The Project Gutenberg EBook of Pratt's Practical Pointers on the Care of Livestock and Poultry, by Pratt Food Co. This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Pratt's Practical Pointers on the Care of Livestock and Poultry Author: Pratt Food Co. Release Date: September 25, 2005 [EBook #16744] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PRATT'S PRACTICAL POINTERS *** Produced by Bruce Albrecht, K.D. Thornton, Janet Blenkinship and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net PROFITABLE LIVESTOCK HE PRATT FOOD COMPANY OF CANADA, Limited, maintains its established position of leadership, after nearly half a century of business service, because of the sustained good will of those whom it serves. Better products than anyone else could produce, plus expert, personal, whole-hearted service, built that good will. And retained it through all these years. It was the constant aim and effort of those who founded this business, and of those who have carried out the founders' work to the present, to anticipate the needs of the industry, to co-operate with the individuals in it, to show their vital interest in the success of their customers. These principles of business practice won the good will that established this company as the authority in its important field. Our future success depends upon the continuance of that good will. Our appreciation of that fact is your best assurance that in the future the services of this company, as well as the superiority of its products, will justify the confidence and good will of the thousands to whom the name of Pratt is but another name for Quality and Service. INTRODUCTION HORSES SHEEP CATTLE SWINE POULTRY PROFITABLE LIVESTOCK INTRODUCTION Animal husbandry is the sure foundation of profitable, permanent agriculture. Where many animals are kept and their manure properly cared for and returned to the land, the soil becomes richer and crop-production steadily increases. And the farmer grows rich with his land. Further, the keeping of live stock distributes the farm labor and the farm income over the entire year. This is true whether meat, milk or eggs are the money crops. And certainly both factors are worthy of consideration from a straight business standpoint. With labor as valuable as it is at present, lost time cuts into the profits. And when the income is regular, not concentrated in a short period or dependent upon the success of a single crop, the matter of farm finance is much simplified. Consider the richest and most desirable agricultural sections of our great land. With very few exceptions, the best and most valuable farms are those which are heavily stocked with domestic animals. Here, too, are found the finest farm homes, the most prosperous and contented farm families. And this fact, which is so well established that it requires no argument, plainly shows that animal husbandry pays. In the following pages you will find much valuable information regarding the proper care—in health and sickness—of horses, cattle, swine, sheep and poultry. We trust, and believe that you will find it most helpful in connection with your work. That it will enable you to be more successful, earn bigger profits. Right at the start we wish to emphasize two facts which are really fundamental and which are recognized by the most successful stock keepers. The first is this: It does not pay to keep scrub stock, animals which cannot under any conditions give the big returns. The second: No animal, regardless of breeding, can do its best work unless it is kept in perfect physical condition. The selection of your animals is up to you. Get good ones. Than keep them good and make them better. The Pratt line of stock and poultry preparations, regulators, tonics, disinfectants and remedies, will help you greatly. Made for nearly fifty years by America's pioneer concern in this line, each article is the best of its kind, each is backed by this square-deal guarantee—"Your Money Back If You Are Not Satisfied." PRATT FOOD COMPANY Philadelphia Chicago Toronto THE PRATT GUARANTEE "Your Money Back If YOU Are Not Satisfied" The Pratt Food Company believes in fair play. We desire that our millions of customers shall receive full value for every cent they spend in purchasing our goods. And to that end we spare no expense in making each article in the Pratt Line just as good, just as efficient, as is humanly possible. More than that, we wish each customer to be completely satisfied. If for any reason any article bearing the Pratt trade-mark fails to give such satisfaction, the full purchase price will be refunded on demand by the dealer who made the sale. You can buy and use Pratts Stock and Poultry Preparations with fullest confidence because you are protected by The Guarantee That Has Stood For Nearly Fifty Years Copyright, 1919, by Pratt Food Co. While the automobile and the tractor are now doing much of the work formerly done by horses, the "horseless era" is still far off. A good horse will always be worth good money, will always be a desirable and profitable member of the farm family. But the undersized no-breed specimen will be even less valuable in the future than in the past. The great demand for horses for army use and the high prices paid by the Government, tempted horse breeders and farmers to dispose of the fine specimens which alone met the exacting requirements of army buyers. It will take years to make good this tremendous wastage of horse flesh. But this is a big opportunity for breeders of good horses and we may expect them to make the most of it. Prices of really desirable horses are now high. If you have a good one, take good care of him. Protect his health, lengthen his life. If you must buy, be sure that you get a sound animal which will serve you long and faithfully. See the horse in his stall. If he has a spavin he will hop on one leg when made to "get over," or jerk it up as he backs PERCHERON HORSE CLYDESDALE HORSE out if he is affected with chorea (St. Vitus' dance). In the latter disease the tail is suddenly raised and quivers when the animal backs out of stall. Watch to see if the horse "cribs" and "sucks wind": also that he is not vicious in