RErORT ON THE DISEASES OF FARM HORSES. 319 



tyre, select dry ground and good grass. And high dried hay- 

 should be freely mixed with the best, if it ?nud be used, but 

 where good horses are valued, such hay is worthless. 



Farcy is an insidious disease which arises as a result of 

 blood-poison from bad feeding and impure stables, and occurs 

 also as a sequel of debilitating diseases, in which treatment has 

 not been pursued in accordance with a correct knowledge of 

 their real nature. Farcy arises in old, or ill-conditioned animals 

 which are neglected, and when such are turned upon low wet 

 unproductive cold land, they suffer from colds, &c. Causes of a 

 debilitating character, long applied, without mitigating efforts, 

 are fruitful sources of farcy. It is the forerunner of that for- 

 midable disease glanders, and may be considered the threshold 

 of it. The poison of farcy is the poison of glanders, under miti- 

 gated circumstances, occupying a different situation within the 

 system. 



Symptoms. — Farcy consists of hard, indurated swellings of 

 the absorbent vessels and glands — particularly those of the hind 

 extremities. They are chronic in character, and remain for 

 weeks sometimes before they burst, and are located over the 

 courseof the vessels named, forming long, hard, and inflamed cords, 

 knotted here and there throughout the direction. The order of 

 formation of these swellings, generally takes place from below 

 upwards, and at first is observed on the inner side. 



Inflammation going on in the parts — itself the result of 

 poisoned material — developes new material also of a poisonous 

 nature, lymph of a low order, which is thrown out from the 

 glands and blood vessels into the adjacent tissues beneath the 

 skin. This shortly softens, the skin above is absorbed, as small 

 abscesses form — with a hundred others of a similar character — 

 which do not take on this healing action. While these swellings 

 are intact, they are termed buds, but when they burst and dis- 

 charge, their character calls for them the term " ulcer." Their 

 numerical character, in many instances, are so great as 

 to give the appearance to the limbs of having been literally 

 riddled. It is, however, the manageable form of glanders if 

 treated early. 



Treatment. — Strict sanitary measures must be rigidly en- 

 forced, as well as perfect isolation — isolation of no ideal charac- 

 ter, but of the most exclusive kind ; separate stables ; separate 

 attendants, stable tools, pails, flannels, sponges, &c, &c, if the 

 other horses on the establishment are not to suffer. One animal 

 affected with farcy will be found sufficient at once to give an 

 adequate amount of information as to what the disease may be 

 in its nature. 



Poison is in the system, it must be eliminated. A peculiar 

 tendency towards debility is present, as well as a low vitality, 



