195 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept. 2, 1901. 
the Minister of Agriculture and the Piincipal Vete- 
rinary Surgeon, Mr Hutcheou, v/ho kindly assisted 
ine in every way lie coulil, and whose office L at- 
tended during my stay in the Colony, collecting all 
the information possible, wliich ^vas presented to 
Government on n)y return to Colombo on 8th July. 
Dr. Turner, the Principal Medical Officer, also gave 
me great assistance and copies of his reports upon 
the subject. 
On my return rinderpest was prevailing in the 
Kegalla and Ratnapura Districts, and I visited 
Badalgama, Katukinda Dehiovvita. Yatiyantota, 
and Kuanwella and .surrounding villages, leaving 
Stock Inspectors to carry out the measures advised 
for the suppression or the disease. On the 25th 
July 1 left Colombo for 
DELFT AND IRANATXyU 
to inspect and carry out the necessary work in 
connection with the horses there. On Delft the 
.mares and toais, about seventy in number, were 
* put into the kraal and examined one by one, all 
being found healthy. F)orn Delft I went on to 
Irauativu, where tlie young growing stock are 
kept. The ponies, forty-eight in number, weie 
examined, and fifteen colts caught and operated 
upon on 30th July and 1st August, all successfully. 
None of them had to l)e caught again and were 
not dressed in any way after operation. In Octo- 
ber reports reached Colombo of disease amongst 
the ponies on Iranativu, which I left perfectly 
healthy the first week in August. 1 again 
left for the Island on the 17th October in 
company with the Government Agent, Northern 
Province. I discovered after considerable trouble 
it was due to internal parasites in the shape of 
" thread worms," and all the ponies were caught 
and warm medicines administered. There was no 
further loss. Up to the time of our visit six had 
died, and the cause had been wrapped in obscurity, 
as there was no one to observe and give an intelli- 
gent account of the symptoms when a pony fell ill, 
and the animal was dead long before the report 
reached Jaffna from the island, and from Jaffna to 
Colombo. The disease is referred to under the 
name of "Helminthiasis." 
THE OFFICE WORK AND GENERAL 
CORRESPONDENCE 
has greatly increased during the year. Information 
relating to various cattle diseases has been given 
whenever applied for. Before leaving for South 
Africa I prepared a special paper on Rindeipest for 
the Planters' Association of Ceylon, which has 
been circulated amongst the members. During the 
year a circular was issued by Government making 
the following rules : — 
(1) That Government Agents do impress on 
headmen the necessity of promptly reporting 
every outbreak, or hold them responsible for fail- 
ure to do so. 
(2) On receipt of intimation of an outbreak. 
Government Agents are to at once report the 
matter by wire to the Colonial Secretary and to 
the Veterinary Surgeon direct. 
(;]) So long'as an outbreak lasts, weekly reports 
are to be furnished to the Colonial Secretary by 
them. 
(4) The Veterinary Surgeon is, on being com- 
municated with by the Government Agent, to 
take necessary steiis and report to the Colonial 
Secretary action taken by hii:;. 
He is also to lurnishalist weekly, showing 
all the localities in the Island where the disease 
Itr^vails; und extei|li ilie ({Utbieak in each case. 
(6) Further, he is to furnish a monthly report 
Rhowirg what has been done by each member of 
his staff during the preceding montii. 
These rules have been regularly observed, with 
great benefit. It will be seen that considerable 
clerical work is entailed, which principallj' falls 
upon me, as I have only the assistance of tiie 
Stock Inspectors, who are very often away from 
Colombo. 
EINUEEPEST. 
During the year the Western, Central, and 
Sabaragamuwa Provinces have been most affected. 
Small outbreaks occurred in the Central, Southern, 
and Uva Provinces. All the outbreaks have been 
sporadic and not epidemic, and have principally 
been on the line of main roads caused by cart bulls 
spreading the disease from place to place. 
Much is written and said about the losses due to 
rinderpest and other cattle disease. No doubt 
serious loss does occur, and is due to various causes, 
amongst which careless-ness, prejudice, and apathy 
occupy a prominent place. The first few cases 
are not reported or isolated in the majority of 
cases, and infection is si)read fi om one village to 
another because the cattle fiom adjacent villages 
mingle and graze together. In some cases the 
disease is not known, and so it goes on until a 
firm hold has been gained. Villagers are, as a 
rule, very conservative, and object to the new- 
fangled European interference. Theie is also 
deep-rooted superstition to deal wiih, as they 
think the disease is due to the anger of s< me 
su))ernatural being, and if they endeavour to check 
it some evil will fall upon themselves, or they 
fear that some measure may be ordered by Gov- 
ernmeut which will gi\e them a little trouble 
and so try as well as they can to conceal cases. 
My aim has been to meet their prejudices and 
objections half way, and explain what I wanted 
to do and the reason for it. So far we have worked 
smoothly, and the methods of treatment have been 
steadily gaining ground, slowly perhaps, but 
changes against deep-rooted beliefs and custom 
have to be gradually effected everywhere. In 
several villages when 1 first suggested inoculation 
the greatest fear and reluctance was shown, and 
only one or perhaps two cattle could I obtain 
for inoculation, and only these to satisfy what I 
am quite sure was regarded as a mad freak on 
my part. Afterwards, when it was found the 
cattle did not die or evil happen to them, owners 
would perhaps allow a few more to be done, and 
so more and more would be brought. Another 
thing to be considered is the 
QU/iLITY AND STAMINA OF THE CATTLE 
in the villages. Hundreds of semi-wild cattle 
(I am not referring to working bulls on 
estates in any way) are kept by village 
owners for apparently no purpose what- 
ever. They are not milked or fattened for food, 
not fed or housed, and perhaps only -seen once or 
twice a year. They are allowed to wander about, 
often in drought time, miles from their owner's 
home ; they breed "in and in'' and degenerate 
until they are no larger than good-sized sheep 
dogs. If disease appears, as it often does amongst 
these miserable rats of cattle, no one looks after 
them ; half of them die, and a report comes of the 
alarming prevalence of murrain in a district, and 
the Government Veterinary Department is ex- 
pected to put things straight by a few days' stay in 
the place, or by the enforcement, as people call it, 
of sjpme iruaginary regulations, but which they ar^ 
