,•^EPT. 2, 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
107 
unable to frame or even suggest in practicable 
shape. The regulations, if I suggested, would be 
to compel owners to feed and take better care of 
their cattle or else not to keep any at all. In 
reading •' A Naturalist on tlie Prowl by " Eha," 
I was much interested in the following passage, 
which I cannot do better than quote in full, as 
it exactly expresses what I mean. It occurs, I 
think, in the description ot an Indian morning : — 
" Then a slow procession of spectral cattl^ 
will come upon the scene — gaunt frames of 
bullocks and cows and calves, with scabby hide 
drawn tight over sharp bones, lustrous eyes staring 
wanlingly, and prematurely-grown, distorted horns. 
And they will greedily feed on what the bats have 
dropped, i^oor things ! The wide world seems to 
have no food to spare for them. The ground is 
bare of grass and the shrubs are bare of leaves as 
far as their famished tongues can reach. They be- 
long to somebody, of course ; a farmer somewhere 
calls them iiis. But he does not feed them. Why 
should he ? He does not need them just now. In 
due time the rain will come and the grass will grow 
and keep them alive until ploughing time. Then, 
if well beaten, they will put forth all the strength 
needed to pull his little crooked plough through 
the muddy rice ground. It the lives of some of 
them flicker out befo) e that, his loss will be small 
and his conscience will be free. If he lifted his 
own hanri to shorten iheiv lives the waters of the 
Ganges could not purge away his sin." 
There is also the question of reporting cases. The 
disease may exist for days and weeks in a village 
before the headman hears of it, and then in some 
cases it is not reported quite as soon as it should 
be. Asa general rule, howevei, headmen do report 
as soon as they hear of an outbreak ; one cannot 
put blame on a class tor the negligences of a few 
individuals. This is the crux of the whole ques- 
tion. If the first few cases were reported at once, 
and destroyed if necessary, there would not be 
much difficulty in dealing with an oi dinary spora- 
dic outbreak as is usual in this country. 
INOCULATION. 
The great preventive measures are the methods 
of inocirlation discovered and worked out during 
the South African outbreak, and which gave 
the very excellent results most people have heard 
all about. But the conditions of life under which 
cattle are kept in the East generally render such 
results almost impossible. The conditions are 
in every way difierent from those under which 
European and South African cattle are kept ; 
the numbers, too, are immense, as will be seen 
from the returns of each Province. Almost every 
man endeavours to keep his trotting bull f r 
travelling purposes, and a few semi-wild cattle 
running in the jungle as well ; there are no gond 
pastures ; no enclosed farms ; the cattle of or;i; 
village mix freely with those of the adjoining 
village in the jungle, and are only recognizable 
by their brand. The effects of inoculation are 
teicporary, and pass oft in a few months. There 
are several methods of inoculation discovered 
during the epidemic in South Africa, after a 
great deal of research and expense, and which 
are of great value. 
The method of inoculation advised in sporadic 
outbreaks by Mr. Hutcheon, Principal Veterinary 
Surgeon in Cape Colony, is as follows, and is the 
nieihod I intend to follow as far as possible, 
as I consider it most suitable and practicable in 
this country : — 
For Infected Herds — These should be inoculated 
at once with either serum or glycerinated bile ; 
every animal which indicates infection by a rise of 
temperature should receive a large dose of not 
less than 100 <• c* of serum or 30 c e of glycer- 
inated bile. The latter should by preference be 
injected into the jugular vein, so as to secure its 
immediate action. Then from eight to twelve 
days after all the animals in the herd which give 
no indication of being infected with the disease 
or fever temperature should receive an injection 
of \mre bile, not less than 10 c c, and for large 
animals 20 c c. This will confer a lasting immu- 
nity suflicient for all practical purposes. 
Clean Herds — Whenjt is decided to inoculate 
a clean herd, which is in danger of becoming 
infected through its proximity to diseased cattle, 
I would recommend that the animals composing 
the herd should be inoculated first with 20 c 
of glycerinated bile, and to follow this 
inoculation in from eight to twelve days 
with an injection of from 10 to 20 c c of 
pure bile. This will confer a .strong and 
lasting immunity on the aninia's in the herd, 
and will be free from risk arising from the in- 
oculation or of introducing the disease. 
When I came to the country in 1895 there 
•were no records at all, in fact very little infor- 
mation of any kind available. I stood alone, 
and had to find all out for myself. I drew up 
a form in the manner in which I wanted the 
information, and it was not until 1897 that 
returns came in anything like a complete manner, 
and since their publication atteiition has been 
drawn to the amount of disease. 
The following shows the number of cattle and the 
deaths in each of the Provinces for 1900 from 
all diseases as shown in the complete returns 
annexed : — 
Province. 
Number of Cattle. 
Deaths. 
Western 
173,371 
2,109 
Central 
102,214 
1,514 
Northern 
214,213 
North- Western 
2'.13,979 
7,246 
Eastern 
76,499 
50 
North-Central 
117,107 
661 
Uva 
66,189 
2,137 
Sabaragamuwa 
85,237 
1,541 
Southern 
179,167 
1,523 
Total 1,307,976 
16,781 
giving a percentage of 1'28 deaths from all 
diseases. 
.STAFF. 
The Assistant Veterinary Surgeon, Mr. Hoole, 
came to Colombo from Anuradhapura in January 
u assist me, as I was busy ptrrchasing and examin- 
ing horses for the Contingent. On my departure 
to South Africa in February he acted for me with 
great success and earned the thanks of Govern- 
ment. I took over charge again early in July, 
but as there were outbreaks of rinderpest fre- 
quently occurring in the Western Province, and 
1 was likely to be away a good deal, he stayed 
on in Colombo until the end of the year, when 
I proposed to effect a fre^h arrangement of 
staff' consequent upon the appointment of addi- 
tional Stock Inspectors. From 1st January he 
takes up his residence at Kandy, as a per- 
manent station, for work in the Central Province, 
