74 DISEASES OF THE HOESB. 



septic, as it contains a little creosote. By it herring and 

 other fish are preserved. 



Spices, and other aromatic substances, have long been 

 used as disinfectants, but they possess no such property, aa 

 they do not prevent decomposition of bodies : they merely 

 cover the smell. 



Chloride of lime and chloride of zinc act as good disin- 

 fectants. 



The chloride of manganese is certainly as economical a 

 disinfectant as can be used by the farmer. It is cheap and 

 efficient, and not dangerous like chloride of zinc. 



Sulphurous acid, or rather its fumes, has, in all ages, 

 been used as a disinfectant, and by general consent is con- 

 sidered to be most valuable. Its action on animal and 

 vegetable substances is readily seen by the change in color 

 produced. In the form of sulphite of soda, it will arrest 

 the vinous fermentation in cider and other materials ; or if 

 injected into the veins of dead animals, it embalms them 

 most perfectly. 



For stables and houses filled with ani- 

 mals nothing will answer so well as chloride 

 of lime, or McDougal's disinfecting pow- 

 ders, applied to the floors and excrement 

 once per day with a large dredging box. 



For empty houses chlorine gas will be 



found as convenient and good as any. For 



this purpose, procure a strong wide-mouthed 



FLASK bottle, fill it about half full of bin-oxide of 



used in gener- manganese, close all the doors and windows, 



°^gas. ^T^^ other open places, then fill up the bottle 



with the spirits of salts, and retire and close 



the door. This may be repeated a few times in the course 



of a week. The fiimes that are disengaged will penetrate 



