Report on Liver -Rot. 
Ill 
beasts killed have had the liver indurated, enlarged, some- 
times grown to the sides, and always containing flukes. 
Mr. Radford, of Thulston, on a Hat table-land, has lost 100 
sheep during the last two years. Charles Finney, Smerrles, 
Elwell, holds a strong clay farm, but none of his land is sub- 
ject to flooding. lie has had losses to the extent of 300/. 
amongst both bought and home-bred sheep, and 25 per cent, of 
his flock have already died or been sacrificed. He milks 33 
cows ; they have produced during the last two years just one- 
third less milk than they were wont to do in more favourable 
seasons ; one cow has died lately full of flukes. The young 
and feeding cattle have made slower progress than usual, and 
unless carefully managed there will be serious losses amongst 
them before the winter is passed. Mr. Edwin Canner, Stanley 
Grange, has 50 breeding ewes and about the same number of 
hoggs ; he had never seen a case of rot on his farm previous to 
December 1879, but has since had too much experience of it. 
Without effect, he has tried many remedies, and has lost, or 
sold at a low figure, upwards of 100 sheep. Charles Eaton, 
Attwall, between Michaelmas 1879 and Ladyday 1880, lost 200 
home-bred sheep ; bought in 80 more, most of which have gone 
at from 3s. 6(Z. to 4s. each ; 14 yearling cattle have also been lost 
during each of the last two winters. This farm consists chiefly 
of strong marl on a blue clay, and washed gravel subsoil ; some 
of the lower fields are subject to flooding, previous to 1879 
cases of rot were, however, unknown. 
Mr. Arthur Tomlinson, Stenson, although his land is light on a 
gravel subsoil, has of late years had his fields standing for days 
under water which could not get away. He has carefully fed his 
flock liberally, but in September suspected his ewes, and had two 
killed ; he found flukes, and without much loss, for they were still 
in good condition, got rid of 120 ; six, kept as an experiment, 
sank rapidly, and were soon worthless. Mr. Reehij, Kingston, 
had 300 sheep, and lost each year about a score, whilst the others 
have done badly, partly from flukes and partly from their being 
run too thickly owing to the necessity of shunning the flooded 
land. Mr. Gilbert Murray, of Elvaston, besides furnishing 
me with information himself, obligingly gave me introductions 
to various Derbyshire flock-masters. He told me that a lot 
of Dorset ewes brought into Derby market about Michael- 
mas 1879 were divided ; one half continued perfectly sound, 
the other in two months showed disease, and many died shortly. 
This shows an unusually rapid progress of the disease. At 
Elvaston, although the land is not dry, 150 Shropshire ewes 
have done well during the two last winters, but they have had 
trough-food twice a day and constant access to rock salt. The silt 
VOL. XVII. — s. S. N 
