These are made by steeping herbs, roots, and other medicinal substances
in boiling water. No particular rules can be laid down as to the
quantity of each article required: it will, however, serve as some sort
of a guide, to inform the reader that we generally use from one to two
ounces of the aromatic herbs and roots to every quart of fluid. A bitter
infusion, such as wormwood or camomile, requires less of the herb. All
kinds of infusions can be rendered palatable by the addition of a small
quantity of honey or molasses. As a general rule, the human palate is a
good criterion; for if an infusion be too strong or unpalatable for man,
it is unfit for cattle or sheep. We do not depend so much on the
strength of our agents: the great secret is to select the one best
adapted to the case in view. If it be an agent that is capable of acting
in concert with nature, then the weaker it is, the better. In short,
nature requires but slight assistance under all ordinary circumstances,
unless the animal is evidently suffering from debility; then our efforts
must act in concert with the living powers. We must select the most
nutritious food--that which can be easily converted into blood, bones,
and muscles. If, on the other hand, we gave an abundance of provender,
and it lacked the constituents necessary for the purposes in view, or
was of such an indigestible nature that its nutritive properties could
not be extracted by the gastric fluids, this would be just as bad as
giving improper medicines, both in reference to its quantity and
quality.
An infusion of either of the following articles is valuable in colic,
both flatulent and spasmodic, in all classes of animals: caraways,
peppermint, spearmint, fennel-seed, angelica, bergamot, snakeroot,
aniseed, ginseng, &c.