126 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



ail uiihealty effect ou the cattle industry and prevented it from de- 

 veloping soundly along proper lines and, incidentally, did much to 

 scatter tuberculosis. For about two decades cattle were imported 

 in large numbers; they were boomed by skilful promoters in this 

 country, who were far more capable as advertisers and as salemen 

 than as stockmen. Under these conditions, cattle of certain strains 

 were sold for fabulous prices. The pedigree of an animal was 

 by many regarded far more critically and carefully than individu- 

 ality. These statements apply not to one breed of cattle alone, but 

 to at least four breeds. When a c;ow belonging to one of these en- 

 thusiasts, became ill with tuberculosis, the disease was not likely 

 to be identilied because so little w^as known of it at that time. If 

 it were identified, proper steps were not taken to prevent its 

 spread, because such steps had not been worked out and the need 

 for them was not known. Therefore, when a cow believed to be 

 worth several thousand dollars, or even several hundred dollars, 

 developed tuberculosis, she was continued in the herd. Every effort 

 was made to cure her; she was treated and pampered and nursed 

 until she could no longer get about and possibly even then she 

 was permitted to die a natural death in the hope, to the last minute, 

 that there might come a turn for the better. During all of this 

 time the cow was excreting and distributing tubercle bacilli, and 

 during the latter stage of the disease, the seeds of disease were being 

 produced and distributed in enormous numbers. As there was no 

 isolation, it was inevitable that the entire herd should become 

 tainted and that many of its members should, successively, pass 

 through the same disease. It is interesting to observe that most 

 of the herds that were established at such enormous expense during 

 the boom days here referred to, have passed out of existence, and 

 most of them because they were so seriously infected with tubercu- 

 losis. From such herds individual animals were sold to go into 

 other herds, and disease was carried and introduced by them. In 

 this way, pure-bred cattle have had a great deal to do with the 

 ^ide dissemination of tuberculosis among the herds in the United 

 States. This has occurred so often and to such a noticeable ex- 

 tent that there has gi*own up in the minds of many practical stock- 

 men an impression that pure-bred animals are not desirable be- 

 cause they are believed to be tender and predisposed to tubercu- 

 losis. Such, however, is not the case. This impression, which has 

 done a great deal to restrict the market for pure-bred animals and 

 to prevent the improvement of the live stock of the country, is to 

 be traced to the injudicious methods of some breeders and pro- 

 moters of cattle. 



That pure-bred cattle, even of the Channel Island breeds, are no 

 more predisposed to tuberculosis than cattle of other breeds, or 



