300  Annual  Report  for  1910  of  the  Consulting  Chemist. 
but  at  present  they  favour  the  admittedly  less  effective  plan  of 
placing  restrictions  only  on  the  sale  and  movement  of  cows 
that  have  aborted. 
The  Committee  accordingly  recommend  that,  as  a pre- 
liminary measure,  epizootic  abortion  in  cattle  should  be  dealt 
with  under  an  Order  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and 
Fisheries,  requiring — 
(1)  Compulsory  notification  of  suspected  cases  of  the 
disease. 
(2)  Veterinary  inquiry  to  establish  the  existence  of 
disease  on  any  particular  premises  ; and 
(3)  Temporary  isolation  and  restrictions  on  the  move- 
ment of  any  cow  that  has  recently  aborted. 
The  Committee  believe  that  compulsory  notification  and 
enforced  temporary  isolation  of  cows  that  have  aborted  would 
be  viewed  with  approval  by  the  majority  of  stock-owners. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  estimate  of  the  prevailing  opinion 
among  those  whose  interests  are  most  directly  concerned  may 
prove  to  be  correct.  It  is  scarcely  credible  that  the  general 
feeling  of  stock-owners  can  be  in  favour  of  allowing 
the  present  unrestricted  sale  of  known  infected  cows  to 
continue,  and  if  any  action  whatever  of  an  administrative  kind 
is  to  be  taken  the  measures  recommended  by  the  Departmental 
Committee  would  appear  to  be  the  least  drastic  that  could  be 
expected  to  yield  any  useful  results. 
John  McFadyean. 
Royal  Veterinary  College, 
London,  N.W. 
ANNUAL  REPORT  FOR  1910  OF  THE 
CONSULTING  CHEMIST. 
The  increase  reported  last  year  in  the  number  of  samples 
sent  by  Members  for  analysis  has  been  maintained,  the  total 
for  the  twelve  months  being  480,  as  against  485  in  1909. 
In  addition,  there  were  140  samples  of  milk  and  44  samples 
of  cider  and  perry  analysed  in  connection  with  the  Society’s 
Country  Show  at  Liverpool. 
The  principal  feature  marking  the  year  has  been  the  high 
price  of  certain  feeding  stuffs,  more  particularly  linseed  cake 
and  cotton  cake.  Thus,  the  price  of  linseed  cake  has  risen 
to  10Z.  and  over,  while  that  of  Egyptian  cotton  cake  has 
frequently  exceeded  6/.  a ton. 
It  would  appear  that  Bombay  cotton  cake  has  hardly  been 
in  as  much  favour  as  previously,  and  there  has  been  no  marked 
increase  in  the  extent  to  which  Soya  bean  cake  has  been  used. 
