Report of State Veterinarian. 41 



and every effort made to completely stamp them out of the State 

 during the coming year. In this connection it might be well to 

 state that an unusual number of violations of the federal quaran- 

 tine law was largely responsible for the increased number of tick- 

 infested cattle in this State during the past year. Being a matter 

 of interstate commerce, the enforcement of the quarantine line 

 on the southern border of this State has been left to the federal 

 department. The work of enforcing it during the past year, by 

 the federal department, has been very desultory, to say the least. 

 As far as can be learned, no inspector has been assigned to any 

 part of the line and allowed to remain on it long enough to get 

 acquainted with the territory in which he worked. At least, quite 

 a number of violations of the federal quarantine law have occurred, 

 definite facts concerning which have been reported to this office. 

 These violations occurred not only in Southwest Missouri, but in 

 the vicinity of Taney and Ozark counties, and one shipment of 

 ticky cattle originated at Mountainview, in Howell county. The 

 spread of fever ticks became quite extensive in Ripley county, but 

 their introduction was undoubtedly not due to quarantine viola- 

 tions. Every indication points to the fact that they were carried 

 into the vicinity of Doniphan on western horses. 



Of the contagious diseases with which this department has 

 to deal, tuberculosis of cattle is of vastly more importance than 

 any other one disease, and probably more than all others put to- 

 gether. The proper control of tuberculosis in cattle in the future 

 will require an unlimited amount of work by this department. In 

 August, 1905, a bulletin was issued explaining the tuberculin test 

 and offering the services of the Veterinary Department of this 

 State to the owner of any permanent herd in making an examina- 

 tion of his cattle. Before this bulletin was issued there were some 

 tests made, and as a result of the offer a number of applications 

 were received at this office. Altogether 51 herds, including 1,405 

 animals, have been tested ; 129 head of cattle were found diseased 

 with tuberculosis in 15 of these bunches. These tests were con- 

 fined to registered beef herds and grade dairy herds, to which 

 registered animals were being added with a view of improving the 

 herd. In tests of registered beef cattle, tuberculous animals were 

 found coming directly from six prominent registered herds of this 

 State, which have not yet been examined. On August 23rd, out 

 of a shipment of 55 hogs to Kansas City, Mo., 23 head were con- 

 demned on account of tuberculosis. I traced these hogs back to 

 their origin, and found that they came from a farm on which a 



