888 = 622 TTie Royal Agricultural Society of England. 
i 
a part should be borne by the Society ; but the Council havt 
always endeavoured to deal with these matters in a libera 
spirit, and the clauses have been most liberally interpreted ir 
times of public danger — such, for instance, as an outbreak o 
cattle-plague. 
Importance of In some respects this is the most necessary of the scientific 
De^ Z-tmenT^^ departments of the Society. The loss to farmers in consequence 
of their buying bad seed, adulterated manure, or " mixed ' 
cakes is often very great, but the action is their own ; and irre 
spective of the Society, though probably with greater cost am 
less security, the remedy is in their own hands. In the case 
however, of the outbreak of a contagious or infectious diseasj 
among his flock or herd, the farmer is practically powerless 
He can rarely fasten the blame upon any one, and if he shoulc 
be able to prove the carelessness of a drover or a shepherd i 
brings him no pecuniary compensation. His best course is t( 
obtain without delay the most reliable advice, with a view tc 
stay the progress of the destroyer ; and this the Society ha: 
placed within his reach at a very moderate cost under any cir 
cumstances, and at none at all in matters of public importance. 
This department of the Society's organisation is not confinec 
to the application of the known truths of veterinary science t( 
the diseases of animals of the farm, but it is largely occupiec 
with endeavours to increase the technical knowledge of these 
subjects by stimulating research in reference to both preventive 
and curative measures. The volumes of the Society's ' Journal 
contain numerous papers embodying the results of experimenti 
made at the Royal Veterinary College, the Brown Institution 
and elsewhere ; and of a large number of local investigations a 
special farms into nearly every important disease which com' 
monly affects farm-stock. I may specially mention researches int( 
cattle-plague and inoculation for pleuro-pneumonia, made ove: 
a large area upon the continent of Europe by Professor Simonds 
experiments upon almost every known contagious or infectioui 
disease of cattle, sheep, and pigs made at the Royal Veterinary 
College ; and, more recently, very careful scientific experiment! 
upon foot-and-mouth disease, pleuro-pneumonia, and anthrax 
made at the Brown Institution ; while at the present momen 
arrangements are being made to test, on an extensive scale am 
in different parts of the kingdom, the protective effect agains 
pleuro-pneumonia, of the new method of inoculation devisee 
by Dr. Burdon Sanderson. 
Investigations 
into diseases 
of animals of 
the farm. 
I 
