6 CATTLE COSIMISSIONERS' REPORT. 



to the fli-ease known as tuberculosis, to whicli the public iniarl had 

 at that time been pointedly directed in consequence of the unpre- 

 cedented outbreak of the disease at the State College farm at Orono. 

 At the time the report of the Orono cases was published (althou^jh 

 the entire herd had then been disposed of and destroyed), there 

 were still outstanding quite a number of young animals (mostly 

 bulls) that had been sold from time to time from the College herd, 

 that by order of the Committee of Investigation, were afterwards 

 inspected, and being found in almost every instance thoroughly 

 diseased, were also destroyed, so that we are now able to report the 

 State free from any suspicious cases that trace directly to the College 

 herd, with possibly the exception of a single bull in "the town of Lee, 

 that was out of one of the diseased and condemned cows at Orono. 

 In view of this fact we have to recommend that there be left ou^ 

 of section 1, chapter 138, the words '-especially tuberculosis," and 

 out of sections 2, 5, (i and 7, such portions as recommend the 

 "quarantine and destruction of such animals as have been exposed 

 to the disease known as tuberculosis, but not themselves actually 

 diseased," as being contrary to all well recognized authorities and 

 precedents in dealing with and disposing of cases of tuberculosis 

 among cattle. It has been repeatedly proven in this State that some 

 one or more cases may l)e found present in a large herd, (which 

 being destroyed) no other cases ever afterwards developed, and the 

 three cases destroyed the present year show conclusively that 

 although summered and wintered with other cattle, no suspicious 

 cases remain in the herds from which they came, while should a single 

 case of contagious pleuro-pneumonia be discovered in a herd of 

 cattle, the only rational means to insure its extermination would not 

 only be to destroy such an animal, but all others that had been 

 herded with it. The frightfullj' contagious nature of this disease, 

 and its treacherous and fatal character, have long since proved that 

 to be the most economical and only certain manner of extermina- 

 tion. In several instances in the past our board have been notified 

 of supposed cases of contagious pleuro-pneumonia, and it should, 

 perhaps, be stated in this connection that an animal affected with 

 common lung fever or pneumonia presents appearances so nearly 

 identical with those of the contagious form, that it is often impossible 

 to distinguish them as different while the animal is living, but that 

 b}' a post-mortem it at once becomes apparent. Up to the present 

 time, however, no case of contagious pleuro-pneumonia has ever 



