ROYAL COLLEGE OE VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
491 
pened. He was very glad to see that it was not proposed to carry out 
the recommendation of Professor Simonds, that an inquiry should be 
undertaken as to the extent of the disease, and seeing the fact was 
patent that rot could be prevented by using proper means, and had been 
insisted upon in the agricultural journals for the last hundred years, he 
thought they should incur no further expense under that head. The 
theory that an abundance of salt was hurtful was contrary to his own 
experience, which proved that no harm whatever occurred to sheep 
which had constant access to salt from the time of their birth. The com¬ 
mittee having modified the proposed grant and altered the scope of the 
inquiry, under all the circumstances of the case [he was inclined to coin¬ 
cide with their views, and he therefore begged to second the adoption of 
the report. 
Mr. Bowly thought the money would be very well laid out. An 
instance similar to that mentioned by Mr. Rawlence had been brought 
before the Cirencester Chamber of Agriculture on Monday. A ten- 
weeks’-old calf, which had never tasted anything but milk, was found to 
be full of flukes. He admitted that salt was a very gO)d thing, although 
last year his own experience was that it perfectly failed. 
The Earl of Ravensworth said he had taken a little trouble, since the 
Council last met, to inquire from really practical men the losses in their 
experience. He hoped to obtain some more explicit information, but in 
the mean time he should like to mention one curious fact. It was in 
reference to the Border itself, and he could not find that where ordinary 
caution and wisdom had been exercised in herding the sheep on hillsides 
that one case of rot had occurred. As many members of the Council 
were aware, on the borders of Northumberland and Cumberland there 
were certain mosses or “ floes,” and great outbeaks had occurred in those 
places. That in itself indicated that if fair and reasonable precautions 
were taken these serious losses might be obviated. On his own estate, 
in the case of two tenants, the land was very peculiar, being very strong 
clay, where drainage was very difficult owing to the want of fall, and 
almost the whole of the sheep had been lost. On other parts of the 
estate the animals had not suffered. He mentioned this latter fact to 
show the local character of the disease. 
Colonel Kingscote said his only fear was that it would be found perfectly 
impossible to accomplish what the Council wanted for anything like the 
sum named. So many people would be anxious to give evidence; and 
if the gentleman chosen to conduct the practical investigation was ex¬ 
pected to go east, west, north, and south, he was sure he would not be 
able to do it. 
The Hon. IF Egerton said that the intention of the committee was that 
the gentleman should have the assistance of all information coming to 
the office of the Society, and that he should seek out such other facts 
as would enable him to prepare a useful report for the Journal. 
The report of the committee was then adopted. 
ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
SPECIAL MEETINGS OF COUNCIL, FIELD WEDNESDAY, 
JUNE 16 th, 1880. 
Present: —The President in the 
Fitzwygram ; Messrs. Batt, Blakeway, 
chair; Professor Axe; Sir F. 
Cartwright, Coates, Collins, Cox, 