the stall. Stand him at rest on a level floor before exercise. If he is lame he will rest the sore foot. Examine both sides of the horse. The dealer may stand the "bad side" next to a wall. Pick up each foot in turn. Suspect something wrong if he wears bar shoes, special shape shoes, leather soles or rubber pads. Remove all such things and examine carefully before buying. Englewood, Colo. I have had many dealings with rundown horses, both in the draft and hot blood classes, and Pratts goods have always brought them out on top. JAS. S. KINSLEY, JR. Reject for contracted feet, steep heels, shrunken frogs and bars, dropped soles, corns, quarter cracks and signs of founder. See that hoof dressing does not cover evidences of un-soundness. Following bad attacks of founder the hoof grows out long at the toes, shows marked grooves and ridges, is convex at the points of the frogs, and the horse tends to thrust his forefeet out in front when standing and walks and trots on his heels. Ringbones are indicated by hard bony enlargements on the pastern; side-bones, by similar enlargements at the quarters just above juncture of horn and hair. Examine front of knees for scars indicating results of stumbling and falling. Similar scars on the inside of knees and fetlocks indicate objectionable cutting and interfering. Shoulders and hips should be smooth, well covered, and free from tumors or sores. No sores should be seen on back or top of neck under collar. Examine teeth for age and soundness. See that eyes are of like color, are sound, and the eyelids whole. The horse should allow one to examine his ears, and should neither hold them absolutely still nor keep them constantly moving. Still ears may indicate deafness; restless ones, poor eyesight or nervousness. See that the horse goes sound and does not "roar" when galloped. Give him all the water he will drink before testing for "wind." It will bring out the characteristic symptoms of "heaves" if he has been "doped." Heaves is indicated by labored bellows-like action of the abdominal muscles when breathing. Examine the nostrils, as sponges or squeezed lemons may have been inserted to hide roaring. Madison, Wis. I think every man that owns horses should have Pratts Animal Regulator on hand. I am a teamster and find it of great benefit to my horses, whether run down or not. HARRY E. BURMEISTER A spavined horse starts out lame for a few steps or rods and then goes sound. A lame shoulder causes dragging of the toe and rolling when in motion. A ring-bone causes an extra long step and lameness increases with exercise. Stifle lameness causes walking on the heels of shoe and consequent wearing of the iron. Hip lameness causes outward rolling of the leg in trotting, and wasting of the muscles of stifle and hip leads to a characteristic drop. See that the horse's tail is sound, has not been joined on and is free from sores, tumors or evidences of recent docking. Always remember to back the horse up as well as drive or ride him and see that he is not only sound and gentle but suitable for the special work he will be required to do. Care of the Horse A grown work horse requires daily about one pound of grain (concentrate) for each hundred pounds of live weight. Of hay he will need a slightly larger amount or about fourteen to eighteen pounds a day, according to size, weight, and character of work done. The idle horse will do well on less grain and more roughage. For a farm horse, 10 pounds of oats, 5 pounds of corn, and 3 pounds of bran, divided into three equal feeds, will make a suitable ration for one day. The corn may be fed at noon to give variety. For the evening meal crushed oats, bran, and a few handfuls of cut hay, wetted and salted, will be relished. The bulk of the hay should be fed at night, and but two or three pounds of it at noon, during hot weather. Avoid dusty hay. Clover hay is apt to be moldy. It is suitable food for work horses, or idle drafters, if sound and not too liberally fed. Increase the corn in cold weather. Omit it in hot weather entirely. Alfalfa is of high feeding value, but if moldy, or fed as a well-nigh exclusive ration, is apt to affect the kidneys injuriously. It is deemed unsafe food for stallions, as it is said to induce impotence or sterility. Horses should drink before they eat, unless they have ready access to fresh water. It is best to allow drinking water often in small quantities, even if the horse is hot. So used it will not hurt him. The horse's stomach holds three and one- half gallons. Water flows through the stomach along seventy or more feet of small intestine, into the "waterbag." Hay is not digested to any extent in the stomach. That organ cares for the concentrated food. Theoretically, a horse should drink first, then eat hay, then grain. Practically no great amount of water should be taken just after a meal as it tends to flush undigested food out of the stomach; nor should it be given soon after a meal. All stables, pens, out houses, poultry houses and yards should be regularly disinfected every week; nothing better can be used than Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. This preparation is entirely free from all dangerous substances, arsenic, mercury, etc., but full of medicinal qualities and properties which make it most effective without the dangerous results which are experienced with many other preparations, such as carbolic acid, etc. It kills disease germs and prevents contagious diseases from spreading. Farm horses do not need blanketing in the stable under ordinary circumstances. A thin sheet in the stable keeps off flies and dust and is necessary. Pratts Fly Chaser is a proved and safe fly repellant. It does not gum the hair. Its efficiency is unequalled. If a horse sweats under the blanket, uncover his rear parts. Always tuck the blanket about a horse's chest when standing on the street in inclement weather or when cooling off. Rubber loin covers, used on carriage horses in wet weather, should be perforated. In the spring, the amount of Pratts Animal Regulator given should be somewhat increased. This will put the horse into condition in much less time, and be of great assistance in helping to