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-Devoted to Agriculture, Horticulture, Mechanics and the Ireful Arts.
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D. P. Holloway ¥«.  T. (
Dsxsis, R. T. Reed—Editors.]
RICHMOND, OCT. 15, 1856.
(Holloway & Co., Publishers.
\ Vol. V, No.   20.
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Tlie Bloody illurra'si— What is it J
Ed. Ohio Farmer—In a late number of
tlie Country Gentleman, I find the following
article which is entitled " Bloody Murrain
in Cattle," which so entirely mistakes the
nature of the disease and the mode of prevention, that I feel constrained to furnish
you with certain facts, which are incontes-
tably true, and which to my mind (and I
think to the minds of your readers,) will
satisfactorily account, for the cause, and explain the nature, and curability of this mysterious disease.
But, first, here is tho article alluded to:
"Messrs. Editors—In your pnperof the
29th, I noticed an inquiry by J. M.of Noyes,
this State, in relation to thc Blooy Murrian-
Having had some experience in this disaese,
or rather having formerly lost a number of
cattle by it, I think lam somewhat prepared
to venture a few opinions and suggestions in
has been supposed by some
purpose. The real remedy consists in prevention. Let me say to your correspondent
—give your cattle good timothy; red top, red
or white clover, and plenty_of salt and ashes
(two parts of the farmer, to one of tho latter) twice a week, and not allow them wild
food, and they will r;o longer be troubled
with Murrain. B. J. Harvey.
Adrian, Lenawee county, Michigan.
In reply to this, let me give you my experience. In the summer of 1848, I went to
Indiana, and in one of the most swampy
districts of that State, bought up a lot of cattle which I designed to 'winter over.' On
the road home, (to Licking county,) I lost
two or three, steers by bloody murrain. After arriving at home, the disease continued
among them, and was, in every instance, fatal. Every cure I could hear of was tried
without success; so that in all, I lost five of
my largest steers in this way. The obstinacy of the disease excited my curiosity as to
its cause, and I accordingly made a postmortem examination of the last of the five.
Opening the stomach first, I found abundance of blood, but the closest scrutiny did
not indicate the vessel from which it came.
No inflammation was apparent. During a
long and careful examination, no clue offered
itself to solve the secret that was perplexing
me, until I happened to observe that the
gallbladder was full of blood, instead of
the ordinary greenish secretion. This seemed to narrow the circle of enquiry.    I corn-
regard to it.    It nas
that the disease is occasioned by the animal's j menced a careful inspection of the gall and
swallowing  leeches  with their drink, and liver.    In handling the latter, I observed an
unusual projection standing out from its plain
surface. This projection was about a third
or half of an inch in length-, and resembled,
as much as anything else I can at present
think of, the nib of a pen, only not so pointed, and several times thicker. Its color was
of the kind. I am fully convinced that it is j exactly that of the surrounding liver. In
caused by the kind of food the animal gets, moving this, I discovered that it was  some
some have affirmed that they have, on a post
mortem examination, found them attached
to the stomach or intestines of the animals.
But I havo examined a number of cattle of
my own that have died with this disease, and  could  never   discover anything
as suggested by your correspondent —-whether bv one or more vegetable products, I am
unable to say.
When this section of the country was
new, and cattlo lived almost wholly on wild
grasses aud other indig-neoi-s products, to
hear of their dying of Murrain was an almost daily occurrence. But as soon as the
fanners began   to have tame feed, as  the
foreign substance projecting from a hole in
tho liver. Cutting carefully beside it, it was
in a moment extracted, and a large and unquestionable leech lay before me. I was satisfied that the cause of disease had been
reached, but in searching further, six addi-
titt.tal leeches were brought to light, all of
which were found in one lobe of the liver. I
could plainly see the course which each had
term was, the Murrain was less frequent;-and taken, channels having been cut in various
directions, through which they had evidently
passed.
it is a rare thing to hear of a case.
As to remedies, I have tried them  to  no
I