M^xxcutixtxat ^onxxxat 



AND MINING RECORD. 



Vol. IV. FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1901. No. 4. 



The Journal is issued fortnightly, i.e.. every second Friday. Communications to be addressed to 

 the Editor " AgriculturalJournal," Department of Agriculture, Maritzburg. 



The Journal may be obtained from the Publisher, Mr. WM. WATSON, upon payment of an 

 Annual Subscription of 5s. With the exception of the Portuguese Colonies, the Journal is franked 

 to all parts of South Africa. 



Reading Cases for holding a year's issues of the " Agricultural Journal." leather back, cloth sides 

 26 strings, lettered on side. Is. 6d. each. Binding yearly volumes in cloth. 4s. each. 



CONTENTS. 



PAv^E. 



District Reports ... ... 102 



Veterinary. 



Horsesickness (continued), by H. 



Watkins-Pitchford, F.R.C.V.S,... 07 



Agriculture. 



Xanthium Strumarium, by J. Medley 



Wood, A.L.S. ... ... 100 



Grass Seeds for Distribution ... 101 

 Paspalum Dilatatum, by J. Medley 



Wood ... ... ... 102 



Peas ... ... ... 113 



Mustard and Rape for Sheep ... 114 



Farmers' Conference ... ... IIS) 



Central Sugar Mills in Queensland... 119 



Horses - 



White Legs and Feet in Horses ... 125 



African Horses ... ... 126 



PAGE, 



Dairy. 



Dairying in Australia Ill 



Mottled Butter 127 



Fruit Culture. 



Preserving Fruit 127 



Poultry. 



English Poultry Profits 104 



Miscellaneous. 



The March Rains 101 



Trout Fishing in Natal, by "Sydney 



W. Gilbert " 103 



Farmers' Accounts, by "Aitbur 



Barnett " 105 



History of introduction of Trout 



into Natal, by " John C. Parker 117 

 Correspondence. 



Prairie Grass, by Geo. C. StaiSord ... 120 

 Market Reports 128 



HorsC'Sickness investigations. 



By H. Watkins-Pitchford, F.R.C.V.S. 



{Conti 



A BRIEF review of the theories and 

 ideas as to the aoetiology, or cause, 

 of South African horse-sickness will 

 appropriately accompany a description 

 of the lines of investigation suggested by 

 8uch review. 



The possible modes of infection are 

 three in number which may be termed : — 

 («) Subcutaneous, or Traumatic (i.e., 

 through abrasions of surface). This head- 

 ing includes the agency of insects who 

 punctiire the skin for the purpose of 

 abstracting blood, or otherwise. 



(b) Respirator ti, infecting through the 

 air passages, when in a normal or possibly 

 an abnormal condition. 



(c) /n^^esh'ye, where infection takes, place 

 through normal or abnormal condition of 

 mucous- membrane or digestive apparatus, 



niied.) 



and under this head would naturally fall 

 the aj'.ency of intestinal parasites. I have 

 included also under this heading {c) the 

 possibility of infection through the 

 lachrymal mucous-membrane of the eye 

 The above possible modes of infection 

 will, I think, be found to cover all the 

 methods by which the organism can gain 

 access to the system of a horse, and we 

 must endeavour to ascertain by which of 

 these channels a horse becomes naturally 

 infected. 



We cannot, however, take it for granted 

 that one and one only of the above modes 

 of infection are concerned in the spread 

 of the disease. 



These theories as to the production of 

 the disease are, of course, based upon the 

 assumption that South African horse- 