shed readily. Winthrop, N.Y. I have used Pratts Animal Regulator for the past three years and have found it very successful with both horses and hogs. THOS. J. O'DONNELL. Insure Live Stock Health and Vigor Don't permit your hard-working, heavy-producing or fast- growing animals to become run-down and out of condition. It's much easier and less expensive to keep them right than to restore them to perfect health. The regular use of Pratts Animal Regulator absolutely insures health and vigor in live stock of all kinds. It keeps healthy animals in the pink of condition; it quickly puts half-sick, unprofitable stock in the money-making class. Pratts Animal Regulator, America's original guaranteed Stock Tonic and Conditioner, is not a food. It is a combination of roots, herbs, spices and medicines which sharpen appetite and improves digestion, regulates the bowels, makes rich, red blood, and naturally invigorates the organs of production. It promotes growth, improves health and strength, increases production. And all at very little cost. Packed in handy cartons, pails and boxes. The larger sizes are more economical. If Disease Appears, Cure It Quick Early treatment is most necessary. Do not let the disorder become firmly seated before you attack it. Keep these Pratts Remedies on hand and use them at once if needed. Delay may mean the loss of a valuable animal. PRATTS COLIC REMEDY A quick certain cure for colic and acute indigestion in horses. Has a record of 998 cures out of 1,000 cases. Keep a bottle in each wagon and in your stable. PRATTS DISTEMPER and PINK EYE REMEDY It goes direct to the cause of the disease, purifies the blood, prevents weakening of the internal organs caused by impure blood or poisoned by absorbing the impure matter from the abscesses. PRATTS HEALING OINTMENT A splendid antiseptic ointment for man or beast. Keep a box on hand for cuts, burns, sores, scratches, eczema, galls, etc. PRATTS WORM POWDER is a special preparation for the destruction of all kinds of worms in horses, cows, hogs and sheep. It is purely vegetable and is unquestionably the quickest, surest and most thorough worm destroyer procurable. PRATTS LINIMENT For man or beast. The best thing in the world for lameness, sprains, bruises, thrush, kicks, shoe boils, etc. A bottle should be kept in every medicine chest. PRATTS HEAVE REMEDY A positive guaranteed remedy for heaves, coughs and colds. It cures coughs and colds by strengthening the digestive and respiratory organs, and counteracts the inflammation and irritation. Try a box on your "heavy" horse. PRATTS HEALING POWDER A guaranteed remedy for harness galls, sores, grease heel, bleeding ulcers, etc. It will arrest hemorrhage and check blood flow. Dirt and dust cannot get into wounds, as the Powder forms a coating over them. PRATTS FLY CHASER Gives comfort to Horses and Cows. Insures more milk and prevents annoyance at milking time to both the milker and the cow. Guaranteed to satisfy. Sold by 60,000 Pratts dealers. There is one near you. "Your Money Back If YOU Are Not Satisfied" Always go to a horseshoer who thoroughly understands the anatomy of the horse's foot. The hoof is not an insensitive mass of horn, to be cut, rasped, burned, nail-pierced, and hammered without causing pain or injury. It is a thin mass of horn overlying and intimately attached to a sensitive, blood and nerve-endowed tissue called the "quick" which is capable of suffering excruciating agony. The slices should be made to fit the hoof and need to be reset once a month. The permanent teeth are forty—twenty-four grinders, twelve front teeth and four tusks, except in mares, which seldom have tusks. The age of a horse can be told more or less accurately by the teeth. The teeth are liable to disease and should be closely watched. Bad teeth are often an unsuspected cause of indigestion, loss of condition, bad coat, slobbering and other troubles which puzzle the owner. Horses very often have decayed teeth, and suffer with toothache. These teeth should be removed. MORGAN HORSE Horse Diseases If horses and cattle were left free to roam as Nature intended, many of their present-day ailments would be unknown. Man has taken these animals from Nature's broad garden, and confined them to the narrow limits of stable and stall. No longer can they seek out and instinctively find just those roots, herbs, seeds, and barks which their systems demand. This explains why Pratts Animal Regulator has been used by successful horsemen for nearly a half century, as it is largely composed of these same vegetable ingredients from Nature's garden. Merit and quality count, and while hosts of imitators have sprung up, none have ever come near equalling our product. Pratts Animal Regulator restores to the animals their natural constitutions and functions, supplying just that which they formerly had, but now lack. While not a cure for every disease, it is a positive preventive of the most common disorders. It aids digestion and insures the animal receiving full benefit of its food; purifies the blood and keeps the bowels free and regular. After you have accomplished these three things, you need not fear disease in the shape of colic, bloat, heaves, hide-bound, distemper, constipation, worms, and the like. Altoona, Pa. I shall be pleased to recommend Pratts Animal Regulator always, as my horse has gained in strength and weight and is looking fine, always having a glossy coat. He works hard every day in the dray business. H.G. AMERINE. Barb-Wire Cuts Clean with soap and water, and apply Pratts Healing Ointment or Pratts Healing Powder. These remedies heal naturally and leave no dangerous scar. Colds Symptoms.—A dull appearance of the horse, rough coat; the body will be hot in parts and cold in others; running of the eyes and a discharge from the nose. Treatment.