19 
that undrained land, or a wet season, is favourable to their 
development, as well as wet patches, which are the nurseries 
or hot-beds of the parasite. This being so, it follows that the 
best way to try preventive measures is at this particular 
juncture, when the parasite is in what may be termed the 
lowest form of organisation, and is therefore the most easily 
coped with. Now salt marshes are self-acting, self-curative, as has 
been pointed out by the laws of nature, and therefore the 
closer we follow the dictates of the Great Teacher the better. 
In order to imitate this, if rough, crushed rock-salt be put upon 
the land previously, say in March or April, it is gradually 
dissolved and becomes in a state calculated to destroy the 
small embryo-flukes, immediately they burst open the lid of 
the shell, and, as previously stated, being a fresh-water 
creature the young embryo is annihilated by the action of the 
salt the moment it springs into life on its own account, but 
once „it attaches itself to other parasites the chances of 
ith destruction are doubled. Therefore I say, “Take time by 
the forelock and have all the suspicious pastures well dressed with 5 to 
8 cwt. per acre of rough ground rock-salt in March, Abril, or May ; 
by these measures you can gain a treble advantage, for not 
only will you destroy the parasites and germs which lie lurk¬ 
ing m the soil, but you also increase the nutritive properties 
of the herbage, which in turn benefits the animals feeding 
thereon by v supplying one of the most essential elements 
necessary to the true formation of blood, the ashes of the clot 
of which are found upon analysis to contain about 54 per cent, 
common salt. Professor Simonds, in his pamphlet (page 99), 
objects to the sowing of salt on the land with the view of 
destroying the cercariae, as it would in his opinion necessi¬ 
tate frequent repetitions of the salt in one year which he con¬ 
siders would be injurious to the pasturage. I differ in toto from 
the learned professor on this point, who apparently forgets at 
