Reports of Committees. 
clxxxiii 
equal. A letter had been received 
from the Worshipful Company of 
Farriers, stating that the Company 
would present the freedom of their 
Guild to the winners of the first 
prizes, free of cost, provided the 
judges considered sufficient ability 
had been displayed, and that the 
Registration Committee of the Com- 
pany would admit the first-prize 
winners to the official register free of 
charge, and (on payment of the usual 
fees) all other competitors who shall 
duly satisfy the judges of their 
efficiency. The Committee recom- 
mended that the offer of the Farriers’ 
Company be accepted with thanks. 
The Committee moved for the 
renewal of their grant of 600 1. for 
the year 1895, and that of this sum 
500 1. be allocated to the Royal 
Veterinary College. They also re- 
commended the payment to the 
College during 1895 of the special 
grant of 200J. which had been made 
by the Council for the purpose of 
further investigations into abortion 
in cattle. The Committee had met 
eight times, and had made eight 
reports during the year. 
The following report had been pre- 
sented by Professor Brown 
Pi.euro-Pn'Eomonta. — No case of this dis- 
ease lias been found among home-bred cattle 
in Great Britain since the last meeting of 
the Committee in November, but three cases 
of the disease have been discovered in cattle 
brought from the United States. 
Foot-And-Mouth Disease.— In addition 
to the outbreak which occurred at Bainham, 
in Essex, at the end of October, two more 
have occurred since, one at Linton, in Cam- 
bridgeshire, and the other at Rodmersham, 
near Sittingbourne, in Kent. In both these 
cases sheep were affected. Restrictions on 
sales and movement of animals were at once 
im|iosed over a large district, including the 
counties of Cambridge, Essex, Herts, Kent, 
London, Middlesex, and part of Suffolk. In 
the Kent outbreak the diseased sheep and 
those in contact were slaughtered. In the 
Cambridgeshire outbreak, where the disease 
appeared among a flock of some 200 in-lamb 
ewes, it was decided to adopt a system of 
strict isolation instead of slaughter. There 
was no extension of the disease in either case. 
The foot-and-mouth-disease rest rictions have 
now been withdrawn, except as regards two 
small area3 round the infected places. 
Swine Fever. — During the five weeks 
ended December 1, according to the Gazette 
returns, 402 pigs died from swine fever in 
Great Britain, 3,072 were slaughtered as dis- 
eased or having been exposed to infection, and 
109 were slaughtered as suspected, but were 
found free from swine fever on post-mortem 
examination. This is a slight increase on 
the number of deaths and pigs slaughtered as 
diseased or in contact as compared with the 
figures for the preceding five weeks, but there 
is a small decrease in the number of pigs 
slaughtered as suspected. A point worthy of 
notice with regard to these swine fever 
Gazette returns is that, in the last published 
one, there is no Scotch county mentioned ; 
a circumstance which has not occurred since 
the week ended April 7. 
Anthrax. — -This disease still maintains 
a high rate of prevalence. During the 
five weeks ended December 1 there were 40 
fresh outbreaks, G9 animals attacked, 6 dis- 
eased animals were killed, 48 died, and 13 
recovered. The returns for 48 weeks show 450 
outbreaks and 945 animals attacked, as com- 
pared with 515 outbreaks and 1,207 animals 
attacked in tlie corresponding period of 1893, 
and 256 outbreaks aud 550 animals attacked 
in 1892. 
Rabies. — This disease still continues on 
the increase. During the past five weeks 
there have been 43 cases, or nearly 9 per week, 
whereas in the first quarter of the year the 
cases did not average 3 per week. There have 
been 200 cases of rabies in 48 weeks this 
year, as compared with 89 in the correspond- 
ing period of last year, and 34 in 1892. The 
disease hasoocurred in thecountiesof Chester, 
Derby, Lancaster, and York (West Riding). 
Abortion Experiment's. — Two pregnant 
cows from healthy stock were obtained early 
in November, and since that time two 
recently aborted cows were purchased from a 
stock in which twenty-six cases of abortion 
have occurred during the present year. 
Stock Prizes. 
Mr. Sanday (Chairman) reported 
that the second-prize animal in Class 
81 at the Cambridge Meeting (Mr. 
W. S. Forster’s cow, “ Blackeyes ”) had 
become disqualified for the prize, and 
they recommended that the second 
and third prizes in this class be 
awarded as follows: — 
No. 861, Second Prize of 10L to 
Mr. Louis Huth, for “Virgin 
20th ” (Third Prize). 
No. 859, Third Prize of 51. to 
Major Best, for “Dahlia 3rd” 
(Reserve Number). 
The offer from the Hackney Horse 
Society of two champion gold medals 
for the best Hackney Stallion and the 
best Hackney Mare or Filly exhibited 
at the Darlington Meeting had been 
accepted with thanks. 
Letters had been received from the 
Secretaries of the Durham County 
and Northumberland Agricultural 
Societies on the subject of the shear- 
ing of Cheviot and Blackfaced Moun- 
tain sheep, and suggesting an altera- 
tion of the Sociely's regulation with 
regard to shearing, so as to include 
these two breeds amongst those sheep 
