2x8 
S^ipplement  to  the  ’■'•Tropical  Agriculturist."  [Sept.’  2,  1895. 
tudinally.  We  hope  to  see  some  notice  taken  of 
this  really  excellent  fruit,  as  it  has  been  too  long 
in  obscurity. 
POULTRY  DISEASES. 
Roup  generally  attacks  poultry  after  exposure 
to  chilly  winds  and  rain.  It  begins  with  a cold 
and  is  attended  with  offensive  disch.arges  fi'oin  tlie 
mouth  and  eyes.  The  disease  is  highly  conta- 
gious, and  is  conveyed  by  the  saliva  of  sick  birds 
falling  into  water  or  food  to  which  the  healthy 
have  access.  Separate  utensils  should  therefore 
be  used  in  feeding  the  sick.  Affected  biuls  should 
be  kept  warm  and  given  a grain  of  pepper  twice 
a day.  Another  good  prescription  is  the  follow- 
ing : The  bark  of  inurunga  root  (horse  radish  tree), 
garlic  and  ginger,  pounded,  and  the  juice  adminis- 
tered twice  a day.  If  the  bowels  are  constipated 
a little  gingelly  oil  may  be  given.  Roup  gener- 
ally runs  a rapid  course,  and  requires  prompt 
treatment. 
Diarrhoea  is  caused  by  acidity  of  the  stomach  or 
a chill.  Unripe  bael  fruit  (yiy/e  marmelos)  should 
be  first  roasted  and  a solution  of  the  pulp,  after 
filtering,  given  with  a few  drops  of  ginger. 
Poultry  are  sometimes  killed,  by  apojdexy  which  is 
generally  the  result  of  high  feeding.  It  is  seldom 
that  anything  can  be  done  for  the  birds  as  they 
soon  become  unconscious.  Relief  may  be  given 
by  opening  the  vein  on  the  side  of  the  neck  (tin? 
jugular), and  the  head  fomented  with  a mi.xture  of 
vinegar  and  cold  water. 
It  is  a common  experience  for  hens  to  lay  soft 
eggs.  This  generally  occurs  with  overfed  poultry, 
and  though  sometimes  caused  by  fright,  is  due  to 
a deficiency  of  lime  iu  the  system.  Rone  dust 
should  be  strewn  about  the  yard  for  the  poultry 
to  pick  up. 
For  vermin  on  poultry,  a mixture  of  powdered 
charcoal  and  sulphur  .should  be  rubbed  over  the 
body  of  the  bird,  and  the  poultry  house  cleansed 
and  limewashed. 
In  damp  or  wet  weather  whenever  fowls  are 
found  to  be  drooping  or  loose  in  the  bowels,  a 
small  pill  of  mustard  will  be  found  beneficial,  and 
help  to  ward  off  more  serious  complications. 
A.  M.  FERNANDO. 
ROYAL  COMMISSION  ON  TUBERCULOSIS. 
In  concluding  their  Report,  dated  April  3,  1895, 
ami  signed  by  all  the  Commissioners,  tlioy  say  : — 
“ We  have  obtained  ample  evidence  that  food 
derived  from  tuberculous  animals  can  produce 
tuberculosis  in  healthy  animals.  The  proportion 
of  animals  contracting  tuberculosis  after  experi- 
mental use  of  such  food  is  different  in  one  and 
another  class  of  animals;  both  carnivora  and  her- 
bivora  are  susceptible,  and  the  proportion  is  high  in 
pigs.  In  the  absence  of  direct  experiments  on 
human  subjects,  we  infer  that  man  also  can 
acquire  tuberculosis  by  feeding  uj)nn  materials 
derived  from  tuberculous  food-animals. 
“ The  actual  amount  of  tuberculous  disease 
among  certain  cla.«ses  of  foud-animals  is  so  large 
as  to  afford  to  man  fre<|uent  occasions  for  con- 
tracting tuberculous  disease  through  his  food.  As 
to  the  proportion  of  tuberculo.sis  ac(piired  by  man 
through  his  food,  or  through  other  means,  we  can 
form  no  definite  opinion,  but  we  think  it  probable 
that  an  api>reciable  ]>art  of  the  tuberculosis  that 
affects  man  is  obtained  through  his  food. 
