July  1,  ]895.] 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  AgriculluriMT 
69 
a fixed  weight,  which  is  40x80x180  grains  Iroy 
(a  nijiee  weigliing  180  grains.)  In  Bengal  in 
some  districts  it  is  a ijuarter  nioie,  and  in  some  a 
quarter  les.«,  and  it  Varies  between  the  two  e.x- 
tremcs.  But  in  the  same  locality  one  article  may 
ho  measured  by  one  standard  and  another  hy 
another  standard.  A .sccr  (yn  of  a raaand)  of  silk 
ill  Maldah  weighs  82^  tolahs  or  rupee  weights, 
but  a seer  of  oil  95  tolah.«,  and  a seer  of  vegetaldes 
105  tolahs.  In  Bombay  one  mannd  = 28  His. 
avoirdupois  ==  1088§  tolahs;  a seer  being  27,j 
fdlah.s.  But  there,  is  also  a pitcca  .‘^eer  in  Bombay 
equivalent  to  72'59  tolahs.  At  Poona  a seer  = 
70‘(10  tolahs  = 1-9714  lbs.  avoir.  2-30604  lbs. 
troy  = -S)583  Britisli  Imjierial  seer.  But  40  seers 
do  not  tdu'ays  make  a mannd  in  Poona.  The 
Kutcha  maund  of  Poona  weighs  121  or  14  Poona 
seers.  At  8atara,  however,  the  seer  weight  is  big. 
It  is  either  92-75  tolahs  or  93-25  tolahs  or  115 
tolalis  (at  Mamdapur).  In  Sindh  a mannd— 82-[  lbs. 
avoir.  At  Surat  the  seer  = 35  Surat  tolahs  =; 
'455729  British  seers.  The  Surat  maund  ==  374 
to  38  lbs.  avoir.  At  Broach  the  seer  = 40  tolahs 
(not  80).  The  Madras  maund  = -803819  British 
Imjierial  maund.  One  Bombay  maund  = P12 
Madras  maund.  (“  Now,”  says  our  corre.?pondent, 
“yon  can  make  out  how  savage  we  are  on  this 
side  the  Strait.”) 
THE  ACTUAL  CAUTERY:  ITS  USE  AND 
ABUSE. 
The  I’.ot  iron  is  used  in  Yeterinary  Surgery 
as  a “ counter-irritant  ’ in  diseased  joint.s, 
tendons  and  ligaments,  and  to  promote  the  absorp- 
tion of  bony  deposits  when  thej’  are  just 
forming.  It  is  generally  apjilied  at  a red  heat 
and  acts  by  reflex  action,  amending  deep-seated 
faulty  nutrition  and  setting  up  a healtliy 
rejiarative  inllammation.  It  is  a much  severer 
irritant  than  a blister,  and  often  remove.s  jiain 
very  rapidly  when  rejieated  blislers  have  failed 
to  do  so. 
Tliere  are  three  kinds  of  instruments  commonly 
used  in  this  operation,  viz.,  (l)tlie  wedge-shaped 
iron  for  linear  firing,  (2)  the  budding  iron 
n.sed  in  the  case  of  small  round  circnin scribed 
bony  dejiosits,  and  (3)  the  jiyro-jiuncture  for 
jairts  cove'-ed  with  loose,  thin  slcin  such  as 
the  slide  joint;  and  the  tiring  jierformed  with 
Ihe.t-e  difl'erent  instruments  varies  ticcordingly. 
The  main  jirincijiles  luvohed  in  all  three 
methods  tire,  however,  the  same.  The  ojjer.-n  ion 
is  done  wlien  the  animal  is  Sti-ong  enough  to 
stand  it  and  the  weather  fine.  \Yhen  all  the 
four  limbs  have  to  be  fired,  which  is  vei-y 
seldom  the  case,  only  one  or  two  are  treated 
at  a time;  and  on  no  account  should  firing 
be  done  in  ti  series  of  crossed  lines  close  to  each 
other,  for  the  portions  of  the  skin  tl-uis  isolated 
w-ill  slough  off  beng  deprived  of  their  jirojier 
blood  sii])j)ly.  It  should  be  'remembered  that 
the  iictmil  cautei-y  is  an  entreme  measure,  and 
is  only  re.sorted  to  as  a last  resource  in  very 
severe  cases  where  milder  remedies  have  failed 
or  in  cases  of  chronic  lameness  to  which  the 
latter  are  unsuitable.  Formerly,  even  in  Eurojican 
countries,  it  was  a too  c immon  practice  to  tire 
the  animals  for  very  slight  ailments,  and  even 
to  ailojit  llring  as  a preventive  to  certain 
diseases.  This  was  owing  to  the  iiatural  tendency 
of  abusing  a good  tiling  without  understanding 
its  ju-oper  use  as  was  also  done  in  the 
case  of  blood-letting.  It  was  currently  believed 
iluit  the  jjart  cauterized  by  the  liot  iron  con- 
tracted and  formed  a sort  of  jiermanent  bandage 
around  the  part,  and  thus  helped  to  strengthen 
and  bi-ace  it.  But  this  idea  is  not  (juite  correct. 
