REPORT OF LIVE STOCK SANITARY COMMISSIONER. IO3 



REPORT OF LIVE STOCK SANITARY 

 COMMISSIONER. 



To His Excellency, Frederick W. Plaisted, Governor of Maine: 



I herewith submit the report of the Live Stock Sanitary 

 Commissioner from May i, 191 1, to December 31, 1912, con- 

 taining an account of the cattle, horses, sheep and hogs con- 

 demned and destroyed under the provisions of Chapter 195 of 

 the Pubhc Laws of 191 1, relating to contagious diseases among 

 cattle, horses, sheep and swine. 



I have personally killed and held post mortems on 147 cattle 

 that have reacted to the tuberculin test and have found but very 

 few that did not show marked signs of tuberculosis to the naked 

 eye. The tuberculin test is no longer an experiment, but has 

 proved itself to be a very reliable test for tuberculosis. More 

 farmers are being convinced of this fact every year and are 

 trying to clean up their herds. The value of cattle has increased 

 fully 20 per cent during the past two years, and as the limit of 

 appraisals is now $50 on grades, $100 on registered animals 

 and $100 on horses, the appraisals must necessarily be higher 

 than ever before. The farmers have paid for their own testing, 

 under the new rules, which some object to, but I think the 

 farmer should have some of the responsibility, for when he has 

 no responsibility he loses all interest in the matter. The old 

 law provided that the State should pay for the testing of pure 

 bred cattle, and if the State paid for the testing of any cattle it 

 should be the grades, the poor farmer's cow. 



A great many of the condemned cattle have been killed under 

 United States inspection and the meat has been sold. For 

 these carcasses and hides the State has received $5,577.83. 



I have done a great deal of disinfecting of stables personally. 

 Where I have not done it myself the owners have done the 



