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EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
sent time are to a great extent ignorant of. Chemistry, 
botany, physiology, and practice, must all unite to accom- 
plish a satisfactory solution of this question. We regret to 
say that experience has confirmed our long-existing sus- 
picions that there are artificial manures which produce a 
state of plethora, not to say disease, in plants, which render 
them unfit for the food of animals, when they are too freely 
partaken of. A very few weeks since, we were consulted by 
one of our most celebrated breeders of sheep, in consequence 
of the losses he had sustained from a cause of this kind. As 
soon as the animals were put on a particular field of turnips, 
several died somewhat suddenly. An early removal at once 
stayed the fatality ; but this returned when the sheep again 
went on to these turnips. This was repeated again and 
again, and always with the same result; no losses occurring 
in the intervals, although the sheep were fed on other tur- 
nips, grown on the same kind of soil, but without the same 
artificial manure. We could multiply these cases to a con- 
siderable extent ; but we desire rather to direct attention to 
the injury done to cattle by the adulteration of oil-cake and 
other feeding-stuffs. Of late years this subject has occupied 
the attention of most farmers and veterinary surgeons ; and 
it was hoped that the interest taken in it by the Royal Agri- 
cultural Society had put an effectual stop to the practice. It 
was only last week, however, that a specimen of foreign rape- 
cake was sent to us, which was largely adulterated with 
mustard ; indeed, it is a rare thing to obtain a pure rape-calce , 
and as such, veterinary surgeons should put their employers 
on their guard against its use. The leading symptoms of 
poisoning by mustard are a quick and weak pulse, repeated 
moaning, profuse perspiration, distension of the stomach and 
bowels with gaseous matter, great abdominal pain, and 
copious evacuations of liquid faeces mixed with blood. These 
are succeeded by stupor and intermitting convulsions; death 
usually taking place in twelve to twenty-four hours from the 
time of eating the cake. The post-mortem examinations 
show intense and diffuse infl animation of the mucous mem- 
branes, more particularly of the stomach and bowels. 
