Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1881-05-26
AGRICULTURE IN FRANCE.

NJ. Pasteur is closely occupied with his
experiments on the causes of contagion
He has already shown, that in the case Of
hen cholera. the malady was due to the
presence Of animalcules, called microbes. a
kind of lile-recalling fungus, and belonging
to the same class OF inpusOria as those I'M
der the designation Of bacteria and vbrons.
Science does not exactly know the complete
OF these organisms, but which play an i'm
portant role in fermentation, contagion and
decomposition. Tney appear as spores, in
the form of minute particles; OF as delicate
threads, reproducing themselves with an
extraordinary tecundity, and subsisting in
their medium, till they have exhausted all
the elements necessary for their existence.
The oxygen OF the air is the principal mod
Grating agent on tie action OF these animal
cules, which may, as a general term, be
viewed as virus. How then, can oxygen
be made to diminish the terrible effects of
virus in the case of contagion-cattle
plaques for example. The germs have the
power OF propagating themselves by scis-
sion, independent OF the presence of the
parent spore or seed, similar, as in the case
OF beer leaven, where the cellules Of fer
mentation multiply themselves indefinitely
without the presence OF the parent seed mot
unsimilar to those plants raised from slips
or cuttings. In tile case of the animaIcule
bacteria, ascertained to be the virus in the
cup-the pest known a, charbon, its thread
like form is hardly multiplied during TWEEN
ty-iour or forty-eight hours; then they be-
come transformed into egg-like particles, or
ceed germs. M. Pasteur demonstrates
their wonderful vitality. He has preserved
some of these bacteria since March. 1877,
in a glass tube, and when he places some vt
them in conditions favorable TO be Matched
or developed, they germinated with the
same facility and rapidly the same vio-
lence as the original seed which produced
them four years ago. He prepared, artitici-
| ally, a liquid, and exposed it to pure air
during a month, and at Il temperature be-
tween los and lO9 degrees. Up to the last
day the liquid was capable OF reproducing
germs; that is to say, after the month it
completely lost the power of production.
Still more singular, if bacteria be placed in
this liquid, it loses after residence of ten
days, all its virulence, at least in the sense,
that it is incapable OF communicating tile
mortal effects OF the plague to sheep and
abbils,-animals the most liable to con-
| tract the disease. Since the virus can bt
thus rendered inottensive, nothing, follow.
| ing M. Pasteur, is more simple than to in
oculate sheep, cattle and horses, and so pre-
vent them from falling victims to the terri
| Bile disease. He has done so with marked
success in the case of sheep, and during the
summer intends practicing incubation on
an extensive scale, OH tiocks in the Beauce
AS in the virus of hen cholera, SO in that OF
the charbon malady of cattle and sheep; il
can be obtained i'll several degrees of yiru
lence. Now, since the air, that is to say
its oxygen, can lessen the effects of virus
the latter can retind its viruence when i
encounters the conditions favorable for de
velopment, hence, why plaques appear st
suddenly as to be called spontaneous, til.
fact being, that the germs of the disease
were only sleeping. These remarks are ap
pIicable to pestiIences in general. Some
countries have their special yirulent plaques
moderated by oxygen, their virus only as
sunles the active form, when the conditions
OF climate, famine and misery reappeal
There are maladies again. which break ou
spontaneously i'll all countries, such, tor ex
ample, as camp typhus. The microbes o
germs, the authors OF typhus, are every
where; man has Them iii his Intestinal can
al, which do not mjure him, but are not tin
less ready to become dangerous by the over