VETERINARY MEDICINE. 89 



the fall, just before the sheei) and cattle are moved to the jiastiire in which they 

 siiend the winter. 



As salt acts to a certain extent as a preventtive against stomach worms as 

 well as being a necessary element iu the diet of ruminants, it should be supplied 

 to the sheep in liberal quantities. It is said that in an experiment in which 

 sheep were fed tobacco no effect was noticeable either upon the stomach worms 

 or upon the sheep. 



Malta fever and the Maltese goat importation, J. R. Moiiler and G. H. 

 Hart {U. 8. Dcpt. Agr., Bur. Aniin. Indus. Rpt. IQOS. pi). 279-295. pi. 1, figs. 

 3). — In this paper the authors describe the characteristics of the Maltese goat 

 and the nature of Malta fever, a disease of goats due to Micrococcus incJitcnsis, 

 which is conveyed to man through the milk. 



The history of the importation of Maltese goats to the United States, made 

 in 1005, and investigations, in which J/. Diclitcnsis was fed to the goaft and 

 agglutination tests made of their blood upcn their arrival in this country, 

 during the course of which it was shown that the herd was infected, are con- 

 sidered at some length, 'rhls infection made the destruction of the entire herd 

 necessary, and all were destroyed within about a year after their importation. 

 It is concluded that " so long as Malta fever remains so prevalent in the Island 

 of Malta, and such a large percentage of the native goats are passive carriers 

 of the M. melitensis it will be, impracticable to attempt to introduce these 

 animals into the United States. Even if they were assuredly free from M. 

 melitensis. it is doubtful on account of climatic conditions whether they could 

 be profitably bred in this country, excei)t in the extreme Southern States." 



Field tests with serum for the prevention of hog cholera, W. B. Niles 

 {U. 8. Dept. Agr., Bur. Anim. Indus. Rpt. ]90S, pp. 177-217. fig. 1). — Experi- 

 ments conducted in 47 herds in order to determine what could be accomplished 

 by treating animals of different ages, located in different localities, and kept 

 under varying field conditions, are here reported. 



The results have led the author to conclude that nonimmune hogs of all ages 

 may be protected against hog cholera when sufficient doses of serum are 

 administered, namely, for sucking pigs, from 10 to 15 cc, for shotes weighing 

 from 30 to 200 lbs., from 20 to 30 cc, and for old hogs, from 40 to 60 cc. It is 

 thought probable that further experiments will show that as large a dose as 

 60 cc. will never be required. 



" In herds recently infected with hog cholera where only a few animals have 

 become sick, nearly all loss may be prevented by the use of serum alone. The 

 serum will not save those animals in the last stages of the period of incubation, 

 but may be depended on to protect all of the uninfected animals aiid most of 

 those in the early stages of the period of incubation. Simultaneous treatment 

 in these herds appears to yield the same results as the serum when given alone 

 except that the duration of immunity may be longer. In badly infected herds, 

 where the disease has made considerable headway, a number of the animals 

 may be saved by the serum, the percentage saved depending upon the extent 

 of llie infection ; that is, upon the number of unaffected or only slightly affected 

 animals in the herd at the time of treatment. By the prompt use of hyper- 

 inunune serum in an infected herd and the prompt vaccination of surrounding 

 herds, hog'cholera may be quickly stamped out when it first appears in new 

 territory. In case the infection has already spread from one infected herd to 

 several neighboring herds, the vaccination of all herds bordering on the infected 

 area will prevent further spread of the disease. The treatment of healthy 

 shotes by the simultaneous methods very rarely causes the appearance of 

 disease, and should it do so it may be quickly controlled by the subsequent use 

 of hyperinnnune serum alone." 



