Paganism in Agriculture 189 



When a cow gets indigestion, probably from 

 the weeds in the " hay," they go to a witch to 

 cure her. The witch fills a bottle with natural 

 water, knots a piece of twine over it, pulls the 

 knots out, and repeats the process, mumbling an 

 incantation. According as the knots come loose 

 or tighten, the case of the cow is simple or com- 

 plicated, and the measures to defeat or to conciliate 

 the hostile spirits at work must be taken accord- 

 ingly. Sometimes the struggle is so desperate that 

 the owner of the cow, having defeated the spirits, 

 may lose a child or even his wife as compensation 

 to the nether world for the loss of milk. The 

 incantation over, our farmer comes home with his 

 bottle of water, pours a little of it down the cow's 

 throat, and flings the remainder on her back, in 

 three dashes, " in the name of the Father, the Son, 

 and the Holy Ghost." I have seen this solemn 

 ceremony performed by a "farmer." The 

 pathology by prayer is often varied by " performing 

 a station " for the cow, saying specified prayers 

 before twelve pictures representing twelve scenes in 

 the life and death of Jesus. In a case of indigestion, 

 I have no objection to prayer, provided it is pre- 

 ceded by physic, but by depending on the prayer 

 and deferring the physic, the cow is often killed. 

 We pay veterinary surgeons for public service 

 under the Department's control, but the Depart- 

 ment dares not say a word against the pagan 

 pathology which has precedence of the veterinary 

 work. " Irish ideas " must be respected. 



When the electrical state of the air or the dirty 



