23 



formed by just scratchiug the skin, somewhat after the same 

 manner as vaccinatiou is practised ou a child. This being done, 

 the animal is lot go to his usual run, without further care. As 

 soon as the part becomes visibly inflamed, it is necessary to cause 

 it to discharge, by administering three or four grammes (?. e. 40 to 

 60 grains) of sulphate of magnesia, according to the animal's 

 strength." 



It will be observed that Dr. Willems inoculates with the knife 

 or lancet, and not with the thread orseton, as here recommended. 

 A little consideration, however, Avill show that the circumstances 

 under which cattle are inoculated in Belgium are very different 

 from those in which they are operated upon in these Colonies, 

 and that a difterent mode of innoculating should be adopted. 

 In Belgium, the cattle after being inoculated can always be seen 

 and examined twice a day, and the necessary medicine can be 

 administered to them to promote the discharge from the inocula- 

 tion wound, which is so essential to the safety of the operation 

 and the freedom from excessive swellings. This, with all but an 

 exceedingly small proportion of our cattle, and especially wdth 

 ordinary "bush" herds, is of course entirely out of the question. 

 It is necessary, therefore, that the mode of inoculating should be 

 such as will be the most likely to promote this discharge ; and it 

 has been found, as might have been expected, that the thread or 

 seton does this much more effectually than the knife or lancet. 

 The former mode should therefore be adopted in preference 

 to the latter. 



(5.) — Apparent Effects of Inoculation. 



On some of the cattle in a herd the eflfect of the operation 

 begins to be observable about the 5th day, and in the majority of 

 them between that and the ISth or 20th day. On some, again, 

 the effect is not noticeable till the 25th or SOth, or even the 40th 

 day, while in some no effect whatever is perceptible. 



The perceptible effect following inoculation, in those casea 

 where no dangerous or fatal consequences follow, will range from 

 an apparent stiffness in the tail, with a barely perceptible increase 

 in its thickness, to an enlargement of half its natural girth. _ This 

 swelling, however, most frequently amounts to an increase in the 

 thickness o:^ the tail of barely a fourth of its ordinary girth, and 

 the seat is usually immediately above the inoculation wound, 

 extending for two or three and sometimes four inches upwards, 

 growing gradually thicker as it ascends. 



Shortly after these swellings are observable, scabs begin to be 

 formed around the inoculation wounds ; and where the swelling 

 is at all considerable, the scabs sometimes quite encircle the tail, 

 while in other cases they are only of small extent. Under these 

 scabs are collections of matter, greater or less, according to the 

 size of the scab and the extent of the swelling. 



