158 
Report on Liver-Rot. 
ungenial seasons, aggravated by negligence in not having the 
lands thoroughly drained. The iarms on which the great 
losses occurred have not been propcrlv ditched or drained, and 
are in a lost state It seems to be pretty generally under- 
stood that the remedy is in the hands of the owners of the land, 
that is to say, very little fear need be entertained of a recurrence 
of rot if they carry out a proper system of drainage." 
3Ir. Henry Sharpie//, Louth, Lincolnshire, writing February 
14th, 1881, said that "more rot is showing itself in this district 
than has yet occurred ; it is now found in flocks that at Christmas 
were believed to be perfectly sound. It is, however, chiefly 
confined to the wet, undrained, or flooded middle marshes, and 
mostly attacks sheep kept upon them late in the autumn. Even 
in recent seasons when it was so rife elsewhere, rot was unknown 
on the sea or salt marshes as well as on the hill or wold land. 
Few of the uplands, even of heavy clay, have furnished cases. 
In this part of the country second-year's seeds on wet low lands, 
in dripping seasons, are believed to be generally prolific of rot." 
Mr. D. Gressioell, M.R.C.V.S., of Louth, on February 11th, 
1881, reported as follows : — " Rot has not existed in this district 
for forty years to my knowledge before the latter end of 1879 
and the beginning of 1880, and then only in three parishes of low- 
lying or undrained middle marsh-lands, where it has been very 
fatal. In the latter part of 1880 and beginning of 1881 it has 
not been so bad as it was the year before ; but I think we do 
not yet know the worst. The sheep generally got the disease 
last September and October ; the flukes in livers which I have 
examined about a fortnight since were very small ; as they get 
larger the health of the sheep will suffer more seriously. The 
disease does not appear to have been brought to these parts ; it 
arises purely from the land being flooded. 1 have only seen it in 
Lincolns ; we have no other breeds in the neighbourhood. Rot is 
not an infectious disease ; it never occurs on the wolds or chalk 
hills. Rotten sheep taken to the wolds may all die, but those 
they are mixed with I have never known to become affected. 
I have never seen rot or heard of it in the salt marshes. I 
do not believe that land becomes impregnated with the germs 
of rot, although sheep may be dying upon it ; unless again 
flooded it will not produce rot next year. This, I know, is 
contrary to the general belief. But if land could become 
tainted with the germs of this disease, we should have it on 
the same land for several successive seasons ; whereas it is 
generally known to exist for one season and then cease, 
except when the land has become flooded again. The year 
before last we had a tremendous lot of lambs suffering from 
tapeworms, but none before on these lands. Many of the 
