REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND ACTING AGRICULTURIST. 71 



it was generally disbelieved in by those engaged in the cattle trade. Negotiations were 

 also then in progress with the British Government looking to th« removal of the embargo 

 on Canadian cattle, and it was held to be most unwise, by those interested in the export 

 of cattle, that any further attention should be drawn to this disease, which had in 

 several instances been referred to in the press, either ignorantly or with an object, 

 as pleuro-pneumonia. Under these circumstances, it was decided that any animals 

 required for the use of the farms should be selected with care from healthy herds, and 

 subjected only to the test of physical examination. Thus a number of grade cows were 

 selected in Quebec and Ontario and placed in the barn, every one of which appeared to 

 be perfectly healthy. No pure-bred animals were purchased. 



From the experience recently had it is probable that some incipient germs of the 

 disease must have existed in one of the young animals (a Jersey bull), which was tested in 

 1893 and did not then react, and that these subsequently developed. It also seems clear, 

 from the post mortem examinations, that in the case of two of the grade cows which were 

 purchased in Ontario the disease had developed to that extent to justify the belief that 

 these animals were more or less diseased when they were purchased. It was in all 

 probability from these two sources that the disease spread in the herd, and in confirma- 

 tion of the correctness of this view it may be said that most of the other animals which 

 reacted when the tuberculine test was used showed the disease but slightly developed, as 

 if the infection had been recent. 



"While there is no doubt that a diseased animal in the herd is the most common 

 cause of the spread of the disease, there are other possible sources of infection. This is 

 undoubtedly an infectious disease, which can only be produced by the introduction into 

 the system of those minute organisms known as the bacilli of tuberculosis. As this 

 disease is identical with consumption in the human family, and may be communicated 

 from man to animals, as well as from animals to man, it is evident that in a public 

 institution which is visited annually by many thousands of people, this additional source 

 of danger to the cattle is always present. 



In September last some purchases were made of pure-bred animals for the improve- 

 ment of the herds at Nappan and Ottawa. Since animals had been bought and 

 exchanged several times at ^Nappan since 1893 without submitting them to the tubercu- 

 line test, it was decided that this test should be again applied to all the herd there. It 

 was also the intention that similar precautions should be taken at each of the other 

 experimental farms as soon as they could be conveniently arranged for. During a visit 

 made to the Nappan farm by the writer early in October all the animals were tested 

 with tuberculine by Dr. Jakeman, of Halifax, and Dr. F. G. Hall, of Amherst, and no 

 reaction occurred in any case, showing that this herd was free from tuberculosis. 



Up to this time there had not been the slightest suspicion that there was anything 

 wrong with the herd in Ottawa. No symptoms had at any time occurred to awaken 

 such suspicion, and the animals appeared to be in excellent health. Before arrangements 

 had been made for the testing of the herd in Ottawa, on the 21st of October the Jersey 

 bull already referred to, which had not fed well for a day or two and was supposed to be 

 suffering from a slight attack of indigestion, died from tljie effects of an overdose of 

 saltpetre, which, through the misunderstanding of an order, was bought in place of salts. 

 On post mortem examination of this bull one lung was found to be badly affected with 

 tuberculosis. Arrangements were at once made to test the entire herd, and the tests 

 were conducted by Drs. James and Perley, of Ottawa. Particulars of the temperatures 

 observed are given in the appended chart. The normal temperatures were taken 23rd 

 October, the tuberculine was injected that evening and the reactions noted 24th 

 October. 



