1907.] oil Certain Seasonal Diseases of the Sheep. 555 



if it bad been a failure. This is the more to be regretted as his Grace 

 has all along manifested the liveliest interest in the investigation, 

 and last yeaf had planned an experiment which might be considered 

 to be of a crucial and conclusive nature. A matter of sixty sheep were 

 bought in the market : they were treated twice with our drench, and 

 were placed subsequently on three farms with a most unenviable 

 notoriety for these diseases of the sheep, at Kielder in Xorthumber- 

 land. Nevertheless, the mortaUty among them has been large, or 

 ■rather was large at first, but for the last three months or so it has 

 almost ceased. 



On the same three farms and on a fourth immediately adjacent, 

 we also treated a fairly large number of the ordinary or native sheep, 

 and again there was a large mortality. 



This result is remarkable when contrasted with the treatment in 

 Scotland and Ireland, and must be capable of explanation. I may 

 say, to begin with, that I had not had an opportunity of ascertaining 

 what disease or diseases prevailed in this particular district of 

 Xorthumberland during the autumn and winter months. Our 

 Committee had made a thorough study of those which prove so fatal 

 in the spring, but our knowledge was restricted to these. We were 

 working, therefore, in the dark so far as knowing what disease we 

 had mainly to contend with. The farmers themselves are not quite 

 sure about it. Thev call it sometimes " Braxy," but more frequently 

 ^'Sickness." 



I have gone into the matter so far very thoroughly, and intend 

 bringing it to an issue later on, the main result of the inquiry at 

 present being that the animals which succumbed on these four farms 

 have nearly "^all died from the same disease, and that this is certainly 

 not Braxy. "^ Indeed, I am sceptical of Braxy prevailing in this district 

 to any great extent. 



What, then, is the disease ? My own impression — although I 

 should like to be guarded in this opinion until an opportunity of 

 further investigation is afforded — is that the disease which accounted 

 for the mortaUty in this experiment is what is known as "Black- 

 quarter," a disease belonging to the same class as all the others. 



If this supposition be correct, it shows, as I before remarked, 

 what necessity there is for thorough inquiry into the diseases prevail- 

 ing in a district before attempting to prevent them. It will not be 

 until land-owners and sheep-farmers unite to further the aims of such 

 investigations that the rational means of preventing these diseases 

 will be perfected. An inquiry of this kind cannot be carried on 

 without funds, and surely where such a large commercial undertaking 

 is concerned, it behoves the country to do all it can to ameliorate a 

 state of matters which is bringing ruination upon the best sheep- 

 farming districts, and which is one of the chief causes of their 

 depopulation. 



[D. J. H.] 



