376 
Report on the Health of Animals of the Farm. 
The inoculation was made on April 30th, since which time 
anxious enquiries have been instituted lor the purpose of ascer- 
taining whether sheep-pox had again obtained a footing in the 
country, but happily to this time the enquiry has had a negative 
result. This case is probably but one of many which occur 
among German sheep, and it shows the absolute necessity of the 
greatest care being observed with regard to these animals when 
imported. Bought for slaughtering, the risk is reduced to a 
minimum ; but no farmer should venture to buy these or other 
sheep for feeding which have been imported from Central or 
Eastern Europe. 
Cattle Plague. — Since the introduction of this most malignant 
disease last year, by Russian and German cattle exported from 
Cronstadt and Hamburg, no case has been detected by the 
inspectors at any of the ports ; nor is it known that the malady 
has penetrated further westward than Bohemia and Silesia. 
Eastern Europe has, however, continued to suffer to a great 
extent for many consecutive months, and, according to infor- 
mation received through official sources, Poland, Galicia, 
Hungary, and Lower Austria have not been free from the disease 
this year. The risk of the introduction of cattle-plague is 
doubtless increased in proportion to its extension westward ; 
but experience has shown that the greatest danger belongs to 
the direct importation of Russian cattle, or to those which are 
brought via the Baltic into Western Europe. 
Pleuro-pneumonia. — ^The accounts which come to hand from 
time to time with reference to pleuro-pneumonia would seem to 
show that the provisions of the " Contagious Diseases (Animals) 
Act," as administered in many parts of the country, have done 
little or no good in keeping the disease in check. To exter- 
minate pleuro-pneumonia, not only more stringent, but more 
united, measures must be employed, and it is not unlikely 
that one beneficial result of the labours of the committee 
now sitting to enquire into the working of the Act will be the 
adoption of such measures, or the better administration of those 
now existing. Pleuro-pneumonia may probably not be found in 
more counties than at the beginning of the year, but recent in- 
formation proves that the cases are increasing in number, and 
consequently the centres of infection augmenting. 
Scnfida.- — Judging from the number of specimens which 
have been forwarded to the College by veterinary surgeons re- 
siding in counties far distant from each other, this hereditary 
but non-contagious malady would appear to be not only wide 
spread, but also on the increase. One cause of this is doubtless 
a want of care in selecting animals which are to be used for 
breeding purposes. No animal which shows the least evidence 
of the disease, or which belongs to a family known to be affected, 
