Supplement to the “ Tropical AgriculturisL" 
293 
Oct 1, 18970 
T should lihe very much to see something done 
to prevent the braiidiug of cattle with hot irons 
to such a great extent as is now practised. It is 
totally unnecessary, and nothing can be put for- 
ward to .support it. Nobody can have any objection 
to branding a small marl i of oirnerslnp upon the 
cattle, but the letters and name might be as small 
ns possible instead of nearly covering the sides of 
the animal. The most unneces.sary and cruel 
practice is covering the animal with the fantastic 
figures so commonly teen, especially on draught 
bulls. 1 have no doubt it is done wdth the belief 
that it improves, the health and condiliou of the 
animals, and 1 think a little j.erstuision from 
district officers and headmen would lessen the 
practice considerably. — Colonial 1 etenno.nj Sur- 
geon's Hegort for 1S96. 
INVESTIGATIONS INTO RINDERPEST. 
Dr. Kohlstock htis forwarded an exhaustive 
report to the Secretary for Agiiculture at the 
C'ape, on the results obtained from the experiments 
w'hich Dr. Kocli had directed him to carry out 
in completion of his work, Erom this repoit, 
wliich ive are unable to take over bodily, we 
make the following extracts: — 
To jJrove how long immunisation producecl by 
the inoculation of 100 cc. of serum obtained 
from a salted anitnal lasted, three beasts were 
injected. No. 1 received after 24 hours a fatal 
dose of rinderpest bfood. No. 2 was heated 
similarly after 10 days. No. .3 alter 20 days. 
Nos. *1 and 2 ivere immune after a slight 
attack of riiiderpesl, and No. 3 died. 
This tends to show that immunisation produced 
by serum is of short duration, not longer than 
10 to 20 days. 
The se)'um used in this exiieiiinent ivas of 
weak immunising power, and it would be well 
to repeat this witli a more ])Otent samjde. 
Experiments undertaken to ascertain the best 
period at wliich to bleed the animals for immu- 
nising serum have given the following results : — 
Serum taken from a healthy full-grown animal 
after mild rinderpest, which had been inoculated 
with 20 cc. of virulent blood without effect to 
prove its immunity, has given tlie strongest serum. 
Twenty-four cattle were used for this experiment. 
These have been rendered immune either by 
inoculation with gall or s-eiuni. 
The best serum w'as given by an animal which 
was first injected with gall ami then was injected 
by rinderpest; blood, after four days, arid before 
immunity was established, so that it .suticred from 
a mild attack of rindei'i est. 
This is the method lecomniended by Dr. ivocli, 
and which 1 have established by luitlier experi- 
ments- 
I tbink that these also should be repeated. 
The seium is stiongest when taken between 
the 10th and 20tli day after the inoculation of 
20 cc. of virulent blood, say the 15th day._ 
To raise the ininiiinising jiower of tl e animal 
it would lie advisable to inject hicber doses than 
20 cc. This has already been done, but the 
experiments are not yet coT-cliidcd 
To ascertain if the mixture of mie jier cent, 
of virulent bk.od with ininirinisii g scium was 
callable of spreading the disease, I have rubbed 
the mixture in the nostiils, and introduced it 
into the nasal passages. . , - 
The animal did not h.ecome ill, hut died after 
it was inoculated with virulent blood. 
In this experiment only a weak serum was 
used, as this was the more likely to adow the 
animal to become infected. I wish the experiment 
to be repeated with a stronger serirni, to see 
if it would be rendered immune. 
'With rinderpest gall the following experiments 
Lave been made : — 
I may mention that previous to use all galls 
were tested microscoiiically and bacteriologically, 
since animals which died six or seven days after 
the injection of good gall had been previously 
infected by the accidents to which I referred at 
the beginning of this report. 
Those which became immune 'vere tested 
first with 0‘2 cc. and then wii.h 10 cc., and 
last with 20 cc. of virulent blood, and were 
unaffected thereby. 
Animals which were injected either with 
brownish-green gall, containing the Simpson 
bacillus in pure culture, or gall of a lirown colour, 
containing both bacteria and streptococci, became 
immune without the occurrence of any accidents 
such as abscesses, etc. 
Thick green gall, free from smell and organisms, 
has often been taken from dead cattle, On one 
occasion I rendered an animal immune with such 
a fluid, which had previously been mixed with 
normal salt solution to render it thin enough 
to go through the needle by injecting 20 cc. of 
the mixture. 
This is the only experiment of the kind yet 
made. The yellow-brown gall, with yellow flakes 
free from smell, taken frtiin an animal which 
had been suffering 3 weeks from rinderpest, and 
died of the secondary infection, caused sickness 
in an animal on the 9th day and death on the 
15th day. The gall if it did not cause the death 
of the animal cei tainly failed to render it immune. 
It hfs frequently been stated that gall used 
while still warm is cajiable of infecting. I ha\e 
injected an aiiimal with 10 cc. of fresh waim 
brown gall which gave a yellow' froth. 'Hie 
beast became immune and resisted the inoculaticn 
first with '2 cc. and then with 20 cc. of viiulent 
blood. 
To ascertain the j eiiod at .vhich gall slu uld 
be taken to give highest protection, a seiies of 
animals were injected and killed on the 5th, 
6th, and 7th days of fever. Those killed on the 
6th day gavethe lest lesults. Ten animals killed 
on the 6th day gave 750, 350, 470, 600 and 500 cc., 
total 2,570 of good dark green clear gall, without 
smell or organism, the others were useless. Thus 
10 animals would have served to immunise 257 
head of full-grown stock. 
Gall kept in the ice box does not lose its power 
for sometime; cattle have been immunised with 
gall kept 14 days in this way. 
Several other exiieiiments with a view to dis- 
cu.ssirg methods of preserving gall are in progress, 
as it may often be necessary to send galls some 
distance. 
*•;<•***♦ 
Two calves born on the station pioved to be 
immune ; the first w as produced by a cow w hich 
had been treated v\iih s'eium. T heyoungbeast when 
one month old rccei' til w ith impunity sufficient lin. 
derpe&t blood to kill afull-giown animal .'■ixteen 
days after it was in oculated a second tune w ith 
eiuuigh blood to kill 100, and then with enough 
blood to kill l,Ut)0 oxen, it is strong and healthy 
notwithstanding. 
The second or w'eakly animal similarly proved 
to be perfectly immune. 
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