—Keep the horse warm and free from draughts; use nose bag and give Pratts Heave, Cough and Cold Remedy according to directions. It never fails. Give nourishing feed and bran mashes and Pratts Animal Regulator daily. Colic Common causes of colic are sudden changes of food; feeding too much or too seldom; feeding when the horse is hot and tired; watering or working too soon after a meal; feeding new oats, or new hay, or grass; or, in short, anything that is apt to derange digestion. There are various forms of colic. In cramp (spasmodic) colic, pains come and go and the horse rolls violently and fearlessly. In wind (flatulent) colic there is bloating of the right flank and the horse lies down, rolls without violence, breathes with difficulty, paws, looks around at his sides and finds no relief. In bloat of the stomach, gas and fluid gush back and forth from the stomach to the throat; flanks may not show bloat; pain is steady but not violent; horse sweats; nostrils flap; pulse is fast and weak; countenance is haggard and anxious. In enteritis (inflammation of the bowels) pain is constant and severe; the horse makes frequent attempts to lie down but is afraid to do so; pulse and temperature run high; membranes of eyelids, nostrils, and mouth are red; bowels and bladder do not act; horse may walk persistently in a circle. In impaction of the bowels, pains are comparatively mild or fugitive; horse is restless, paws often, strains and passes no manure, or only a few balls covered with slime and streaks of white mucus. In gut-tie, hernia, and other absolute stoppage of the bowels, symptoms of enteritis are common and the horse may, when down, strain and then sit on his haunches. The latter condition, and enteritis, usually prove fatal. Wind colic may need prompt use of the trocar and cannula to puncture high up in the right flank for liberation of gas. In impaction, raw linseed oil should be freely given in repeated doses of one pint, and rectal injections of soapy warm water and glycerine will help. No irritants should be inserted in the vagina or sheath in any form of colic. Stoppage of urine is a result of pain, not the cause of colic. The urine will come when the pain subsides. A good all-around colic remedy will be found in Pratts Veterinary Colic Remedy. It is compounded from the prescription of a qualified veterinarian and has a record of curing 998 cases out of 1,000 treated. Constipation All horses should be given a warm bran mash weekly and Pratts Animal Regulator daily, and constipation will be unknown. Constipation is often the cause of hide bound, rough coat and loss of flesh. Give a good physic of linseed oil, aloes or cantor oil, and use the Regulator mentioned above. Coughs Cause.—Chronic coughs are the result of distemper, sore throat, a neglected cold, catarrh or dusty hay, and frequently turn into heaves, bronchitis, etc. Treatment.—Give only the best and most nourishing foods, dampened. Keep horse warm, and blanketed in a well ventilated stable. If there is a swelling of the throat it should be blistered with Pratts Liniment, or Pratts Spavin Paste—A Blister. Use Pratts Heave, Cough and Cold Remedy according to directions. Diarrhoea Symptoms.—At first it resembles colic, and will be followed by violent diarrhoea; the discharge soon becomes merely discolored water and smells bad; the horse is very thirsty, the pulse thick and feeble, the heart skips its beats, the position of the horse is something like colic, and he sweats freely. Cause.—From diseased condition of teeth, eating rich, juicy food, drinking impure water or from overdose of physic. Treatment.—If the diarrhoea is severe, call a veterinarian. During and after recovery pay attention to the food. Avoid bran mashes. Much depends on the care at this time, and the constant using of Pratts Animal Regulator, with all feed, during his recovery. Feed lightly for first two or three days. Distemper Distemper and Pink Eye are closely related and one is often mistaken for the other. It usually affects colts between the ages of three and five years. If a horse is once afflicted it is immune from a second attack. The feature of distemper is the swelling under the jaw, the size indicating the severity of the case. The animal is dull; the head has a "poked-out" appearance; coughs; no appetite; feet are cold; saliva runs from its mouth; has catarrhal symptoms and difficulty in swallowing; the name "strangles" is often applied to it. When this swelling forms on the lungs, liver, etc., the case is aggravated and difficult to cure. Distemper is contagious. It may occur at any time, but is most prevalent from September to April. Pratts Distemper and Pink Eye Remedy will positively relieve the disease at once. Blanket the horse and keep in a well- ventilated stable, free from draughts. Give cold water frequently in small quantities and feed with whatever he will eat. When an abscess forms on the outside and becomes soft, it should be opened and the soft parts surrounding it poulticed so that there will be no "bunch" left after it heals. Disinfect stable with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. Founder or Laminitis Symptoms.—An inflammation of the entire foot which causes such intense pain that the animal cannot stand. The pulse is strong, thick and throbbing, and the horse lies down with legs stretched out. Cause.—Over-exertion, or after-effects from chilling, inflammation of the lungs, bowels or mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes, etc. Frankford, Pa. I doctored a very lame horse with Pratts Liniment after trying other treatment for months. In a couple of days the lameness left and we used him every day till he died of old age. ARTHUR C. SHIMEL Treatment.—Remove the shoe, and soak the feet in warm water for six or eight hours and repeat in two or three days. Also apply Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment at night all over the bottom of the foot and to all parts of the frog and at top of hoof joining the hair, and cover the entire wall of the foot. The horse should stand on a deep, soft bed. Cover with blankets. Feed bran mashes, vegetables and hay; no grain. Use wide-webbed shoes two weeks after recovery. Heaves The symptoms of this disease are chronic, spasmodic cough and simultaneous passage of gas from the rectum; double bellowslike action of the abdominal muscles in breathing; harsh staring coat; hide-bound skin; weakness, and ill-health in general. Over-burdening of the stomach with coarse, bulky, dusty, or woody hay or other roughage, and working the horse immediately after such a meal induces heaves. The horse that has inherited a gluttonous appetite is especially subject to the disease. Probably the most effective remedy for this disease is Pratts Heave Remedy. In addition to using the Remedy as directed, we would suggest wetting all food with lime water, feeding wet oat straw in winter and grass in summer in preference to hay; allowing double the customary rest period after meals and keeping the bowels freely open by feeding bran mashes containing raw linseed oil or flaxseed meal. Itch This is the name given to mange, eczema and other skin diseases. It is usually prevalent in summer and from a small beginning on an animal, will rapidly spread all over the body. Treatment.