82 AGRICULTURE OF MAIXE. 



fatal one for cattle, and one from which they seldom recover. 

 The death sentence may be postponed, their lives may be pro- 

 longed, but the end is nearly always the same. Sometimes they 

 may recover, but we cannot count on it. Where we are taking 

 close account of the conditions of our animals, we sometimes 

 step in and hasten the process, and bring the disease to a termina- 

 tion sooner, but if allowed to take its course, finally the animal 

 dies, as a result of the spread of the disease until it affects the 

 vital organs. 



The disease, then, spreads from the first initial point. The 

 tubercle, small at first, grows larger and other tubercles form. 

 If the parts are not what we may call vital, if they are lymphatic 

 glands, and the body seems to be supplied with a superabun- 

 dance of these glands, there may be considerable disease and the 

 animal not mind it. If the lungs become affected, or the liver 

 or kidneys, then the end comes sooner, for these are more vital 

 organs. But sooner or later these vital organs do become 

 aft"ected and the animal dies as a result of the disease. When 

 the disease becomes general, the germs have spread through 

 the blood vessels, and all the organs of the body are affected. 

 We sometimes get this condition and we call it a generalized 

 case of tuberculosis. The end comes soon. The usual course 

 is, the animal becomes infected and under favorable conditions 

 will live for a long time without much progress of the disease. 

 Sometimes the animal has given birth to young, or been exposed 

 to a bad storm, — something interferes with the vitality, and this 

 gives the germ every chance, and it will grow more rapidly, the 

 infection spreads to other parts and the end comes soon. Grad- 

 ual progress, or sometimes almost none at all, during the first 

 stages, and finally very rapid progress to the end. 



HOW TO DETECT THE DISEASE. 



How do we detect tuberculosis in cattle, considering the fact 

 that most of them seem to be in good health? This is a vital 

 point. There are three general ways : First, by physical exam- 

 ination. Now some cattle have tuberculosis and we know as 

 soon as we look at them that they are sick. They do not seem 

 well. Their hair points the wrong way, their skin is dry and 

 hard, thev are curled up. they are losing flesh, and not giving 