For  a short  time  after  the  ojieration,  the  skin, 
no  doubt,  is  tightened,  as  may  be  seen  by  its 
“ drawn  iijqiearance'  ; but  it  soon  resumes  its 
mitural  elasticity  and  does  not  embrace  the 
underlying  parts  more  firmly  than  it  does  in 
its  normal  condition.  The  way  in  which  firing 
actually  exerts  its  curative  influence  is  by  reflex 
action  as  already  mentioned.  The  benefit  that 
follow-  its  use  is  also  partly  due,  in  the  case  of 
overworked  and  illiised  animals,  to  the  long  rest 
which  the  owner  is  obliged  to  give  the  animal 
after  it  is  fired. 
IVhile  in  the  western  w-orld  the  abuse  of  the 
.''ctnal  cautery  is  discountenanced  and  more  or 
le.s.s  discontinued  under  the  light  of  Veterinary 
Science,  in  eastern  countries  such  as  India  and 
Ceylon  it  is  still  continued  to  a great  extent. 
Slight  cases  of  lameness  that  can  be  cured  by 
milder  mea.sur6s,  and  those  .that  require  in- 
teriuil  treatment,  such  as  tonics,  and  good  nursing 
are  treated  in  a reckless  manner  with  the  hot 
iron.  This  rough  and  ready  method  of  treatment 
is  also  looked  ujion  in  certain  quarters  as  a sort 
of  panacea  to  the  ailments  and  complications 
that  sometimes  accompany  dentition  in  calve.s 
and  dogs. 
But  such  abuse  is  due  more  to  ignorance  than 
to  wilful  or  wanton  cruelty.  The  natives  of 
India  have  great  faith  in  the  use  of  the  hot 
iron.  Instances  are  met  -vith  of  t.heir  using  it 
on  their  own  bodies  .-uul  tho.se  of  their  chikfren 
as  a preventive  against  certain  di.seases.  It  is, 
how-ever,  to  be  hojjed  in  view-  of  the  efforts  w-hich' 
are,  being  made  to  sjiread  .scientific  know-ledge 
in  India  and  Ceylon,  that  such  ignorant  jn-actice.s 
w-ill  soon  be  things  of  the  past. 
The  hot  iroji,  besides  being  n.sed  for  veterinary 
purposes,  is  also  emjiloyed  for  branding  cattle. 
Some  native  cattle-o'wners  are  satisfied  w-ith 
branding  the  animals  with  the  initial  letters  of 
their  names,  w-hile  others  make  the  jn-ocess  a 
conijilicaled  one  by  adding  to  them  certain 
super.-^titiuus  (le.signs  or  di-;iwiugs  ; and  e\en  the 
initials  I hemse] \ es  ;ii-e  in  some  ca.se.s  too  many 
lo  be  jmf.  on  the  jioor  animals,  oii  account  of  the 
midtiplicity  n{  names  jio.sse.s.sed  by  some  villaoers. 
lathe  ('ci/liiii  Inilcpendent  tlie  27t,li  ukimo 
is  found  a.  grajdiic  account  of  the  cruel  method 
of  branding  jn-acti.s('d  in  certain  villages.  As 
though  a single  branding  in  this  manner  -were 
not  enough,  cattle  that  have  the  bad  luck  to  be 
stolen,  not  unfreepiently  receive  a second  branding 
iit  the  hands  of  their  new  possessors,  which  is 
done  in  order  to  guard  against  identification  of 
the  .-mimal  and  detectioti  of  the  theft.  But  by 
far  the  worst  ca.ses  are  those  in  which  no 
]u-o])er  care  is  taken  of  the  animats  after  branding, 
and  the  raw  surfaces  are  allow’ed  to  fester  an^d 
breed  maggots  and  become  big  deep  sores 
that  take  a long  time  to  heal.  The  brand  marks 
should  never  be  e.xcessive  nor  an.y  deeper  than 
i.s  essentially  necessary;  and  the  wounds  should 
be  treated  with  carbolized  margosa  oil  so  as  to 
keep  out  Hies  and  prevent  the  evil  effects  of 
septic  germs.  Fow-  that  the  Society  for  the 