—Wash the parts thoroughly with a solution of one part of Pratts Disinfectant to 20 parts water. Let it dry and then apply Pratts Healing Ointment or Healing Powder two or three times a day. Lice Sprinkle Pratts Disinfectant on an old blanket and tie it around the animal for two or three hours. This will quickly kill all vermin. Spray lightly upon the legs and such places that the blanket will not cover. Then spray thoroughly the stable and all poultry houses near with the Disinfectant, according to directions. Give Pratts Animal Regulator to build up the animals that have been affected. Puncture and Wounds in the Foot In all cases, the opening or puncture in the hoof must be made larger, so as to give free vent for the matter which is sure to form. If this is not done, quittor will follow. Then dress with Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment. While working the horse, a pledget of tow, covered with Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment, may be placed in and over the puncture and confined; but it must not be allowed to remain after the horse returns to the stable. Soak the feet for eight or ten hours a day for two or three days in a 5% solution of Pratts Disinfectant and apply the Ointment. Horse will not have proud flesh when this remedy is used. Quarter Cracks Cut top of hoof above the crack deep enough to draw blood. Soak foot in hot water, apply Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment and cover with oakum. Pare out sole and open heel—blacksmith must use care in expanding. Apply Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment daily to the coronet and frogs—this is very important. Use bar shoe. Thin Flesh Animal needs a good tonic. Use Pratts Animal Regulator daily with the feed according to directions. This is a regulator, tonic and digestive and so works upon the blood, liver, bowels and digestive organs that the animal is quickly built up, and is given strength, health and flesh. Thrush Symptoms.—Shown by a foul discharge issuing from the cleft of the foot, and usually attended with decay of the horn and a vile odor. The foot is hot and hard. Cause.—In the fore feet, it is generally the result of navicular disease or contraction of the feet. In the hind feet it is entirely caused by filthy stables, allowing the feet to stand in decaying manure. Treatment.—Have absolute cleanliness in the stable and stalls, disinfecting with Pratts Disinfectant. Wash the foot thoroughly with soap and water, and cut away all diseased and ragged parts as well as the white, powdery decayed horn and substance, even if the flesh is exposed and the frog much reduced. Then pour Pratts Liniment over the affected parts. Dress daily until cured. Another excellent remedy is to wash out diseased portion of hoof with one part Pratts Disinfectant and 20 parts of water three times a day. Worms Horses take in worm eggs on pasture, in hay, and in drinking water from contaminated troughs or ponds. Marsh or swale hay is particularly liable to infest with worms. Avoid sources of worms. Cleanliness is imperative. Cut down feed one-half, mix bran with feed and dampen it. Give one dose of Pratts Specially Prepared Worm Powder with the feed twice a day for four days. After fourth day give large, soft, well-scalded bran mash to loosen bowels freely. Repeat the bran mashes if necessary, as the bowels must be moved freely. Should the horse refuse to eat the bran mash, it will be necessary to give him a dose of Glauber's salts, or some other purge to loosen the bowels. Pin Worms.—Sometimes pin worms remain just inside the rectum, and are very hard and stubborn to cure. In cases of this kind, if the desired result is not obtained by feeding Pratts Worm Powder, dissolve one of the powders in a quart of water and inject in the rectum. Repeat this once a day in the evening, and continue for four or five days. Do not fail in this case, as in all other cases of worms, to feed bran mashes until the bowels are freely moved, and should the horse refuse the bran mash or should it fail to move the bowels, give the horse a dose of Glauber's salts. Pratts Worm Powder is a special preparation for the destruction of all kinds of worms in horses, hogs, and sheep. It is purely vegetable, has a strong tonic effect that builds up and helps the animal to regain strength, and is the quickest and most thorough worm destroyer on the market. Every PRATT PREPARATION is sold with a positive and absolute GUARANTEE—"Your Money Back If You Are Not Satisfied." Cows will bring large or small profits in proportion to the care they receive. If properly housed, properly fed, properly bred, and properly protected against disease they will fully repay the little extra attention required. Strive intelligently to secure the greatest possible regular production. Keep a sharp lookout for unfavorable symptoms and be prompt in finding a cause for poor condition and remedying it. Cows kept in perfect health are the least expense, least trouble, and the greatest profit-earners. You do not need to be a veterinarian to know that the health of a cow depends on a good healthy appetite with complete digestion and perfect assimilation of the daily ration. That is just plain common sense. No cow which is not a big eater can be profitable. But appetite is not of itself sufficient to make a cow a money maker. There must be sound digestion. Once establish and maintain good digestion, food performs