when contaminated is undoubtedly the most important cause. Over 95 per cent. of cases of this disease in Kan sas and Nebraska during the out break of 1912 were maintained under such conditions
 Great care must be taken that horses do not obtainethe dangerous forage unknown to their owners. The owner-of one farm informed the De- partment's investigator that his dead horses had eaten nothing but old hay and grain sBut what about the cIosely-crop- ped grass in this pasture ?'' remarked the investigator, noticing the adjacent @Oh!'' answered the farmer inno- cent1y.sI always turn the work horses Into pasture over night"
 Many horses have died from blind Btaggers caused by eating mo1dy baled
 
 mated the disease ceased. Other horses in the vicinity not fed usson this hay failed to contract this dis ease Later some of the mo1dy bales were opened and exposed to the sun. for three or four weeks. After this the day was fed to horses without producing any i'll leffect- Forage poi sontng, Therefore, seems not to be an infection, but rather what is called ~.auto-fntoxdcations'- is, it is due %sw4- formed by the activity of internal or ganisns- These pofsons may be pres ent when the forage is taken into the body or may be formed in the stom- ach- The nature of this poison is stE11 unknown
 Characteristic Symptoms
 Of This Disease. When the horse is taken with the blind stzSgers it usually exhibits a disturbance of the appetitet, depres- sion and weakness, while there is trouble in swallowing, dropping of the head and s1eepiness which may give way to excitement and attacks of dig xfuesz- The vision is impaired, which results in the staggering gait that gives the disease its popular name. Certain muscles of the neck and Hanks are cramped and. there is grin ding of the teeth Sometimes the animal has pains as though it were afflicted
 
 strangely if i'm an open space and will fry to push through any obstacle 1t encounters In the stable he will press his head against the stall or rest crowd into corner. The ten1pera- fure atSthe beginning of the disease z ranges frSm 1o3 to 1O7 degrees F. but within 24 hSurs the temperature falls and eventually becomes sub-normal. The animal Is often down on the sec- @%v-r74 f7-. q get up when urged Death usually oc- CUTS in from four to eight days, al- though death may follow within ten hours of the first symptoms, while chronic cases have been known to last for three weey1s- About 90 per cent. of the affectfd animals die.
 Medical Treatment Generally Unsat-
 isfactory.
 While medical treatment in the vast majority of eases has not brought re- suits. nevertheless if it is used at all it must be prompt and before the dis ease has had time to run The diges- tive tract should be cleaned out thor oughIy at once. Active and conceu- trated remedies should be given. Af- fhcted animals, however, have great difficulty in swallowing immediately after being taken. so that these rem edies must generally be given by in lection Arecolin in one-half grain doses, sub-cutaneousIy, has given good results as purgative. Early in the disease urotropin in doses of 25 grains dissolved in water and given by the mouth every hours, appears to have been responsible for the re- covery of some cases of the Inalady
 After the animal has been purged the treatment varies according to the symptoms. The following measures have been recommended:
 The first and most important: Feed only clean we1l-cured forage and grain and pure water
 CaIomel. saloI, and sadicylic acid, to disInfect iEtestines.
 Mild antiseptic mouth-washes are advisable.
 @hmfpAa anld-water infections. if the