“The  circumstances  and  c )uditions  with  I'egard 
to  the  tuberculosis  in  the  food-animal  which  lead 
to  tlie  production  of  tuberculosis  in  man  ar(>,  ulti- 
mately, the  presence  of  active  tuberculous  matter 
in  the  food  taken  from  the  animal  and  consumed 
1)3’  the  man  in  a raw  or  insufficientl3’  cooked  state. 
“ Tuberculous  di.sease  is  ob.served  most  frequent- 
ly in  cattle  and  in  swine.  Is  is  found  far  more 
frequently  iu  cattle  (full  grown)  than  in  calves, 
and  with  much  greater  frequency  in  cows  kept  in 
tow’ll  cow'houses  than  iu  cattle  bred  for  the  ex- 
press jmrpose  of  slaughter.  Tuberculous  matter 
is  but  seldom  found  in  the  meat  substance  of  the 
carcass ; it  is  principall3’  found  in  the  organs, 
membranes,  and  glands.  There  is  reason  to  believe 
that  tuberculous  matter,  when  present  in  meat 
sold  to  the  public,  is  more  commonly’  due  to  the 
contamination  of  the  surface  of  the  meat  w’ith 
material  derived  from  other  diseased  parts  than 
to  disease  of  the  meat  itself.  The  same  matter 
is  found  in  the  milk  of  cows  when  the  udder  has 
become  invaded  by’  tuberculous  disease,  and  seldom 
or  never  w’hen  the  udder  is  not  diseased.  Tuber- 
culous matter  in  milk  is  exceptionally'  active  in 
its  operation  upon  animals  fed  either  w’ith  the 
milk  or  with  dairy’ produce  derived  from  it.  No 
doubt  thi'  largest  part  of  the  tuberculosis  which 
man  obtains  through  his  food  is  by’  means  of  milk 
containing  tuberculous  matter. 
‘ The  recognition  of  tuberculous  disease  during 
the  life  of  an  animal  is  not  w’holly  unattended 
with  difficulty’.  Happily,  how'ever,  it  can,  in 
most  cases,  be  detected  -with  certainty’  in  the 
udders  of  milch  cows. 
“ Provided  every  part  that  is  the  seat  of  tuber- 
culous matter  bo  avoided  and  destroy’ed,  and  pro- 
vided care  be  taken  to  save  from  contamination  l\y 
such  matter  the  actual  meat  substance  of  a tuber- 
culous animal,  a great  deal  of  meat  from  animals  af- 
fected by’  tuberculosis  may  be  eaten  by  the  consumer. 
Ordinary  proces.ses  of  cooking  applied  to  meat 
which  has  got  contaminated  on  its  surface  are 
])robably’  sufficient  to  destroy’  the  harmful  (juality. 
They’  w’ould  not  avail  to  render  wholesome  any 
piece  of  meat  that  contained  tuberculous  matter 
in  its  deeper  parts.  In  regard  to  milk,  w’e  are 
aware  of  the  preference  by’  English  people  for 
drinking  cow’s  milk  raw,  a practice  attended  by 
danger,  on  account  of  possible  contamination  by’ 
pathogenic  organisms.  The  boiling  of  milk,  even 
for  a moment,  would  probably  besulltcient  to  remove 
the  very  dangerous  quality  of  tuberculous  milk.” 
CHEMICAL  EXAMINATION  t>F  CEYLON 
PLANTS. 
]\[e.ssr3.  Hummel  and  Perkin  of  YorkshireCollege, 
Leeds,  have  examined  the  Toddnlea  acuteala 
with  a view'  to  discovering  the  character  of  the 
colouring  matter  contained  in  it.  The  plant 
belongs  to  the  order  Rutacea  and  is  locally  know’ii 
as  Ivudii-miris  (S.)  Tlie  root,  about  f in.  in  dia- 
meter, jios.se.'^ses  an  aromatic  odour;  it  is  of  a 
pale,  yellow'ish  colour,  has  a woody’  centre  and 
a brown  bark  covered  with  a light,  yellow,  soft, 
j.owdery,  pith-like  substance. 
Ten  grammes  of  the  external  yellow  powder 
wore  digested  for  two  hours  with  100  c.c.  of 