its natural functions. Bodily waste is repaired. Strength and growth are noticed and the cow gives the utmost possible amount of milk. See then, that your cows have hearty, healthy appetites and good digestion. Good digestion does not always follow a large appetite. A cow giving only a few quarts of milk a day will often eat as much as one giving gallons. She requires the same amount of care and attention. The trouble is that she does not have good digestion to convert food into milk. Of course there are cows which will always be small milkers, but there are many many more cows which can be made to give substantial, paying increase of milk production if proper attention is given them. Perhaps there are such cows in your herd. Without your even realizing it, they are out of condition. A little help and they would give enough more milk to pay you a satisfactory profit. This "help" can easily be given. Your own dealer has it. We mean Pratts Cow Remedy, for cows only. We all know how, when we are well, the sight or smell of pleasant tasting food, "makes the mouth water." This is literally true because the digestive glands of the mouth and stomach pour out their secretions and are ready to begin digesting the food. When, however, the nerves fail to send their messages to the glands or the glands fail to respond, we have a diseased condition and we take medicine to assist in recovery. Thus the sensation known as appetite is really at the basis of sound health. Without it, it is doubtful if animals would eat enough to supply their bodily needs. The mere forcing of food into the stomach would avail little. There must be desire for food, and restoring the appetite is the first step in bringing the health back. In other words an appetizer is often required to induce us to eat. Then thorough digestion builds up bodily strength. Pratts Cow Remedy does all this for the cow, assisting Nature in bringing up the appetite, stimulating digestion, restoring and maintaining health. Cattle is generally divided into dairy, beef and dual purpose breeds. The names signify the advantages claimed for them. In the dairy breeds, the Holstein, Jersey, Guernseys, French Canadian and Ayrshire are leaders. Shorthorns, Herefords, Polled Durhams are the best-known beef breeds. While among the dual purpose breeds, Milking Shorthorns, Red Polls, Brown Swiss and Devons have many admirers. The indications when selecting dairy females, and important in the order given, are: (1) Much length or depth in the barrel or coupling, indicating a large possible consumption and utilization of food. (2) Refinement of form, as evidenced more particularly in the head, neck, withers, thighs, and limbs. (3) Good development of udder and milk veins. (4) Constitution, as indicated by a capacious chest, much width through the heart, a broad loin, a full, clear eye, and an active carriage. (5) Downward and yet outward spring and open-spaced ribs, covered with a soft, pliable and elastic GUERNSEY COW skin. The essential indications of correct form in beef cattle are: (1) A compact form wide and deep throughout, and but moderately long in the coupling. (2) A good back, wide from neck to tail, well fleshed, and straight. (3) A good front quarter, wide, deep, and full. (4) A good hind quarter, long, wide, and deep. (5) Good handling qualities, as indicated in elastic flesh and pliant skin. The important indications of good form in dual females are: (1) Medium to large size for the breed or grade. (2) Good length and depth in the coupling. (3) Good development of udder and milk veins. (4) Good constitution, as indicated by good width through the heart. (5) Head and neck inclining to long and fine. (6) Ribs of medium spring, open spaced, and covered with a good handling skin. The dual types have an absence of extreme development in the direction of either the dairy or the beef form. In males selected for breeding, the evidences of masculinity should be markedly present. These include increased strength as shown in the head, neck, breast, shoulders, back and limbs. The advantage of having pure blood stock over "scrubs" is apparent. For those, however, who want something better than scrubstock and cannot pay the high price which pure blood commands, the ownership of grade cattle offers a satisfactory solution of the problem. Grading consists in mating thoroughbred sires with common females and with the female progeny for a number of generations. Where the work is wisely done by the use of good sires, accompanied by the rejection of all inferior animals for future breeding, the progeny of beef sires may be brought up to the level of the pure breed for beef making from which the sires have been selected in four generations. To bring milking qualities up to the level may call for one or two more generations of such breeding. Not only do these grade animals answer almost equally well, with pure breeds, but they may be bought for much less. If cows are to produce a maximum return in milk, they must be kept in comfort. In winter they are usually tied in the stall. The light should be ample and the ventilation thorough. Lack of proper ventilation causes the spread of tuberculosis in cattle. Cows must be allowed exercise, even in winter. They should be allowed to go out daily for an hour or more into a sheltered yard, save on days when the weather is extreme; or, better still, be given the liberty of a closed and well-ventilated shed during a portion of the day. It should be supplied with a fodder rack. In summer, cows in milk must be protected from storms, from excessive sunshine, and from flies, as far as this may be practicable. Pratts Fly Chaser is unequalled as a fly repellant. It is perfectly safe to use, does not injure or gum the hair, and is economical. A light spray is both lasting and effective. Cows in milk should be driven gently. The pasture should not be too distant from the stable, and driving during the heat of the day should be avoided. The quality of milk is easily injured by coming in direct contact with foreign substances or by imbibing odors. The milk must be drawn from clean udders, with clean hands, into clean pails, and amid clean