Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1860-06-15
$l.5O A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
[From the Boston Journal.I

Some sixty members of the Legislature
including the committee vAo are investi
eating the subject, visited the farm of Mr.
Winthrop Chenery, in Belmont, Saturday
for the purpose of witnessing au autopsy
of diseased cattle They were accompa.
MED by large number of the medical
fraternity, including Doctors Dadd, Thay.
er and Cross of Boston, Bates and Mar.
tin of Worcester, Bancroft and Lane OF
Charlestown, and other physicians. Doc.
tors Ezekiel Holmes, A. Nourse and Mr.
s. l.. Goodale from Maine, and DR.. Lo-
ring and Mr. Lothrop Of the Board OF
Commissioners, and Prof Clark of the
State Board Of Agriculture, were also i'll
attendance.
pom their arrival at Belmont some
time was devoted to a survey of the ex-
tensiye farm buildings of Mr. Chencry,
and an examination of his fine herd of cat
tie, now materially diminishedby the raw
ages of the disease.
This herd originally comprised sixty
seven head of which twcnty-seven have
died of pleura-pneumonia, and FIVE have
now been killed by the Commissioners
The remaining cattle Include a yoke of OK
en- weighing about 5000 pounds. .and said to
be the finest in the State One of them
exhibits slight symptoms of the prevailing
disease, but both are still in good work
ing order The entire herd have of course
been exposed to the disease
The disease has run through this herd
destroying about fifty per cent. of the
whole number. Those living, although
apparently well, have the sequel of the
disease in chronic form.
1t was mainly with the view Of level-
oping the disease in new and different
aspect from that presented in the incipient
aud acute case at Brookfeld that the ex-
animation of subjects in this herd was
made Upon the arrival of the Commits
sioners a yearling calf was selected from
number of others as a fit subject to Illus
trate the effects of the disease in cases
where the animal has been sick, and to all
external appearances has recovered. The
calf was taken sick in October last and
for four or FIVE weeks was so i'll as to take
no other nourishmcnt than cruel poured
down its throat During the last three
months the creature has gradually regain
ed its appetite and consequently its
strength, and was supposed to be recover
ing. Still it coughrd, and upon percus-
sion exhibited dullnes on the right side
and strong tubular respiration.
The necessary preparations having been
made, Mr.. Commissioner Lothrop intro
duced DR.. Martin, who stated in brief his
diagnosis of the case. He expected to
find the most disease in the right lung,and
no doubt adhcsons The calf was killed
the right shoulder and ribs removed, and
the chest laid open by Drs. Dadd and
Thaver. There was strong adhesion Of
the plcura Of the lung to the ribs, dia-
phram and heart case The lung indiea-
ted that it had been compressed into a
small compass, by serum which had in the
subsequent progress Of the disease been
absorbed. The winlPipe contained Sc
erection of mucuS, which probably pro-
auced the ratting heard before death the
membrane of the lung was very much
thickcned, and the lung tissde nearly de-
stroyed, The cyst or bag of the lung
was found empty, whereas in eases of the
disease is that the tissue in this case had
been softepcd, and reduced to liquid
state or pus, and then taken up by alb
sorption The left lung was found to be
perfectly free from the disease, The case
was not fair sample of the disease, but
it nevertheless demonstrated the theory of
the commissioners that cattle once sick
will never fully recover.
The next animal killed was a COW which
was brought into Nr. Chencry's herd in
December last She had never exhibited
any >igns ofdisease beyond slight cough,
and an external examination before death
failed to discover any indications. As
the animal had been exposed to the in
tccted herd, it was matter of curiosity
to ascertain whether she had taken the
disease, pom Il careful dissection of the
lungs the disease was found to exist in an
incipient stage The heart was soft and
fabby, as in all eases of this kind. and
there were other indications of the pre-
vailing coutagion. This closed the invcs-
tigation. The committee and medical
men seemed to be divided in opinion as
to the nature of the disease and the best
means of cradicating it, There was
strong disposition on the part of many to
establish theory of their own, and sew
cral gentlemen did not hesitate to con-
demn the course adopted by the Commits
>ioners.
The BENEFIT OF MEETING THE SURFACE
SoIL MELLow.-The Country Gentleman
claims that if the surface soil around 4
young fruit tree is kept mellow, and daily
stirred through the growing season to the
depth OF only one or two inches, the
growth of the tree will be more than doub-
lie, and sometimes quadruple what it would
have been had the soil remained undis-
turned or been kept in grass. This stir
red soil acts as a slight mulch, and pre-
vents the evaporation Of the moisture in
the soil during the hot days of summer
and the too great radiation of heat at
night. On the same principle, it advo-
Gates the application of a surface coat of
manure on winter wheat in autumn, and
the mulching of all dwarf pear trees at
Il.