288 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ignorant street-boy, and disappeared. The boy, after enjoy- 

 ing the pleasure of horse-ownership for one day, turned him 

 loose to wander through the streets and yards of the village, 

 to drink at the public watering-troughs, and expose the many 

 horses being used on the highway. The selectmen of the 

 town were notified of the case, but, through some mistake 

 or misapprehension, failed to look after it as the exigency 

 required ; and one of the Commissioners visited the town, 

 and ordered the animal killed and buried at the expense of 

 the State. 



The attention of the Commissioners was also called by 

 the proper town-officers to cases in Greenwich Village and 

 Ipswich, and they were speedily disposed of by killing 

 the infected animals. In this connection we would call the 

 attention of the Legislature to certain enactments to prevent 

 the spread of contagious diseases among cattle, and theii' 

 application to the disease Jiere spoken of. Sect. 1 of chap. 

 219 of the Acts of 1860 makes it the duty of the select- 

 men of towns, and the mayor and aldermen of cities, " in 

 case of the existence in this Commonwealth of the disease 

 called ' pleuro-pneumonia,' or any other contagious disease 

 among cattle, to cause the cattle in their respective towns 

 and cities, which have been infected, or exposed to infection, 

 to be collected or secured in some suitable place or places in 

 such city or town, and kept isolated, and, when taken from 

 the possession of their owners, to be maintained, — one-fifth 

 of the expense thereof to be paid by the town or city where- 

 in the animal is kept, and four-fifths at the expense of the 

 Commonwealth." 



Sect. 2 provides that "said selectmen, and mayor and 

 aldermen, — when any such animal is adjudged, by a veteri- 

 nary surgeon or physician by them selected, to be infected 

 with pleuro-pneumonia or any other contagious disease, — 

 may, in their discretion, order such diseased animal to be 

 forthwith killed and buried at the expense of such town or 

 city." Sect. 3 provides that " said selectmen, and mayor and 

 aldermen, shall cause all cattle which they shall so order to 

 be killed to be appraised by three competent disinterested 

 men, under oath, at the value thereof at the time of the 

 appraisal ; and the amount of the appraisal shall be paid as 

 provided in the first section." That is, one-fifth of the 



