Vol. XII. No. 295. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 



263 



VETERINARY NOTES. 



THK UNITED STATES INSPECTION AND 

 QUARANTINE iiERVICE. 



The extensive nature, and the thorough organization of 

 the United Slates (|)uarantine Servici' are rendered evident in 

 a Circular (Ni>. 21.3) issued recently l>y the Bureau of Animal 

 Industry. 



After dealing with the provisions of laws and regula- 

 tions, the paper proceeds to the subject of permits and other 

 safeguards. An important feature in preventing the imporla 

 lion of the infection of animal diseases from foreign countries 

 is the requirement relative to the obtaining of permits from 

 the Secretary of Agriculture. These are issued in triplicate: 

 two copies are sent to the owner or his agent, one of them 

 being addressed to the United States Consul at the foreign 

 port of shipment, and the other to the Collector of Customs 

 at the Tnited States port of entry 



In continuation, the question of quarantine is dealt with 

 next For cattle coming from Great I'.ritain, Ireland and the 

 Channel Islands, the period of continement is thirty diys; for 

 animals from other places the time varies according to cir- 

 cumstances The stringent regulations in. this respect, with 

 regard to Great Britain and Europe in general, appears to be 

 due to the inability in Europe to control adequately foot 

 and mouth disease. 



From the West Indian aspect, the most interesting section 

 of the paper is that which describes instances of suppression 

 and exclusion of contagious diseases from abroad. In view 

 of the fact that the United States possesses every kind of 

 climate, the danger of the introduction of animal diseases 

 from the Tropics and sub tropics has been early recognized. 

 In 1901, legislation was passed in regird to the Philippines. 

 l)uring 1906 serra was found in an importation of Zebu cattle 

 shipped from Bombay, but it was ni>t allowed to escape from 

 the quarantine. 



Another interesting case connected with the importation 

 of Zebu cattle was that in relation to a landowner's suggest- 

 ed introduction into Texas of some fifty head of the.se animals. 

 At first the Government refused to permit the importation 

 under any conditions. Eventually it was agreed to, that, under 

 the continuous inspection of a 1 )epartmenl's veterinary 

 officer, the desired transfer from India might be carried out. 

 An officer proceeded to Bombay with the buyer of the 

 animals, and after selecting animals from sections reported 

 to be free from disease, the cattle were subjected to blood 

 tests and kept under aseptic conditions during every stage 

 of the voyage from the East to Xew York. Until their arrival 

 at the American port, where they were placed in quarantine, no 

 parasites had been detected in the blood; within a short time, 

 however, surra was found in three of the animals. Not until 

 after five months under screens were thirty-three animals 

 relea.sed and shipped to their destination in Texas. Eighteen 

 out of the original herd of fifty one had been destroyed 

 because of the appearance of the disease in their blood. 



One of the most important matters relating to animal 

 importations into America is the sterilization of hi<los and 

 skins. These commodities are subject to tlie same law that 

 governs the importation of cattle. I p to the present, no abso- 

 lutely satisfactory means has been devised for the sterilization 

 of infected hides, particularly those containing anthrax spores. 

 It is stated that green or sun-dried hides immersed for 

 thirty minutes in a 1 in 1,000 solution of bichloride of 

 mercury, are seriously injured (sec A'jritultural Neu's, Vol. 

 XII, p. 247). The Bureau of Animal Industry, however, is 



making investigations of means for the sterilization of anthrax 

 spores or germs in hides, skins, hair, wool, etc.. in order that 

 they may be safely rendered sterile without any injury 

 or depreciation of their viilue 



Lastly, a few facts may be added in regard to the- 

 American inspection of live stock for export Animals in- 

 tended for shiimient are given a veterinary inspection, ic; 

 order to guard against the exportation of disease, and to con- ' 

 form with the requirements of certain Foreign Governments. 

 The Bureau also inspects vessels that carry such animals, and 

 enforces regulations as to fittings, feed, water and attendance,, 

 so as to ensure that the animals will be carried in a safe and 

 humane manner, and ri-aeh the other side in good condition. 



It may be noted in conclusion, that, although regulations- 

 exist which provide that no animals shall be exported froncv 

 the United States to any foreign country unless they have- 

 been inspected and found fr^-e from disease, this requirement 

 is waived in regard to Cuba, the West Indies, Mexico, Central 

 America, and the countries of South America, excepting 

 Argentina and L^ruguay. 



FECUNDITY IN FOWLS. 



The manner in which the Board of Agriculture of 

 England presents, in its .Journal (for June 1913), the results 

 of Dr. Raymond Pearls remarkable investigations is a.'- 

 admirable, in its way, as the results themselves are interest- 

 ing and economically important. 



Divested of all technicalities, the article shows the- 

 practical man clearly and concisely that, the principal agent 

 in transmitting fecundity (laying capacity) in fowls is the 

 male bird, and that selection of cocks must be practised, 

 as well as selection of hens, in building up the desired strains 

 of high fecundity fowls. 



In tlie investigation, winter egg-production, because thc 

 capticity of strains varies most during this period, was 

 adopted as a measure of fecundity, and it was found th-it 

 hens can be placed in three distinct classes: (a) those laying 

 no eggs whatever during the winter period, (b) those laying 

 under thirty eggs, and (c) those laying over thirty eggs. 



Independent of any Mendelian theory or phraseology 

 which may be framed to account for his observations, 

 Dr. Pearl actually found that hens of high productivity- 

 were unable (when mated with certain cocks) to transmit their 

 qualities to their daughters. On the other hand, he dis- 

 covered that hens of the thirty and over class, if mated with 

 certain other cocks, gave sometimes all highly productive 

 daughters, and, sometimes, partly high [>roducers and partlj- 

 low producers. Again, he found that if certain cocks were 

 mated with hens of zero, or low producing capacity, all the 

 daughters produced thirty eggs and over. 



As a guide to the practical application of these results^, 

 the writer of the article in question says: — 



'The main desideratum is to produce the cock which 

 invariably gets daughters of high fecundity; to do so, the 

 high fecundity hen must be found by selection; she wilT 

 transmit her desirable character through her sons, but onlj- 

 in certain cases will all these sons be of the highest quality. 

 If all are of the highest quality (that is, invariably getting- 

 high fecundity daughters, however mated), then their /a^/(?) 

 is the male wanted. But if, as is more likely, the sons differ; 

 each must be tested by mating, with a view to ascertaining- 

 what his quality is. This testing should be done, preferably 

 irith u'>-(j heiix^ for if the male is not of the highest class he 

 will, when mated with such hens, get daughters of low 

 fecundity.' 



