32 GUAM AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



ati()])hied and in a cirrhotic condition, with the surface showing 

 many scars; the walls of the bile ducts are thickened and these vessels 

 contain in varying amounts the hard, gritty substance; an excessive 

 growth of connective tissue is found throughout the liver. 



The following effects of flukes on animals were observed: Of the 

 32 cattle examined at the Agana market, all were in fair butchering 

 condition. The livers of some, however, were almost totally de- 

 stroyed, only a small area remaining normal, this area appearing, 

 liowever, to function sufficiently to keep the animal in a fairly healthy 

 condition. It is believed that few, if any, cattle succumb as a direct 

 result of fluke infestation. The fluke undoubtedly materially checks 

 the growth and influences to a considerable degree the normal de- 

 velopment of a young animal. The effect of flukes on goats and 

 swine, but more especially on goats, appears to be much more serious, 

 and if the conditions are allowed to remain uncorrected, they will 

 eventually result in a high percentage of fatalities. Taking into con- 

 sideration the life history of the parasite and also the fact that a large 

 percentage of the animals are pastured in low, swampy places, the 

 prevalence of flukes among the different animals of the island is 

 largely explained. 



For the prevention of losses by flukes the following suggestions 

 are offered : Draining the swamps and thus depriving the snails of 

 fresh water in order to exterminate them; sprinkling salt and lime 

 over the swamps to destroy the snails and embryos; keeping a 

 swampy pasture free from animals to eventually bring about the 

 death of all the embryos ; introducing frogs and toads, of which the 

 island is at the present time entirely void, to assist in the eradication 

 of the snails; and thorough burning of the pasture to destroy the 

 encysted embryos. Manure from the infested animals should be 

 treated with lime and salt and placed on high ground so that it will 

 not wash back into low pastures. All badly infested animals should 

 be butchered and the livers thoroughly boiled or burned. Under no 

 consideration should the raw liver be given to dogs, as the eggs are 

 sure to be distributed by so doing. Raised drinking troughs should 

 be provided, furnishing fresh water to which snails have not had 

 access. A theory has been advanced to the effect that pastures bor- 

 dering on the seashore are safe so far as fluke infestation is con- 

 cerned. The station maintains several pastures less than a quarter 

 of a mile from the sea which are badly infested with the embryo 

 flukes. Results here have proved salt to be a A-ery effective agent 

 both in the treatment of infested animals and in the extermination 

 of the embryos. However, it is believed that the distance from the 

 seashore can affect the embryos or snails very little except in a 

 typhoon season, when a large quantity of salt spray is blown across 

 the island. 



