The Washington critic., 1889-01-11

Out northeast of the city beside the
Bennings road is the Department of
Agricuturo's experimental stock farm.
1t Is but little visited, and no wonder, for
a less attractive place would be hard to
find. Here it Is that the experiments
are made by which the Agricultural De.
partment veterinarians seek to find rene.
dies for the contagious diseases that have
killed thousands of cattle on the Western
ranches.
Hog cholera and horses diseases are
also subjects of investigation, and in
fact about all the ills that quadruped
| flesh is heir to or catches are being ex-
perimented on. The experiments are
for the most part made on small animals
rabbits and guinea pigs--but they have
some horses and cattle there that would
discourage the most daring stock buyer
of investing in.
LOCATION or THE FARM
The farm is prettily located, and the
old brick house on the hill overlooks q
broad expanse--at high tide--of the
Eastern Branch. II is couple of hun
dred yards beyond the Boundary, and a
narrow lane leads up to it. The visitors
are so few that the two big black dogs
seem to be in doubt whether TO welcome
them by licking their hands or to bite
their heels. So they compromise by
barking enough for six dogs. The house
that Dr. Kilbounc occupies is big, old
fashioned brick structure. 1t crowns a
low hill, and the farm is beyond it in a
shallow valley, through which runs a
little brook.
Dotted all over the hillsidcs are odd
| looking little houses made of boards,
three or four feet high and four or five
square. In each of these boxes is pig
and broom, so that there is no chance
that one of them will catch any conta-
gious disease that his neighbor may
have by having his pen cleaned with i'm
plements used in another pigs pen. On
the opposite side of the valley from the
house are the stables. They are warm
brick ones and there are now two or
three horses in them, suffering from
"horse disease" As soon as they die
they will be cut up. The cows are kept
in II long building that adjoins the brick
stables. They are designed for pleuro-
pneumonia experiments.
THE VICTIMS.
AT one side of the laboratory is warm,
double boarded wooden house with a
lot of wooden cages closed by wire doors
in it. There are seven double tiers of
these boX-like cages, one over the other,
and there are five cages in each row,
forty in all. In these cages are born and
raised hundreds of rabbits and guinea
pigs, Whenever the effects of certain
drug on an animal afflicted with some OF
the contagious diseases is to be tried, and
veterinarians don't want to kill COW or
hog, one of these little animals is taken
out and to the Agricultural Department
and their little systems impregnated with
the disease. In each of these cages are
% frpm trio to dozen inmates from q
day to three or four years old
The rabbits are of all coors and kinds
and sedatc, matronly one prcsides ovel
a family of tivean no two of them are the
same color The laboratory is brand new
built out of new pine boards and there
are two rooms in it. The smaller of the
rooms is furnished with Il tank and sink
a stove and desk The walls are lined
with .bottle.covered shelves sand it il
here that the chemical part of the expert
menting is done. The other room i,
twice as large and almost devoid of fur.
niture In front of the two big window.
stands small dissecting table, and tht
floor is Uttered with carcasses of pigs ant
dogs that have been or are going to b,
cut up.
YELLOW DOG COLONY.
Across the lane from the laboratory is
covered pen with half dozen tired look
ing dogs in it, They are used for expert
ments, too, and an odd circumstance is
that every one of them is of some shad,
of yellow. 1t may be that the meek and
lowly yellow dog is better adapted tC
scientific Xpcrimentation than are Other
styles of dogs, or it may be that they are
cheaper and owners are more willing I,
part with them. But it would be hare
to find sorrierlooking pack of curl
than this half dozen out at the expert
mcnt farm. The two black dogs tha
bark and caper about the house are al
most princeky in comparison with thes,
unfortunate ours.
The cattle, too, are, some of them
marvels of skin and bone, and there is
detected droop to the lids, over their sof
eyes, that makes one think that the,
would be glad to die in the cause O
science and be out of this world O
misery and pleuro-pneumonia.
Horses are rather tooexpensive to b
experimental on, and there are neye
more than two or three on the farm. Blu
these two or three have more ailments
than usually fall to the lot of even
stout car-horse. This experiment farm
has been in operation for some time, bu
now its removal to Philadelphia is bein!
talked of.
There are large stocll-y yards in tina
city, and in case the farm was removed
: would be rather easier to get animal
suffering from contagious diseases thai
it is here.
The utmost care has to be exercised q
the farm TO prevent the various "sut
iects" from contracting some diseas
other than the one they are expected I
| eXemplifV That is the reason the niu