BUKP.AU OF ANIMAL INDUSTKY. 83 



not permitted to leave until they had been thoroughly fumigated 

 and disinfected. No outside animals, such as dogs, cats, poultry, or 

 birds, could gain access to the building. After apparently com- 

 plete recovery the herd was released from quarantine May 31, 1915. 

 Before release a large number of animals were introduced into the 

 herd and subjected to various severe tests to ascertain, if possible, 

 whether any of the animals still harbored infection. The expense 

 of maintaining quarantine, care, feed, disposal of manure, etc., was 

 so heavy that it exceeded several times the average value of farm 

 cattle. Such methods could not be applied in other cases because 

 of the great expense and the impossibility of providing conditions 

 of absolute quarantine on ordinary farms. 



RECURRENCE OF OUTBREAK. 



By June 18, 1915, all known infected and exposed animals had 

 been slaughtered and the disinfection of premises completed, and it 

 appeared that the disease was eradicated. On July 28, however, in- 

 fection was again discovered in Steuben County, N. Y. No infection 

 had previously been found in that county, and the infection had 

 doubtless existed for some months in a small remote valley. Seven 

 herds were slaughtered in this county. Again, on August 8, the dis- 

 covery was made that infection existed in Illinois, and shortly after- 

 wards a diseased herd was found in each of the States of Indiana and 

 Minnesota. 



At the time this report is submitted the disease has been eradicated 

 in every State but Illinois, where it still continues to spread, although 

 every eilort is being put forth by the authorities of that State and 

 by this department to stamp it out. So far 11 counties have been 

 reinfected, and it has been necessary to slaughter some 400 herds, 

 most of which were small.^ 



The cause of this recurrence of the disease was promptly and care- 

 fully investigated, and it was ascertained that it was due to infected 

 hog-cholera serum. This serum was produced at an establishment 

 where foot-and-mouth disease was not known to exist at any time, 

 and had been carefully tested for foot-and-mouth disease virus with 

 negative results before any of it was allowed to be sent out and 

 used. It was only after further and repeated tests involving 62 

 animals that one of these animals in the last series developed foot- 

 and-mouth disease, thereby demonstrating that the serum was in- 

 fected. 



THE ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DIVISION. 



The Animal Husbandry Division, of which Mr. George M. Eommel 

 is chief, carries on work relating to the breeding and feeding of farm 

 animals and poultry. 



BEEF AND PORK PRODUCTION INVESTIGATIONS. 



The experimental work in beef production, which was transferred 

 from Alabama to Mississippi in 1914, is being conducted in coopera- 

 tion with the Mississippi experiment station. The work is in progress 

 in the black-prairie soil belt and also in the brown-loam section of the 

 State. The prairie lands have always been used to a certain extent 



1 Data revised to Nov. 10, 1915, 