surroundings. The stables must have attention. The udder and teats should be wiped off by using a damp cloth. Milking should be done with dry hands into metal pails, kept clean by scalding. Milking before feeding prevents dust particles from getting into the milk. Noxious odors are kept down by the prompt removal of droppings and by strewing sand, plaster, rock phosphate, or dry earth in the manure gutters. Elderton, Pa. "I have used Pratts Cow Remedy with best results. I fully believe it cannot be surpassed for increasing the flow of milk." JAS. YOUNG. Unless milking is done at stated times, and by the same person, there will be a loss in the production. When milking is delayed, a decreased flow is noticeable the following morning. When a change of milkers is made, some cows resent it by withholding a part of the milk. It is not easy to dry some dairy cows prior to the birth of the next calf, and yet, as a rule, it ought to be done. When they are to be dried the process should begin by milking them once a day and putting them on dry food. The food may also be reduced somewhat in quantity. Later the milk is taken out at intervals which constantly increase in length until the cow is dry. The udder should be carefully watched during the later stages of the drying process. AYRSHIRE COW Where suitable pasture may be obtained, it is usually a cheaper source of food for cows than soiling food or cured fodders, as the element of labor in giving the food is largely eliminated. The best pastures, viewed from the standpoint of production, are those grown on lands that may be irrigated during the season of growth. These consist of clover and certain grasses. Permanent pastures which are grown on moist land, and which contain a number of grasses, are usually satisfactory, but the nature of the pasture must, of course, be largely determined by the attendant conditions. Blue grass pastures are excellent while succulent and abundant, but in midsummer they lose their succulence for weeks in succession. Brouer grass is a favorite pasture in northwestern areas, and Bermuda grass in the South. In the Eastern and Central States, the most suitable pastures are made up of blue grass, timothy, and orchard grass, and of the common red, white and alsike clovers. There is more or less of hazard to cows when grazing on alfalfa—liability to bloating, which may result fatally. Likewise second growth sorghum or the second growth of the non-saccharine sorghums is full of hazard, especially in dry seasons when it has become stunted in growth. Nor should rape and rye be grazed, save for a short time after the cows have been milked, lest they give a taint to the milk. The change from winter rations to grazing should never be suddenly made, or purging caused by the fresh grass will lead to loss in weight and loss of milk, though at first there will probably be an advance in the same. The change may be made in outline as follows: (1) The cows will not be turned out until after the food given in the morning has been sufficiently consumed. (2) They will be kept out an hour, or two the first day, and the time increased. (3) The time called for to effect the change should never be less than one week or more than three. (4) As soon as the change begins, the reduction in succulent food, ensilage, and field roots should also begin. (5) The dry fodder should be continued morning and evening as long as the cows will take it. (6) There should be some reduction and it may be modification in the grain for a short time. After turning out a full supply may be necessary. Should the pasture be composed mainly of grasses, food rich in protein, as wheat bran, should be fed, but if it is composed mainly of clover, then more carbonaceous grain, as corn, should be fed. When pasture is succulent and abundant, it is a disputed point as to whether it will pay to feed meal of any kind in addition. The following conclusion in regard to this question would seem safe: When cows are fed grain on pastures succulent and abundant, the tendency is to increase the yield in the milk and also to increase flesh. The quality of the milk is not materially influenced. Some saving is effected in the grazing, and the resultant fertilizer from the grain fed has a tangible value. It is certain, therefore, that full value will be obtained for a small grain ration thus fed. Millsboro, Del. Pratts Cow Remedy was fed to the cow from the receipt of Remedy until the calf was eight weeks old and the calf weighed 234 pounds and was acknowledged unanimously to be the nicest calf that was ever shipped from this depot. W.R. ATKINS. Get More Milk Money Help your cows, every one, to give the largest possible amount of milk and to produce big, strong, husky calves each season. The extra pounds of milk, the extra value of the calves are all clear profit. It costs as much to house and care for and nearly as much to feed a poor producer as a good one. The first may be kept at a loss. The latter is a sure profit-payer. The difference is generally merely a matter of physical condition. And this you can control. Pratts Cow Remedy makes cows healthy and productive. It is not a food—it is all medicine, preventive and curative. It is absolutely safe to use because free from arsenic, antimony and other dangerous ingredients. Pratts Cow Remedy is nature's able assistant. It not only improves appetite and assists digestion, increases milk yield and percentage of butter fat, but in large measure prevents and overcomes such disorders as barrenness and abortion, garget, milk fever, scours, indigestion, liver and kidney troubles. The reason is plain when you know the ingredients. Here they are—gentian root, Epsom salts, capsicum, oxide of iron, fenugreek, nux vomica, ginger root, charcoal, soda, salt. All of superior quality and properly proportioned and combined. You may think your cows are doing their best when they are not. Now find out. Secure a supply of the original and genuine Pratts Cow Remedy. Use it and watch results. You will be astonished and delighted. But if for any reason you are not— "Your Money Back If YOU are Not Satisfied" As soon as the supply of pasture becomes insufficient in quantity or