77 2 
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 
from home, so I lost the opportunity of seeing the large 
cabinet of choice specimens of entozoa which he is said to 
possess. As regards external parasites, I was particularly 
struck with the preparations of skin disease, showing the in¬ 
jurious effects produced by hots, mites, and lice, as the case 
might be. Passing through the grounds nothing surprised 
me more than the large amount of space devoted to the cul¬ 
tivation of plants. My colleague (Mr. Steel) was struck 
with the same feature on the occasion of his visit. One 
considerable enclosure is occupied with cereals and useful 
forage herbs, whilst another and far larger space is devoted 
to the culture of plants arranged according to the natural 
system. Clearly, so far as examination requirements are 
concerned, the Alfort pupil has a great advantage over our 
own students. Book in hand, he can at any available 
moment walk into the grounds and get up his subject. 
Practically, however, and in view of the possible require¬ 
ments of after-life, I take leave to doubt whether informa¬ 
tion gained in the best-arranged garden is of equal value 
to that acquired by demonstrations in the fields. It is sur¬ 
prising how different the grasses look in the meadow and 
hayfield to what they do in the scientifically arranged garden. 
Looking to the simple requirements of the veterinary scholar, 
I think our method the better of the two, and all-sufficient 
for the ultimate purpose held in view. Perhaps in the 
matter of poisonous plants we have not an equal advantage, 
since comparatively few of them are to be found growing wild 
in the immediate neighbourhood of London. It might he 
a useful adjunct if our public gardens gave up a trifling 
space for the separate cultivation of indigenous poisonous 
plants. The Alfort student can not only see many of these 
noxious species in the college grounds, but within less than 
an hour’s ride he can visit the large collection in the Jardin 
des Plantes. This garden, as every one knows, is open to all 
without any sort of restriction, and special labels, having 
black borders, effectively indicate the poisonous species of 
plants. Other coloured labels point to their special utility 
for medical, economic, or ornamental purposes, as the case 
may be. Of course, none of these collections are kept up to 
a perfect standard of excellence, any more than obtains in 
the case of the Regent’s Park Gardens ; and, considering 
the difficulties attending the preservation of water-plants 
especially, this is not to be wondered at. 
Did time permit I might say a great deal on the subject 
of plant-poisoning. I will only bring forward a few facts 
that can hardly fail to prove generally interesting. During 
