The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1921-09-23
.BLACK-LEG NOW QUITE
PREVALENT IN COUNTY
County Agent Stebbins Calls Attention to It. and Care
and Treatment of Herds in Order to Limit the
Ravages of Disease-Fal is Favorable
to Propagation of Bug

at hand there is one very active cat
tie thief working in every portion and
on every range in Valley county. Per-
maps the thief has not visited YOUR
herd yet, but if you do not protect
1T he surely will sooner or later, no
matter how small your herd is. This
thief is very active in the fall and as
soon as it starts to freeze a large
number of farmers and ranchers are
sure to be visited and their herd will
be unfortunately smaller after the
thief leaves, unless necessary steps
are taken to protect their herds, Now
do not wait until "The horse is stolen
before you look in the barn." as the
loss of one calf or yearling will great
ly exceed the necessary cost to pro-
tect your herd, and as soon as you lose
a calf or yearling you get busy and
storm around about your loss. After
few days you make the necessary
arrangements to save the rest of your
young stuff. b..
The Thief
This thief is not visit of a ghost.
nor the wish of mother witch, nor an
unknown mystery. This thief is we'll
known by men. His hiding place is
known and yet we let this thief take
his share every year. The thief can
be imprisoned by science, but can not
ditions, superstitions and unsound the
have been handed down from father to
son for the past three or four gener-
ations. In guarding our herds against
! this thief we must, enter common
sense and science; exit unreliable ira
dltions, superstitions and unsound the
ories.
| Description of The Thief
The writer is going to take chance
and describe in detail the thief and
ask the assistance of all readers to
help protect Valley county livestock.
The thief is an acute, infectious dis
ease OF young cattle, not directly COM
municable from one animal to another,
each animal becoming infected from
common source-the soil. The bac-
terra (bug) enters the body through
a cut or scratch in the skin and multi
plies very rapidly by producing dis
ease fatal in short time. This thief
is known as Blackleg.
Age Limit.
Cattle between the ages of six to
eighteen months are most commonly
affected, although calves from week
or so old upward may be affected. 1t
is very seldom that cattle over two
and one half years old die from Black
leg. The disease takes the fat, grow
ing, thrifty calves and yearlings first.
The thin scrubby stunted calves sell
dom die from Blackleg.
Disease Most Common in Spring
and Fall.
In the fall and early winter, and
again when the frost is going out Of
the ground, the majority of Black
leg cases occur. Low, wet pastures
are more likely to be infected than
bench land portions.
Symptoms of Blackleg.
The onset of the disease is very sud-
den, the calf being first noticed as
standing or lying apart from the other
cattle breathing hard. If forced to
move it is usually very lame. A closer
examination may show a swollen hip
or shoulder. Passing the hand over
the body an area will be found that
crackles or rattles as if the skin was
dry or made of paper. The calf rap
idly becomes worse in from twelve to
thirty-six hours, usually in twenty
four hours or less. Most cases of
Blackleg are found dead in the pas
ture without any disease symptoms
having been noticed. THERE ARE
, NO AUTHENIC INSTANCES OF
RECOVERY.
Disposition of the Carcass.
1t is more important to dispose of
the carcass properly than to vaccinate.
A deal calf of Blackleg is danger
GUS thing, threatening to infect the
pasture for many eyears if it is not
wholly destroyed. Cunning is the most
thorough and least expensive method.
Get an oldhay- rake wheel, an old iron
harrow, or any old iron frame that will
CONTINUED on paoe 81
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