llOT IN SHEEP. 
533 
in that way. So that if in December or January I had taken 
a number of sheep affected with this disease, but not the sub¬ 
jects of structural change in the liver, and given them nitro¬ 
genous food, protecting them as much as possible from the 
weather, and exhibiting to them sulphate of iron—if I had 
husbanded the animals 5 powers to the greatest possible extent, 
and added also, from time to time, some salt to their food, 
I have no doubt I should not only have kept the sheep alive, 
but been enabled to sell them as fair food at a small price 
in the market. If, however, all these things are neglected, 
then I shall have to deal with the ultimate consequences of 
the malady. I ma} T just add that experiments have borne out 
what I have now stated. 
You will be aware that this society has lately voted a certain 
sum of money for new experiments to be made with regard 
to the treatment or cure of rot. We are indebted to a 
gentleman present, M. Trehonnais, for directing the attention 
of the agricultural community to this supposed means of 
cure. He has also kindly forwarded to the institution a 
quantity of medicine from France, with which experiments 
will be begun immediately. Now, without any analysis of the 
medicine, I am well aware of the principles that have guided 
the individual in the making of the medicine. He looks upon 
the disease as one producing perfect prostration of the vital 
powers, and he attemps to throw tonics into the system, 
especially giving instructions that the sheep should be kept 
as much as possible from wet and cold, and have the most 
generous diet. I was about to say, that very frequently 
where you have only a limited number of entozoa, as thevdo not 
increase in the liver, if the simple plan of protection with the 
use of nitrogenous food, and so forth, is persevered in for some 
time you may often save your animals. I did that many 
years ago. I purchased a lot of rotten sheep; I gave them 
no physic of any kind, but merely kept them in sheds during 
the winter time, feeding them with corn and cake, and giving 
them the most generous diet I could ; and I not only pre¬ 
vented the further progress of the disease, in several of 
these cases, but the animals even accumulated flesh, and 
they went into the market in the following spring, as fair 
meat for the people. This shows what can be done by 
generous diet and protection of the animals. These remarks 
may cause a smile, but it is not to be presumed we are 
desirous as farmers of sending rotten sheep into the market, 
especially when we remember that a man has been sentenced 
to six months’ imprisonment in Newgate for the offence. 
Nevertheless, we must secure as much food for the people as 
xxxiv. 40 
