H0K8E JS1CK^'ES^. 481 



on Guinea or Ubaaba grass, mixed with forage (oaten hay) or 

 Indian corn. This grass was usually cut in the evening and made 

 into bundles next day. Those who took particular care to have 

 the grass thoroughly dried in the sun before using it, did 

 not lose their horses, while those who neglected this precaution 

 lost heavily.^^ While in South Africa, I heard from reliable autho- 

 rities, of several cases of stabled horses, during an outbreak, con- 

 tracting the disease, apparently from being fed on grass which 

 was cut and freshly brought tO' them; while those which were in 

 the same stable, but which were kept on dry food, remained 

 healthy. 



Some South African horse-owners believe that night air in the 

 open acts as a carrier of this disease, and consequently will not 

 work their animals after the sun has set. This precaution appears 

 to be absolutely unnecessary as regards the prevention of horse 

 sickness. The coach horses to which I have recently alluded, 

 work at all hours, early and late, without the night air having 

 any bad effect on them. South African race horses generally go 

 out in the early morning when the dew is on the grass. The experi- 

 ence of a large number of South African farmers whom I have 

 consulted, is greatly in favour of keeping horses, during an out- 

 break of this sickness, in a stable or even in a kraal, if it 

 be intended to turn them out to graze, until the sun has 

 dissipated the dew off the grass, say until eight o'clock in 

 the morning. They have told me that keeping horses in a 

 kraal for this object is quite as good as stabling them. I may 

 explain that a kraal is simply a walled-in enclosure, which, being 

 constantly trodden down by cattle and horses, has little or no 

 grass on it. " Horses may be ridden or driven through the night, 

 or, if wearing a nosebag, may be left at rest in a badly-infected 

 area without becoming infected " (EdingtonJ. 



We may reasonably assume that drinking water does not act as 

 a carrier of this disease; because in the foregoing cases of im- 

 munity and infection, no difference in the drinking water was 

 made. " I have taken the water from pools in horse sickness 

 areas during a season of epidemic and have examined it micro- 

 scopically, but without success. Under the supposition that the 

 spores under a protean guise might be present among the debris 

 and multitudes of animalculse with which such waters abound, I 

 inoculated horses with as much as 10 ccm., but without any result 

 accruing " (Edington). 



" Infection by inhalation may apparently be excluded, for there 

 is abundant evidence to show that the disease is not communi- 

 cated by simple cohabitation of healthy and diseased horses '' 

 (McFadyeanJ. 



31 



