t will generally yield to a dose or
two of castor-oil. The Knee-ill is more to be dreaded. The complaint is
worse some seasons than others, and some, under the best treatment,
will die. The calf gets down and is unable to rise; on examination it
will be found that one or both, generally of the fore-legs, are very
much swollen at the joints; the calf is very much pained, especially if
moved, and the disease acts very much like rheumatic fever on the human
body. I cannot assign any cause for this disease, as I have seen calves
seized with it that were kept warm and comfortable. In some cases it
may be attributed to some particular atmospheric influence. It is very
difficult to remove. The calf will be down for weeks, and in some cases
they never get up. Very little can be done for them, and any treatment
I have seen adopted is of small value. Rubbing turpentine daily into
the swollen joints is useful, but attention to the general health is of
the greatest consequence--such as counteracting costiveness in the
bowels, &c. I have seen splints of wood introduced, and also tying out
the leg with bandages; but I have no great faith in any such treatment.
Rubbing daily with turpentine, and attention to the general health, is
all I can recommend. Costiveness of the bowels, if not counteracted,
may end in serious consequences. I had a case of a calf that got very
costive--so bad that it moaned dreadfully from pain. I lost all hope of
saving it. I thought of injections, and had them administered
repeatedly for hours; to my astonishment the calf recovered and did
well. Castor-oil is the safest medicine for calves. Let me here record
an observation for which I am indebted to Mr Sorely, late veterinary
surgeon, Alford. (While I have seen some with as good hands as Mr
Sorely, I have never had the fortune to meet another with as clear a
head.) The first question he asks when told that a calf is ailing, is,
"How old is it?" If the calf is very young, and violently ill of any
complaint, the great chance is, that it will not recover; whereas, if
it be three weeks, and, still more, two or three months old, the
probability is that it will.

As to the castration of calves, it is such a simple process that it is
unnecessary to say much on the subject. The only thing I would
recommend is, that the breeder, if he does not castrate his calves
himself, should not allow the operator to cut away any part of the
purse, as it should be recollected a g