90 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



nary milk has been wholesaling as low as ten cents a gallon in St. 

 Louis. At the same time the wholesale milk dealers, at least in one 

 case, have offered to contract for milk known to be of a good 

 quality from a certain dairy at thirty-five cents per gallon for ten 

 years. The stipulations in regard to the dairy were those known 

 to be required in order that the owner might use the copyrighted 

 terms "certified milk." They were by no means beyond the reach 

 of an intelligent dairyman. What is known as certified milk has 

 been retailed in St. Louis for the past year at fifteen cents a quart 

 or sixty cents per gallon. The only reason that dairymen are re- 

 quired to accept unprofitable prices for their milk is that the pub- 

 lic has not enough confidence in its cleanliness and its being from 

 healthy cows. This is mentioned to show that from a financial 

 standpoint it will pay the dairymen of the State to take any step 

 necessary to thoroughly rid the dairy cows of tuberculosis and 

 raise the standard of milk. I believe it is fair to estimate that if 

 it were generally known that dairies are conducted in a cleanly 

 manner and every precaution taken to prevent disease, that the 

 price of milk would soon double and the demand be much greater, 

 even at the advanced price. 



For the past seven years the subject of tuberculosis has been 

 discussed in this State, in season and out. Bulletins giving ac- 

 curate information on the subject have been distributed without 

 limit. The subject has been discussed before hundreds of farmers' 

 institutes and a number of times before the State Dairy Associa- 

 tion. In August, 1905, a bulletin explaining in detail the use of 

 the tuberculin test was published and twenty thousand copies put 

 in the hands of the cattle owners of this State. This bulletin offered 

 the services of the State Veterinarian and his assistants to the 

 owners of permanent herds in making careful and scientific ex- 

 aminations of their cattle and without any charge. Up to the 

 present time only about twenty-five dairymen have availed them- 

 selves of this offer; a number of these were solicited to do so. It 

 is no exaggeration to say that the dairyman of the State are appar- 

 ently sound asleep on this particular matter. 



The great question arises. What are you dairymen going to 

 do? The whole matter rests with you. It is not the intention of 

 the veterinary department of this State to force the inspection of 

 your herds upon you against your will. We simply want to let 

 you know that the veterinary service is at your command, and that 

 every effort will be made to assist you in preventing the spread of 

 tuberculosis among your cattle. It does not seem proper that any 



