July 1, 1898.] Supplement to the " Tropical Agriculturists 69 
instructions to deinoiistiMte the method in which 
the staff is to be employed. Such a measure 
would have done an iucalcalixble amount of good 
which no amount of reports or verbal instruc- 
tions will effect. 
The question of aid to tlie agriculturist whicli 
has so fullj' been worked out in Colonies such as 
Queenslanil and South Africa is still practically 
unopened in Ueylon. 
The si)iismodic attempts to help th ; iiaddy 
grower will never secure any permanent benefit 
to him or bring any good to the country. A properly 
organize ! system of safeguarding native agricul- 
tural interests is what is wanted, a!;d if this be 
provided there is bound to be a striking improve- 
menr, in the condition of the rural cultivator 
which is so much to be desired. 
— 
INOCULATIOiS" FOE RINDERPEST, 
The following letter by the Colonial V'eteriuary 
Surgeon on the above subject is hereunder 
published for the information of our readers: — 
In reply to numerous inquiries on the above 
subject, I have the honour to state tiiat cattle can be 
salted ve:y readily by an injection of glyceiinated 
bile followed by a judicious injection of virulent 
blood at regulated thort intervals. The difllculty 
is to define the exact dates on which. to apply ;ind 
repeit the blood injection, and this difficulty 
i-i by no means easy to surmount as the strength 
and length of immunity conferred on different 
aniui.ils by the same bile vary very much, hence 
tlie unequal remits obtained by the first and sub- 
sequent injections of virulent blood in different 
herds and on different animals in the same herd. 
In our ex])erience with glycerinated bile followed 
by blood, in a great mijoriiy of the herds as 
treated the loss after the first injection of 01 c.c. 
viruient blood on the third day was comparatively 
small, and in some herd'? none died, while in a 
very few lierds the losses were some .vh it heavy. 
It was after the second and third inoculation with 
blood that the losses varieil so much, and in some 
herds were very heavy. The cause of this was in 
my opini )n due to the length of time that was 
allowed to lapse — 14 to 17 days — bet^'■een the first 
and second doses of virulent blood, because in the 
c:ise of those animals whicii did not react to the 
first injection of blood the imrannity had otn- 
pletely passed off before the second dose was 
applied. 
It is a well-recognised fact that the immunity 
conferred by bile does not pass off gradually but 
suddenly. Animals which resist effectually a 
large dose of virulent blood at one time may in a 
very short time afterwards develop acute rinder- 
pest from the saine dose repeated. It has to be 
borne in mind in justilicatiou of the practice that 
was followed that at the commencement of the 
bile inoculations all the experts held the opinion 
that an injection of virulent blood after bile — 
whetlier glycerinated or pure — strengthene.l and 
extended the immunity conferred by the bile, 
whether it produced any feveied reaction or not. 
I'ainfnl expmience in the field, however, has 
clearly demonstratefl that this was a grave 
scientific error which led to somewhat serious 
results in practice, more especially in individual 
herd*, in which the bile immunity must have 
been unusually weak and evanescent. Keeping 
these experiences in mitid I would recommend 
when using glycerinated bile to increase the dose 
from 20 c.c. as formerly recommended to 30 c.c. 
for full-sized cattle, others 20 cc. to 15 c.c. 
according to size. This will ensure a safe immu- 
nity against the first dose of 0"1 c.c. of virulent 
blood to be injected on the 10th day following, 
then repeat the blood injection every six days 
uiuil all the auioQals have given a decided fever 
reaction. I may mention that animals have been 
salte l and highly fortified by this rnetliod in large 
numbers. The next consideration is the virulent 
blood itself. There can be very little d>ubt that 
other diseases besides rinder[)est can be conveyed 
to a healtliy animal by the injection of blood 
dr.iwii from a beast affected with rinderpest, 
Redwater is one. This may not be of much con- 
sequence in an area where the cattle are salted 
agaiiist that disease. At any rate, great care 
should be exeicised to obtain virulent blood from 
cattle which are not liable to suffer from any 
other blood disease such as redwater or lung- 
sickness. Another c msideration is to see that 
the blood is used jieifectly fresh and free from 
any septic germs ; the instruments also and (ill 
vessels used should be boiled for at least fifteen 
minutes before being used. 
I have, etc., 
D. HUTCHEOX, 
Col. Vet- Surgeon, 
Cape Town, May 4th, 1898. 

THE PRESERVATION OF EGGS. 
In Germany systematic experiments have 
recently been made for the purpose of a-sce^'tain- 
ing the most rational method of preserving eggs. 
Twenty m^tluds were selected for these experi- 
ments. In the first days of July 400 fresh eggs 
were prepared according to the methods (20 eggs 
for e:'.ch method) to be opened for use at the 
end of the month of February. Of course a most 
essential for the success of preservation is 
that only reiUy fresh eggs be employed. When 
after eight months of preservation the eggs were 
opened for use, the twenty different methods 
employe! gave the following results: — 
I. Eggs placed in salt water were all bad, 
not rotten but uneatable, the salt haring pene- 
tr;ited into the eggs. 
2 E,'gj wrapped in paper, 80 per ce it bad. 
3. Eggs preserved iri a solutian of salicylic 
acid and glycerine, 80 per cent bad. 
4. E^gs rubbed with salt, 70 per cent bad. 
5. Eggs preserved in bran, 70 per cent bad. 
6. Eggs provided with a cover of paraffin, 
70 per Cent bad. 
7. Eggs varnished with a solution of gly- 
cerine and salicylic acid, 70 per cent bad. 
8- Eggs puc in boiling water for 12 to 15 
seconds, 50 per cent bad. 
9. Eggs treated with a solution of alum, 50 
per ceiit liad. 
10. Eggs put in a solution of salicylic acid, 
50 per cent bad. 
II. Eggs varnished with water glass (was- 
serglas), 40 per cent bad. 
