798 



TEE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



. NEWCASTLE.— D.V.S. HUTCHIN- 

 SON. 



Lungsichiess. — During the month four 

 outbreaks have been reported at TJm- 

 singa, ten at Dundee, and three at New- 

 castle. 



Scab. — One outbreak reported in the 

 Umsinga Division. 



Rmderpest. — This disease is the sub- 

 ject of a special weekly report, in which 

 particulars of the different outbreaks are 

 given. So far, the mortality has been 

 small, except in a few cases where the 

 disease has forestalled inoculation. Gly- 

 cerinated bile has given every satisfac- 

 tion in all cases where it has been used 

 up to the present. The use of raw bile 

 has been tTTe means of causing several 

 herds to break out; in fact, in the Nor- 

 mandein area, where approximately 2,000 

 head of cattle have been inoculated with 

 it, the disease in almost every instance 

 made its appearance from five to ten 

 days later among the different herds. 

 ' The losses within the area have not 

 been heavy, except in the case of the 

 first outbreak, as immediately the dis- 

 ease made its appearance after the first 

 inoculation, the animals were re-inocu- 

 lated, which generally had the effect of 

 controlling the outbreak. Several herds 

 have been treated with serum, with very 

 satisfactory results. 



Mange. — A most persistent form of 

 this disease is affecting a large number 

 of horses in my district, many of the 

 eases proving most obstinate to the regu- 

 lation treatment with the different dips, 

 sulphur, etc., and only give way before 

 very drastic measures. 



I find washing the cases well with a 

 solution of perchloride of mercury (1 to 

 800) two or three times a week alternately 

 ■v<'ith dressings of carbolic oil or creosote 

 and oil, effectively rubbed into the skin, 

 to be an excellent remedy. 



If emollients are not used, the skin 

 soon becomes thickened, cracked, and 

 unsightly. 



LADYSMITII.— D.V.S. POWER. 

 I am glad to be able to report that 

 Eindcrpest has not made much progress 

 during the month, there being only four 

 fresh outbreaks, all amongst native cat- 



tle on the farms Doornkraal, Swaart- 

 kloof, Kleinfontein, and Vlaak Plaats. 

 On Kleinfontein the disease broke out 

 amongst a herd of seventeen native cat- 

 tle; the owner did not trouble to report 

 it. However, he was not troubled with 

 it for long, as nearly all his cattle were 

 imder four years old, and in a very short 

 time all that he had left were two old 

 cows that had come safely through the 

 last outbreak. Proceedings are being 

 taken against this native for not report- 

 ing the outbreak. 



There is still a great demand for bile, 

 tho-\igh I think that most of the people 

 in the district have now inoculated, and 

 nearly all with glycerinated bile, and I 

 am glad to say I have not had a single 

 complaint about the bile issued. As you 

 are aware of the serum experiments car- 

 ried out for Mr. J. W. Mackenzie and 

 Messrs. Caldwell Bros., Dundee, I shall 

 only refer to them briefly. One lot of 

 sixty head, belonging to the first named 

 gentlemen, were infected with virulent 

 blood and treated with the serum from 

 old "salted cattle." All took the disease, 

 and in no case did it prove fatal. I 

 treated forty head in the same .manner 

 for Messrs. Caldwell Bros, and five died 

 from Rinderpest. 



I may mention that in Mr. Macken- 

 zie's case he knew the history of his 

 "salted" cattle, having used them during 

 the '97 outbreak, whereas Messrs. Cald- 

 well Bros, did not, and I think this ex- 

 plains the number of deaths amongst 

 Messrs. Caldwell's as compared with those 

 treated from Mr. Mackenzie's old and 

 tried servants. 



Another herd of 300, belonging to Mr. 

 Mackenzie, are now being treated in the 

 same manner, i.e., with the serum from 

 old salted cattle. 



I consider the results of these experi- 

 ments prove that the serum taken from 

 cattle that "salted" during the outbreak 

 four years ago is quite reliable now. 



Lungsichness. — The disease is still 

 prevalent, and is likely to be the ease 

 while the present conditions exist. 



P.^. — It has just been reported to me 

 that Rinderpest has broken out at Upper 

 Tugela again, caused by the return 



