190 
Report on the Trade in Animals. 
This fact accounts for a certain small increase in the returns at 
the beginning- or middle of summer ; but the great increase occurs 
in August, September, and October, when there is the greatest 
movement of stock all over the country, and when the Irisk 
stores come over to be fattened by the English farmer. Some of 
the beasts being diseased, they infect others ; and the returns 
increase until, fold-yards and feeding-byres being full, the oppor- 
tunity of further contagion is removed. From this time the 
number of fresh attacks begins to decrease, and the favourable 
change is accelerated by the continued movement of stock from 
the farm direct to the slaughter-house, until the cycle is com- 
pleted and the autumn purchases lead to its re-commencement. 
This seems to me the most easy and rational explanation of the 
figures contained in Tables I., II., and III. No doubt, dairying 
and summer-grazing may require some modification of such expla- 
nations in reference to particular localities ; but I believe that 
most of the cattle bought for those purposes come from no long 
distance, and that therefore, as vehicles of disease, they do not 
influence the returns to any great extent. This opinion appears to 
be strengthened by the following comparative statement (Table 
IV.), which has been kindly furnished by Captain McNeill, the 
Chief Constable of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and in which 
the periods of maximum and minimum development of foot- 
and-mouth disease in Cheshire and the West Riding (the one a 
dairying and the other a grazing district*) during the last three 
years are shown to practically coincide, especially as regards 
the periods of maximum development. 
Table IV. — Keturn showino; the Periods of Maximnin and Minimum De- 
velopment of FooT-AND-MouTH DISEASE in CHESHIRE and the West 
EiDiNG OF Yorkshire. 
Cheshire. 
West Riding. 
April 2, 1870 .. .. 
391 
July 2, 1870 .. .. 
591 
Sept. 3 , , 
9,559 
Sept. 3 ,, .... 
2,117 
June 3, 1871 .. .. 
31 
July 1, 1871 .. .. 
117 
Oct. 7 ,, .. .. 
12,458 
Oct. 7 ,, .... 
6,275 
May 4, 1872 .. .. 
60 
April 6, 1872 .. .. 
1,103 
Sept. 7 ,, .. .. 
17,252 
Sept. 7 ,, .. .. 
17,150 
* On this suhject Jlr. J. Dent Dent, M.P., has favoured me with the following- 
statement with regard to the West Eiding of Yorkshire : — 
" Of late years the grazing land.s of the West Eiding have been almost entirely 
stocked by Irish cattle, generally purchased in the autumn, wintered in the farm- 
yards, and sold fat from grass ; and, until last year, most of the farmers were 
anxious that their lean stores should get over the foot-and-mouth disease the first 
autumn before they began to improve. The disease has been more iatal lately, 
and bus, it is said, attacked animals a .second time. A certain number of Irish 
beasts are bought in the spring ; for instance, York fortnightly fair on February 
13th was so crowded with them, that (here was a fall of 1/. a head in their price. 
These purchases go on until .June, and the Table for tho West Eiding shows an 
increase of disease about that time.'' 