lacking in succulence, it should be supplemented with food cut and fed in the green form, as winter rye, oats and peas, and oats and vetches grown together, millet in several varieties, grasses, perennial and Italian rye, especially the latter, alfalfa, the medium red, the mammoth, alsike and crimson clovers, corn of many varieties, and the sorghums. Alfalfa, where it can be freely grown, is king among soiling foods. Peas and oats grown together are excellent, the bulk being peas. Corn is more commonly used, and in some sections sweet sorghum is given an important place. The aim should be to grow soiling foods that will be ready for feeding in that succession that will provide food through all the summer and autumn. Soiling furnished by grains, grasses, and clovers are usually fed in the stables or feed yards, and corn and sorghum are usually strewn over the pastures, as much as is needed from day to day. Where much soiling food is wanted from year to year, it would seem safe to say that it can be most cheaply supplied in the form of silage. Even when grass is abundant, cows will eat with avidity more or less of ensilage well made. They should not be fed in winter more than 25 pounds per animal per day, but the quantity needed is determined largely by the condition of the pastures. Because of the less quantity of the silage called for in summer, the silo that contains the silage should be of less diameter than the silo that holds food for winter use, otherwise the exposed silage will dry out too much between the times of feeding it. In autumn soiling foods may be fed with profit that are possessed of less succulence than would suffice at an earlier period, as in the autumn the pastures are usually more succulent than in the summer. Corn may be fed at such a time with much advantage from the shock, and sorghum that has been harvested may likewise be fed from the shock or from the cocks. Pumpkins may be thrown into the pasture and broken when fed. Viewed from the standpoint of milk production, the legumes (clover, cow peas, soy beans, etc.) must be assigned first rank. After these come grain fodders, corn and sorghum fodders, and fodders from grasses, suitable in the order named. Lowest of all is straw furnished by the small cereals. Fodders when fed are not restricted in quantity as concentrates are. Among legumes, hay furnished by alfalfa, any of the clovers, cow peas, soy beans and vetches, is excellent for producing milk when these are cut at the proper stage and properly cured. Alfalfa should be cut for such feeding when only a small per cent. of blooms have been formed, clovers when in full bloom, and cow peas, soy beans, and vetches when the first forward pods are filling. Proper curing means by the aid of wind stirring through the mass rather than sun bleaching it. When good leguminous fodders are fed, from 33 to 50 per cent. less grain will suffice than would be called for when non-leguminous fodders only are fed. JERSEY COW Leavenworth, Kansas. When two veterinarians had given up a cow to die, I gave her Pratts Animal Regulator with the result that she was on her feed in about a week. I am a constant user of Pratt Products. J.D. WATSON. Fodder may usually be cheaply furnished from corn and sorghum, when grown so that the stalks are fine and leafy, and if cut when nearing completed maturity and well cured. Such food is excellent for milk production when fed with suitable adjuncts, even though the fodder is grown so thickly that nubbins do not form. The aim should be to feed the sorghums in the autumn and early winter and the corn so that it may be supplemented by other hay when the winter is past, as later than the time specified these foods deteriorate. Rye and wheat straw are of little use in making milk, oat straw is better, and good bright pea straw is still more valuable. When fodder is scarce, these may be fed to advantage if run through a cutting box and mixed with cut hay. Thomaston, Ga. Since I started feeding her Pratts Cow Remedy, my cow has shown an increase in her daily flow of milk of over one gallon and is now in better condition than she has ever been. I give all the credit for this remarkable improvement to Pratts Cow remedy. O.W. JONES. The necessity for feeding succulent food in some form where maximum milk yields are to be attained has come to be recognized by all dairy-men. The plants that furnish succulence in winter are corn in all its varieties, field roots of certain kinds, and the sorghums. Corn and sorghum to furnish the necessary succulence must be ensiled. Corn ensilage is without a rival in providing winter succulence for cows. Field roots furnish succulence that, pound for pound, is more valuable than corn, because of the more favorable influence which it exerts on the digestion. But roots cost more to grow than corn. Rutabagas and turnips will give the milk an offensive taint if fed freely at any other time than just after the milk has been withdrawn, but that is not true of mangel wurtzel, sugar beets, or carrots. The necessity for giving grain feed containing high percentage of digestible matter (known as concentrates) to dairy cows is based on the inability of the cow to consume and digest enough coarse fodders to result in maximum production, even though the fodders should be in balance as to their constituents. Concentrates are purchased or home grown. It matters not from which source they are obtained, but the values of those purchased are becoming so high as to force upon dairy-men the necessity of growing them at home as far as this may be practicable, and of insuring sound digestion by giving some such tonic and appetizer as Pratts Cow Remedy. This splendid prescription should be kept on hand the year round, and should be given with every feeding, especially in winter. Its value in keeping up milk production and for maintaining health is unequalled. The method of furnishing concentrates by growing certain of the small grains in combination is growing in favor. These combinations may include wheat, barley, outs, peas, and flax. Frequently but two varieties are grown together. They are grown thus, in the first place, to secure better yields, and...