126 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



QuES. Would it not be better to wait until after the frosts 

 of winter had passed ? 



Ans. This germ, or whatever it is that causes the disease, is 

 much more easily affected by heat than by cold. Cold seems 

 to be good for it, whereas dryness and heat are very bad for it. 

 Probably with good dry air and plenty of sunlight the germ 

 would be killed within a few weeks, but during the winter I 

 should not want to trust it, from our present knowledge. 



Ques. Will the temperature of boiling water render the 

 serum innocuous? 



Ans. Yes, even less than that. Pasteurization for perhaps 

 ten or fifteen minutes renders it so. 



QuES. Does the healthy and robust animal take the disease 

 as quickly as weak and poor animals? 



Ans. As far as we know there is no difference. The healthy 

 animal takes it just as readily, but the results will perhaps be 

 less severe. The possible complications which may arise after- 

 wards may affect an ill nourished animal much more severely 

 than a well nourished one. 



Ques. Would it be safe to use the dressing from infected 

 herds for farm crops? 



Ans. Not for some time. That question will probably be 

 solved by the authorities now working in Massachusetts. My 

 impression is that they will allow the manure from the infected 

 barn to be carried to a field near by, which is not used as a pas- 

 ture ; then it should be packed hard and fenced in with a tempo- 

 rary fencing so that no animals can get near it ; and if allowed to 

 stay there until spring, and then mixed with a disinfectant, it 

 can be used to put upon fields where cloven footed animals do 

 not frequently go. It should be put on by horses, not by oxen. 

 QuES. Within a few days several letters have come into the 

 State from farmers in Massachusetts, in the infected regions, 

 inquiring about cows to replace their stock which may be 

 destroyed, and asking about visits to the State, and the question 

 has arisen on the part of several of our farmers as to whether 

 they should be allowed to come in. Will you please tell us how 

 it is possible to know that they are not wearing the same clothes 

 or the same boots which they have worn in infected stables, and 

 how we can be sure that it is safe for them to come to our farms? 



