268 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



June 



of conversation among all classes of people. As one result of] 

 the disease, no millc, butter, chet'se, veal or beef is taken from 

 the Brookfiekl stations, unless after tlie most ri.i,'iil investigation 

 into its antecedents. It will be a long time before the reputa- 

 tion of the region will be recovered. 



One man named Meade is of tlie opinion that it was communi- 

 cated to his cattle by means of his clothus. He says he was at 

 Stoddard's, and among his cattle, and after he went liome his 

 calves came around him, smelt of his frock, and were soon at- 

 tacked. It is said, however, that liis cattle and some of Stod- 

 dard's were at s"me time together. There was a report that the 

 distemper had appeared in Ware, having been conveyed in some 

 hay sold from a barn iu North Brookfield, in which were infected 

 cattle. The Commissioners, determined to take every precau- 

 tion, will probably prohibit the sale of hay from infected barns. 

 At the close of the examinations on Saturday, the Commis- 

 sioners requested the people from the adjoining towns to change 

 their clothes before going into their barns. 



IS THE MEAT POISONOUS ? 



This is the question in which all consumers of beef, milk and 

 butter are interested. Up to a certain stage of the disease the 

 meat is not injurious, though the Commissioners have prohibited, 

 entirely, its sale. In Em-opcan countries the sale of the beef of 

 animals snlToring with this disease is legalized. There is no virus 

 introduced into tlie system, and the meat is only injured from 

 the blood not being purified by the operation of perfect lungs. 



DESCRIPTION AND SYMPTOMS OF THE DISEASE. 



The locality of the disease, as its name denotes, (pleuro-pneu- 

 monia) is iu the lining membrane of the thoracic cavity, and in 

 the thoracic viscera. It is probable that the disease is really a dis- 

 ease of the lungs' merely, and that the pleura or contiguous mem- 

 branes are afTected merely by sympatliy. If an autopsy be 

 made of an animal suffering from the disease, the cavity of the 

 chest is discovered to contain a quantity of diseased serum, the 

 effusion of the affected pleura ; and the lungs are seen to be sol- 

 idified, fdled with lymph, and of the dark color of venous or un- 

 oxgenated blood, instead of being porous and of a pink color. 

 From this solidification and the dark color, physicians have 

 agreed that the lungs do not act naturally in the elimination of 

 carbonic acid and the absorption of oxygen into the blood, and 

 as by degrees the blood gets poorer and poorer, has less and less 

 vitality in it, the animal must die, just as a man must when shut 

 up with a pan of charcoal in a close room. 



It is only recently that this disease has been introduced into 

 this country, it having come over, withoutdoubt, with some "im- 

 proved stock ;" but the fearful ravages it has already caused 

 here and in New Jersey leave no room to doubt that it is highly 

 infectious, and the experiments in inoculation made in Europe 

 lead us to suppose it is contagious also. 



This disease is supposed to have originated in the Netherlands, 

 was probably introduced into this country by Dutch cattle, but 

 has been known for a century and a half in England, France 

 and Germany, in wliich latter counti-y the government have 

 adopted the most energetic measures for its extirpation. 



Paoli Lathrop, Esq., one of the Commissioners 

 upon the cattle disease, accompanied by Drs. 

 Bates and Thayer, visited Belmont on Tuesday, 

 24th, to ascertain whether the disease had made 

 any progress in that vicinity. They thoroughly 

 examined the herds of Messrs. Adolphus Brown, 

 S. Kendall, James B. Kendall, M. W. Marsh and 

 George Prentiss, and found them entii-ely free 

 from disease. Most of the animals were in very 

 fine condition. It is a singular fact that one of 

 the above herds run in a pasture beside that of 

 Mr. Chenery, where the disease originated. Yet 

 no disease had appeared among the animals. The 

 result of the observations of the Commissioners 

 in this respect is that the disease is not conveyed 

 in the air. It is contagious, and not epidemic. 



The farm of Mr. Chenery was also visited. 

 There were no new cases of the disease. Mr. 

 Lathrop commends Mr. Chenery for the precau- 

 tions which he has taken since he became aware 

 of the dangerous character of the disease, to pre- 

 vent it from spreading. 



Hon. Amasa Walker, another of the Commis- 



sioners, made a further examination among the 

 herds in Brookfield, but found no new cases. 



A meeting of the Commissioners and surgeons 

 was held at the State House on Wednesday. The 

 appropriation of $10,000 is considered too small 

 by some $5000, and measures were taken to raise 

 a guaranty fimd, to secure the required amount. 

 We are informed by Dr. Dadd, that the Commis- 

 sioners are satisfied that, with one exception, the 

 disease is confined to North Brookfield, and that 

 the evil may be eradicated by the slaughter of the 

 infected herds, and the adoption of the proper 

 precautions. The reports of the disease having 

 appeared in New Hampshire are considered un- 

 founded, and the disease in Essex County was en- 

 tirely difi"erent from pleuro-pneumonia. 



■WHITEWASHIBTQ— A "WHITEWASH. 



This is a subject upon which our farmers re- 

 quire "line upon line and precept upon pi-ecept." 

 Whitewash is one of the most valuable articles 

 in the Avorld, when properly applied. It prevents 

 not only the decay of Avood, but conduces greatly 

 to the healthiness of all buildings, whether of 

 wood or stone. Outbuildings and fences, when 

 not painted, should be supplied once or twice ev- 

 ery year with a good coat of whitewash, which 

 should be prepared in the following way : Take 

 a clean, water-tight barrel or other suitable cask, 

 and put into it half a bushel of lime. Slack it 

 by pouring water over it, boiling hot, and in suf- 

 ficient quantity to cover it five inches deep, and 

 stir it briskly till thoroughly slaked. When the 

 slaking has been effected, dissolve it in water, 

 and add two pounds of suljjhate of zinc, and one 

 of common salt. These will cause the wash to 

 harden, and prevent its cracking, which gives an 

 unseemly appearance to the work. If desirable, 

 a beautiful cream color may be communicated to 

 the above wash, by adding three pounds of yellow 

 ochre ; or a good pearl or lead color, by the addi- 

 tion of lamp, vine or ivory black. For fawn col- 

 or, add four pounds umber — Turkish or American 

 (the latter is the cheapest,) — one pound Indian 

 red and one pound common lampblack. For 

 common stone color, add four pounds raw umber, 

 and two pounds lampblack. 



This wash may be applied with a common 

 whitewash brush, and will be found much superior 

 both in appearance and durability, to common 

 whitewash. — Germantown Telegraph. 



« FAKM KECOCD. 



"WIio does not, in the spring-time, desire to 

 know at what time in years past he plowed and 

 planted, and whether he had good or poor crops, 

 and when he first had green peas and new pota- 

 toes, and when the robins and bluebirds first an- 

 nounced that summer was near ? 



The Farm Record, just published by C. M. 

 Saxton, Barker & Co., and for sale by A. Williams 

 & Co., is a nice quarto book, arranged with blanks 

 for the farmer's use, in which he may rate all such 



