Report on Liver-Rot. 
193 
The flukes had probably been picked up during the previous 
autumn. Mr. Moir had been told that many young cattle have 
died between Newport and Chepstow." 
In answer to inquiries regarding the recent prevalence of the 
complaint, Mr. Moir obligingly sent me the following informa- 
tion (February 19, 1881) : — " in Glamorganshire, at least in this 
district, the disease, although it has prevailed to some extent 
this winter, has not been so destructive as it was twelve months 
ago. I do not know that its type has altered. I have not heard 
that any cattle or horses have become affected, at least to such 
an extent as to cause death, but the butchers tell me that many 
of the cattle killed now show signs of previous disease and in a 
few the liver is rotten. 
" It has long been my opinion that hares and rabbits carry 
the disease on to fresh ground — hares more especially, as they 
travel over a greater amount of ground than rabbits do. During 
the last winter a great number of dead hares were picked up 
having all the symptoms of rot. This is one way of account- 
ing for virgin land, if I may use the term, becoming affected. 
A good many sheep died of rot on the salt marshes 12 or 14 
miles from here. Such a thing was never known before. 
Last winter there were very few farmers who did not lose less or 
more of their sheep from rot. Some indeed lost all ; those that 
did not actually die were sold for what they would fetch. 
Flock-masters who were most fortunate kept their sheep as dry 
as they possibly could, shifting them from one place to another, 
frequently on to seeds ; they also allowed them hay, oats, malt- 
dust or cake. A good many sheep apparently affected were 
thus saved or the disease arrested, giving time to secure a market 
for them. By my advice the chaffed hay was mixed with the 
oats, cake, or malt-dust, very often with pulped roots, and 
watered with a solution of common salt in the proportion of 
one ounce to the gallon of water, increasing the strength as the 
sheep got used to the taste. The water was put into a common 
watering-can with a rose to it and then poured over the mixed 
food. A good many cattle in this district also died from rot 
last winter. The best treatment I found for them was removal 
to fresh pasture as dry as possible, or, if possible, to house them ; 
give a liberal diet and twice a day a powder consisting of 
gentian, nitrate of potash, and carravvays, all powdered, of each 
two drachms mixed in the feed ; with this treatment a great 
many recovered. I have been told, but do not know for a fact, 
that a good many colts died of rot last winter. I have not had 
an opportunity of making a post-mortem, neither was I fortunate 
enough to get a liver to examine. There is a widespread belief 
that carnation-grass is a cause of rot in sheep, and this belief is 
VOL. XVII. — S. S. O 
