1910.] State Aid to Agriculture in Germany. 743 



at the same time with the absence of the indigestible fibre 

 which forms such a large proportion of the bran. 



Two cases of poisoning of animals caused by raw potatoes, 

 which have recently occurred in Germany,* would seem to in- 

 dicate that care must be exercised in 

 Poisoning- of feeding farm live stock with large quan- 

 Ao finals by tities of raw tubers. In the first case a 

 Potatoes. herd of 64 cattle developed symptoms of 



poisoning after being fed upon a large 

 quantity of raw r potatoes, and in the second case two cows 

 were taken ill after feeding upon potato parings. A notice- 

 able feature in both instances was the appearance of eczema 

 on the hind legs, causing lameness. It would appear from 

 these results that potatoes should be steamed before being fed 

 to animals, though an instance is mentioned by Sir J. 

 McFadyean f where poisoning occurred, even when the pota- 

 toes had been steamed. Eleven horses all died within three 

 days under exceptional circumstances, and the cause was 

 traced to a diet of spoiled steamed potatoes, the first symptoms 

 noticed in ten cases being weakness and loss of power over 

 the limbs. The potatoes had been stored for some time pre- 

 vious to feeding, but were not sprouted to any considerable 

 extent. Some of the horses had been receiving potatoes for 

 ten or twelve days, and others for only three or four days. 

 It was proved that death was not due to mineral poison, 

 nor to anything in the nature of infection from organisms, 

 since the potatoes had been steamed. It was conjectured 

 that the poison was probably some organic substance 

 generated, by the bacteria or fungi which were growing in 

 the decaying potatoes. 



The Board have been supplied through the Foreign Office 

 with statements showing the expenditure of the various 

 States of the German Empire in re- 

 State Aid to spect of agriculture and allied indus- 

 Agriculture in the tries. The figures are for one recent 

 German Empire. financial year, the particulars of which 

 were available, and represent the more 



Berliner Tierarztliche Wochenschrift, 1909, No. 40. 

 t Tournal R.A.S.E., 1897, Ann. Rept. from Principal of Royal Vet. Coll., 

 1896. 



