Discussion on Disinfectants. 105 



wliei-e EincTerpest prevails, and all wlio may liavo come into contact 

 with diseased stock, cannot be too strongly urged upon all stock- 

 owners. 



11, Salisbury-square, Flcd-street, February, 1866, 



Abstract of the Discussion lohich took place after the Deliver i/ of 

 Peofessor Yoelcker's Lecture. 



The Chairman (Lord Berners) was quite sure that all present 

 would agree wdth him that this interesting lecture on a subject of the 

 utmost importance should be published as soon as possible. The 

 lecture contained a great number of practical hints as to the cleansing 

 of sheds and implements, fumigation by burning half a pound of 

 sulj^hur on the floor, limewashing, and ventilation, all of which could 

 bo done with materials at the hands of every farmer. He agreed with 

 the lecturer as to the difficulty of getting rid of manure by burning. 

 But how would it be aflected if treated with lime in the way proposed ? 

 "Would not the ammonia be volatilised, and might they not in such a 

 case use gypsum to fix it ? And did the Professor think it would 

 be safe to turn the heap of infected manure and earth, disposed in 

 layers as he had described in as brief a period as he had named ? 



Professor Voelcker replied in the affirmative. In answer to the 

 question as to the effect of lime on the manure-heap, he said that fresh 

 manure contained scarcely any ammonia : the ammonia was produced 

 during the decomposition, and therefore it was not desirable to mix 

 lime with rotten dung. 



The Chairman : You would use it while the manure was green. 

 There was another important point. They all knew that there was no 

 greater fertiliser than the carcase of an animal. Supposing then a 

 diseased animal was buried, woxdd it be safe to use the body as manure 

 three months afterwards, or in what time '? 



Professor Voelcker : I would leave the diseased animal in his 

 grave. 



The Chairman stated that some time ago he had a tank, near where 

 he kept his prize stock, which smelled very disagreeably. One 

 morning he found the tank covered with a thick green slime, and 

 ordered a bushel of gypsum to be thrown over it : in the afternoon 

 there was not the slightest smell, and the scum was gone, but the colour 

 remained. He constantly used gypsiim in his yards, and cow-houses, 

 and pig-houses, and it almost entirely prevented any smell. 



Dr. Crisp remarked that the learned Professor had much simplified 

 the subject of the Cattle Plague, when he stated that it originated in 

 living cells. He had himself examined for a long time the excretion 

 of animals dying from Cattle I'lague, but with no higher power than 

 500 or 600. He would like to ask what power was used in the dis- 

 covery of the cells, and were the cells peculiar to the Cattle Plague ? 

 Monads and other animalcula) were foimd in scores of animals. Was 



