•354 Seventeenth Annual Repokt of the 



State of New York — Department of Agriculture 



East Buffalo, N. Y., December 2, 1908. 

 IMPORTANT NOTICE AND WARNING 

 To all Farmers. Stock Dealers, and others interested in the live stock 



INDUSTRY OF NEW YORK STATE. 



The lar.gerous foot and mouth disease exists in New York State. This is 

 one of the most highly infectious of all animal diseases. It may even be 

 taken by an animal that passes over only a few feet of a highway that was 

 traversed by another animal having the disease. ' Stupendous losses would 

 result if this disease should become widespread. Foot and mouth disease is 

 prevalent in certain foreign countries,- but it has not been in the United 

 States since about live years ago, when there was an outbreak in New Eng- 

 land, which was finally suppressed by the National and State Governments at 

 a cost of about one-half million dollars. Until now, the disease has not been 

 in New York State for about 40 years. It is now known to exist in New 

 York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Maryland, all of which are under Federal 

 quarantine, which stops all shipments of cattle, sheep and swine and fodder 

 from the States. It was first recognized early in November in Pennsylvania 

 among cattle which had been shipped through the East Buffalo stock yards. 

 Later the disease was recognized in herds in Western New York, also among 

 cattle which had been shipped through East Buffalo or cattle which had come 

 in contact with those shipped through East Buffalo. It has become plain 

 that the East Buffalo stock yards were infected, and there is good reason to 

 believe that they were infected for a period of perhaps two or three weeks 

 before and after November 1st. Apparently this infection came from the west. 



The stock yards at East Buffalo have now been thoroughly cleaned and 

 disinfected at great cost and it is believed to-day they are as safe as ever. 



Thus far the disease has appeared in 28 herds in Western New York. 

 Affected animals have been killed including 256 cattle, 39 sheep and 135 

 swine, valued at about $10,000. To-day only three affected herds are known 

 to be alive in this state and they will be destroyed as soon as possible. A 

 large number of shipments going out from East Buffalo during the period 

 mentioned when the yards were infected have been traced to their destinations 

 and the disease, fortunately, not found; but every such shipment not traced 

 by an expert must for the present be regarded with suspicion. Some of these, 

 shipments have been widely dispersed, the animals having ehanged hands 

 several times. They are being traced as rapidly as possible. 



It is not unlikely that there will be some further outbreaks in this state 

 among the cattle which were shipped from the stock yards during the tin»e of 

 infection, hut with measures taken by the Federal Government to prevent 

 infected animals from the west from entering our state, and measures taken 

 by our State Government to hold in cluck the movement of animals where the 

 disease is known to exist, and with the strong support of the live stock com- 

 mission men at East Buffalo and the railroads, it is believed that the spread 

 of the disease from new sources will not occur. 



The counties of Erie, Niagara. Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming, Yates and 

 Monroe are now under rigid quarantine because of recognized outbreaks, and 

 the movement of cattle, sheep or swine upon the public highways of or ship 

 ment from these counties is a misdemeanor. 



