Annual Report of Commissioner op Agriculture. 239' 



of this disease in cattle. Within a radius of a few miles at least 

 30 head of cattle were affected. In one stable in which there 

 were about 30 head of cattle 18 were more or less affected. 



The owner stated that last fall upon putting- bis cattle into 

 the barn he noticed one especially with a bunch on the jaw. A 

 little later another was noticed to be similarly affected. The 

 disease continued to spread until over half his herd were dis- 

 eased. Just prior to my visit he killed one, as she could eat 

 but: little and was very much emaciated. The cattle were per- 

 mitted to take any stanchion, which might account for the 

 spread. After a few of his animals were affected he read an 

 advertisement in some stock journal recommending some pro- 

 prietary medicine. This medicine was guaranteed to cure. 

 Under this treatment the animals gradually grew worse and the 

 disease spread. I recommended the iodide of potash treatment 

 and the barn and stanchions to be disinfected, and that the 

 diseased cattle be kept apart from the unaffected. The affected 

 animals soon made a good recovery and no new cases were 

 reported. 



The disease appeared when the cattle were fed dry feed, which 

 is in accordance with Imminger and Qlaus. The hay was cut 

 from a swamp. Freidberger and Frohner stated that some 

 observations suggest the idea that swampy districts are favor- 

 able to the development of actinomycosis. It has been stated 

 that actinomycosis was not a contagious disease, and that at- 

 tempts to transmit it to other animals have been without re- 

 sults. (Rivolta, Bollinger, Siedamgrotzky, Perreencito, John, 

 Ullmann, Bodemer, and Bostroem.) 



Cattle, calves, goats, sheep, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits and 

 guinea-pigs have remained healthy after inoculation. The posi- 

 tive results obtained by Ponfich, Israel, Rotter and Hanan are, 

 according to Bostroem, simply res-ideal and encapsuled inocula- 

 tion nodules. In this outbreak it appeared to be in the form 

 of contagion. As this disease is communicable to cattle, pigs, 

 horses, sheep and man I ordered the milk boiled before usiny it. 



