ཚ ཋ ཤྲུཥྛཿ ཚོ བབཎྜལ 81 85 34 78 102 84 8 57 63 95 78 171 43 129 143 216 423 673 234 453 726 79 43 70 63 119 138 109 118 945 1,007 1,823 6,669 440 4,114 441 1,674 938 1,037 1,202 1,212 1,446 10,891 731 6,612 1,297 2,251 213 1,578 518 719 132 209 245 287 405 206 2,287 1,729 1,873 1,765 2,580 2,669 3.610 3,828 5,356 6,054 6,256 7,693 73,549 13,931 41,491 7,045 11,082 263 The Experience in Holland. The disease rages mostly in the commune of Ketchel and Spaland, near to Schiedam, where the date of the first case has been stated as the 10th of August. Out of 2,386 cattle attacked between the 10th of August and the 18th of November, 1,407 occurred here, of which 266 died, 541 were killed, and 212 recovered. Except a few isolated cases, the disease only rages in one of our provinces, South Holland (in 87 out of its 198 communes), and at the last report it had ceased in 36, and was still prevalent in 51 communes. Arranging the communes in order, in two, out of 5,086 cattle, 2,306, or 45 per cent., were attacked. In seven, with 12,217 beasts, 2,336, or 19-12 per cent., were attacked. In eight, containing 19,691, 1,218, or 10-89 per cent., were attacked. In five, 300 out of 2,803 cattle, or 10.7 per cent. In all the 87 communes (that have suffered), from the 10th of August to the 18th of November, 8,735 have been attacked, of which 2,728 died, 2,203 were killed, 2,478 recovered, leaving 625 still under treatment. The result of the disease was unknown in 700 cases, and deducting these, and also those under treatment, we have on the remainder a percentage of 36·82 dead, 29.73 killed, and 43.45 recovered. It appears that in some communes the beasts have suffered more in the stalls than in the meadows. The purification of the stalls with chlorine and carbonic acid (?) has often had a good result. The disease, when a herd is attacked, lasts from two to three months before the whole have recovered. The disease is more violent in the stables, but contagion can, perhaps, be there more easily prevented. Cold and damp weather exercises a bad effect upon the disease. In general the treatment is symptomatic. The animals are covered during the day in the meadows, and removed at night into the stalls. The use of warm water, light food, and frequent washings with clean water, sometimes mixed with vinegar, or carbonic acid (?) for the mouth, nostrils, eyes, and anus; above all, separation in APPENDIX. 265 the stalls of sound and convalescent animals from those affected, has been found very effective. Killing is most frequently resorted to in those parts of the country where cattle are mostly kept for fatting, and they endeavour to kill them in time to save them for meat. Where rearing of cattle is carried on, either for butchers' meat or as cows for dairy purposes, more deliberation is observed. In this case veterinarians do not advise slaughter, as they maintain that 20 or 25 per cent. of recoveries are of more value than 100 beasts slaughtered on being threatened by a general outbreak of the disease. But, on the other hand, if the case appears to be an isolated one, or on the actual appearance of the first symptoms, they do not hesitate to slaughter the animal at once, and to immediately isolate the meadows or stables that have become infected, not only as regards the cattle, but also the farm servants, butchers, and others who have in any way been in contact with the infected beasts. They next make arrangements to establish dung-heaps at a great distance from the stables. The most fatal weeks have been the last in August and the first in September; but since the 5th of November the disease has again increased in intensity, which has been attributed to the unfavourable and stormy weather, and especially to the heavy rains. To this we add the following letter to Dr. Hamilton about his former report on homoeopathic treatment : Schiedam, Dec. 27. I beg to inform you that the numbers of the cattle treated by Messrs. Seutin and Gaudy, as you gave them in yours of the 22nd inst., are very nearly correct. There were put under their treatment, in the first instance, 63 beasts, declared in my presence by the veterinarians here to be attacked by this contagious disease; and afterwards, when these gentlemen were free from the above-mentioned control, 10 more, making in all 73 animals; of this number 53 were cured and 20 died. Messrs. Seutin and Gaudy treated all the cattle confided to them, except some which were in a desperate state, or which belonged to farmers destitute of the necessary means for their treatment. Their refusal in each case was entirely justifiable. P. J. VANDYK VAN MATENESSE. IMPORTS OF FOREIGN CATTLE. The imports of live stock into the United Kingdom from foreign countries during the first eleven months of each of the following three years were :— Mr. Hubbard, M.P., at the meeting of the West Bucks Agricultural Association, said, he found, from an examination of returns, that in the course of the last ten years the chief articles of agricultural produce had increased to an immense extent, notwithstanding the competition to which this country was subjected. The increase in our imports in value during the last ten years was clearly shown by the following statement: At the last meeting of the society for the completion of Cologne Cathedral, it was stated by the master architect, Mr. Voigtel, that with the aid of the present resources, which yield annually 250,000 thalers, the two towers, to gether with all the statues and ornamentations within and without the dome, will be completed within ten years. Instead of the four millions asked for by the late architect, something over half that sum will now be sufficient-both materials and transport having become cheaper—for the completion of the work of many centuries. In three years from this time the northern tower will be finished, and with this the well-known crane, the symbol of Holy Colonia, will disappear for ever. In two years' time a locomobile will be seen lifting up the stones for this tower, and doing within less than an hour, with the aid of two men, work which took in the middle ages sixty men for a whole day. At present for every foot in height this tower costs the sum of 5,700 thalers (8107.). DRAINAGE OF LAKE HAARLEM. Three Cornish engines have drained the Lake of Haarlem, which contained 800,000,000 tons of water, a quantity which would supply London for seven years, and which covered 45,230 acres to an average depth of fourteen feet. These engines, when all the pumps are working, are capable of raising 109 tons of water (10ft.) at each stroke. LARGE AND SMALL FARMING. Mr. Massey, in the 'Gardeners' Chronicle' of December 9, 1865, gives the following estimate of the produce of a farm in Cheshire of 200 acres. |