152 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



General Leeds. 



Walsingham, Lord, Chairman Hooi3, Hon. Col. Nelson 



Malborough, Duke of Johnstone, Sir J. V. B., Bt„ 

 Macclesfield, Earl of M.P. 



Powis, Earl of Miles. Sir Wm , Bt., M.P. 



Leigh, Lord Acland, T. Dyke 



Portman, Lord Baines, Edward, M.P. 



Tredegar, Lord Barker, Thomas Raymond 



Cavendisk, Hon. W. G., M.P. Barnett, Charles 



Beckett, W., M.P. 

 Beecroft, G. T.. M.P. 

 Challoner, Colonel 

 Dent, J. Dent, M. P. 

 Eddison, Edward 

 Gibbs, B. T. Braudreth 

 Hobbs, Wm. Fisher 

 Hoskyns, C. Wren 



Humberaton, P. S., M.P. 

 Leeds, Mayor of 

 Milward, Richard 

 Pain, Thomas 

 Salt, Titus, M.P. 

 Thompson, H. S., M.P. 

 Torr, William 



The President, Trustees, and Vice-Pres-dsnts are Members ex-officio of all Committees. 



"THE ROT" AND THE REMEDY. 



There has been now raging- for Eome months past in 

 the West of England a disease amongst sheep that is 

 known as *' the coathe" in Devonshire, as " the cna" 

 alike in Devon and Somerstt, or more significantly in 

 some parts of the latter county as " the bane." The 

 epidemic will be perhaps better understood by the 

 majority of our readers as " the rot." So virulent has 

 this been, so widely has it continued to spread, that 

 hundreds of thousands of sheep have either died from 

 the effects of the attacks, or have been killed as they 

 sickened. In this extremity, application was made to 

 the Royal Agricultural Society, and Professor Simonds 

 was sent down so far back as the week of the Smith- 

 field Club Cattle Show. No better step could have 

 been determined upon, and many no doubt have 

 anxiously awaited the result of the Professor's re- 

 searches. This was given at the last Weekly 

 Council Meeting of the Society, when the Report 

 from the Veterinary College was read, and in 

 which the following important passage occurs: — 

 " Among sheep, at the early part of the year, chronic 

 diseases of the lungs, resulting from the existence of 

 worms (filaripe) within the bronchial tubes during the 

 preceding autumn, proved very destructive. No doubt 

 but the fatality of this disease was greatly added to by 

 the long-continued wet weather and low temperature 

 which prevailed. It is, however, to be feared that 

 these same causes have had even a far greater injurious 

 effect on the health of sheep in producing that fatal 

 malady which is commonly known by the name of 

 ' rot.' At the present time this destructive disease is 

 wider spread than has been the case for many years ; 

 and in several of the western counties it is to be feared 

 from the recent investigations of the Professor of Cattle 

 Pathology, that whole flocks will be sacrificed to its 

 ravages. Little can now be done to prevent these 

 losses, the malady being one which has had its origin 

 in the entrance of entozoa into the organism of the 

 sheep, and during the preceding summer mouths. In 

 their more perfect form these cntozoa are known by the 

 names of flukes, and are found to be inhabiting the 

 gall ducts of the liver, where they not only produce 

 functional derangement of the organ, but early lay the 

 foundation for irremediable structural changes. The 

 study of the natural history of these creatures opens up 

 the only chance of preventing their attacks, and thus to 

 save the lives of our gheep j and it is gratifying to find 



that investigations of this kind have long since been 

 undertaken by the Professor of Cattle Pathology, and 

 which are satisfactorily progressing." 



We gather from this, as we feartd, . that the 

 disease is wider spread than was perhaps ever 

 yet known, and that whole flocks will bo sacri- 

 ficed. But one looks, perhapa, for something a littio 

 more definite from the opportunities Professor 

 Simonds had of inspecting the afflicted flocks ; and we 

 turn on to the Official Report of his visit to Bridge- 

 rule, in which it is thus written : " An investigation of 

 the symptoms satisfied me that the disease was rot in 

 its most malignant form, and the doubt referred to I 

 found to have had its origin in a want of knowledge of 

 even the most simple facts of the animal frame. As 

 I found indications of the disease in all the animals 

 to a greater or less extent, without reference to their 

 age, and as many were ewes in lamb, I deemed it 

 prudent to select on the different farms some for 

 slaughtering, with a view to determine if the individual 

 proprietors would be justified in keeping them a 

 sufficient time to produce and rear their lambs. In 

 every case I regret to say that such was the advanced 

 state of the malady that I could not advise any other 

 course being taken besides that of disposing of the 

 animals at a low- price as quickly as possible. Inquiries 

 since made show the propriety of this cour.se, and it 

 will appear from a report and details of particulars 

 furnished by Mr. Kingdon, and attached hereto, that 

 where the recommendation was not acted on, the 

 animals are being swept daily away by death. This 

 parish forms no exception unfortunately to the 

 existence of rot among the sheep. And it is a serious 

 thing to contemplate the great amount of loss which 

 the country as a v^hole will sustain from the disease. 

 Few districts can be found perfectly free of the malady; 

 but especially does it prevail on wet, cold, and un- 

 drained lands. Late investigations into the natural 

 history of the entozoon — the liver fluke — on the pre- 

 sence of which in great numbers within the biliary 

 ducts the disease depends, would cherish the hope that 

 ere long preventive means may be adopted to- limit 

 their development, and thus save the lives of many of 

 our sheep." 



Now what does all this amount to ? Let us take the 

 Report of the Governors of the Royal Veterinary 

 College, and back it with the account of Mr. Simonds' 



