PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS* CLUB. 79 



Mr. John G. Bergen. — Much of the land on Long Island is not 

 light — it is a strong clay or loamy soil. It is better, on the whole, 

 than the light lands of Jersey, of which I have heretofore spoken 

 in high terms. It is remarkable for its productiveness of fruits. 



TRICHINA. 



Andrew Bush, M, D., Setzler's Store, Chester "co., Pa., writes : 

 " The fact that the trichina has been discovered in this country 

 should cause no alarm. It is nothing new. The great improve- 

 ment in microscopical instruments has enabled us to discover 

 many things heretofore hidden. It is only in occasional diseased 

 conditions, probably, that these worms are found in quantities 

 sufficient to endanger human health. Hydatids and other species 

 of animalculse are often found in the viscera of hoo-s, cattle and 

 sheep; yet the healthiness of other portions of the animal has 

 never been disputed. To prevent the spread of trichiniasis or 

 other diseases, farmers should endeavor to keep their animals in 

 a healthy condition. Exhaustion produced by exposure to cold 

 winds, or over heated bodies, insufficient food or irregular feed- 

 ing, predisposes all animals to infection. The three avenues by 

 which contagious and epidemic disease enter into the animal sys- 

 tem, are the internal pores of the alimentary canal, the inhaling 

 surface of the lungs, and the external pores of the skin. Of these 

 three avenues, the first is the most important; it can be guarded 

 and controlled by the farmer's hand. Stagnant water should 

 never be given to animals. The rule should be, pure Avater to 

 drink, and wholesome, nutritive food to eat; never gorging to sat- 

 isfy, as that produces debility; never omitting to feed at the pro- 

 per time, as then the stomach becomes empty, the mucous coats 

 or lining collapse and soften, and a suitable place is formed for 

 the deposit and development of trichina and other animalculas. 

 A quantity of food in the stomach dilutes all poisonous matters, 

 and makes it less injurious. An empty stomach ceases to nour- 

 ish, and the cessation of nutrition is the besrinnino: of dissolution. 



"The stomach is the animal furnace that consumes the carbon 

 of the food to generate animal heat, and gives power to the heart 

 to circulate the blood, gives power to the lungs and skin to per 

 form their important functions in building up and preserving the 

 body and throwing ofi* injurious matter. German writers recom- 

 mend coal oil mixed with the hog feed in small quantities, and 

 applying as a wash externally, as preventives of trichina. Feed- 



