504 Abstract Report of Agricultural Discussions. 



payment of compensation out of what is called tlie county stock 

 or rate. 



Weekly Eetuens. 



Let us now contemplate the attacks as shown by the Government 

 return — in other words, the results of the practical working of the 

 Act, so far as we can gather them from the Government veterinary 

 reports. I find that in the week ending February 17, the disease 

 appeared to have reached its climax. The attacks in that week were 

 in roimd numbers something like 13,000 ; in the next week, ending 

 February 24, they had fallen to 10,000 ; in the following week, 

 ending March 3, there was a further fall to 7,310 ; and in the week 

 ending March 10, which is the last retiu'n I have, they were 6518. 

 But here there is rather a fallacy, becaiise back cases are not recorded ; 

 taking the back cases, however, the numbers would be for the four 

 weeks respectively 18,000, 11,000, 9,000, and 7,000. 



But I think we should have a more sensitive and satisfactory test 

 perhaps in the number of fresh centres as showing the working of the 

 Act. In the first of the four weeks I have referred to, these were 

 995 ; in the second week, 712 ; in the third week, 602 ; and in the 

 foiu'th week, ending the 10th of March, 581. Again, there were killed 

 of diseased animals 864 in the first week ; 1,641 in the second week, 

 4,674 in the third week, and 5,587 in the last week. All the English 

 counties appear to have carried out the law more or less eifectually, 

 but undoubtedly there are four Scotch counties that have been 

 altogether slack, as you may gather from the retui-ns. After all the 

 excej)tional stringency, there is still perhaj)s groimd for disappoint- 

 ment as to the past, and warning as to the future. Sanguine persons 

 who do not regard the jiast expected far more ; as usual, they did not 

 make due allowance for the various disturbing influences which so 

 clog all human affairs. If it be considered that the means employed 

 were so exceptionally stringent that they can never be had recourse 

 to again, there is ground for disappointment that during the last 

 week the disease should have extended to 581 new centres ; in that, 

 I repeat, there is ground for both disappointment and warning. In 

 Poland the German newsj)apers publish favoiu-able articles in order 

 to influence the markets, and in England too often the wish as to the 

 stoppage of the cattle plague has been the " father of the thought." 



We will now turn for a moment to the consideration of the 

 milder type argument. From the evidence contained in the ' Gentleman's 

 Magazine ' I gather that the disease was most severe in frost and in 

 Avinter, and there is nothing whatever to show in the whole of the 

 records of the great plague that the disease was in any degree of 

 a milder type in the twelfth year of the plague than it was in the 

 first. They were obliged to have recourse to slaughter at last as 

 at first, and cures were just as unusual. I proceed now to notice 

 the last point in the Act, namely the movement of stock. When the 

 railways are opened, as undoubtedly they must be opened to a certain 

 extent, great precautions will be necessary. Without due care they 

 may be the means of propagating the infection, and inspection is of 



