No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 671 



to a herd of eighteen cattle, founded twenty-five years ago without 

 regard to expense. When the herd was established there were 

 placed in it imported cows costing as much as a thousand dollars 

 apiece. The herd has taken high rank in competitive exhibits in 

 large State fairs. This herd became infected with tuberculosis by 

 the accidental purchase of a tubercular animal a number of years 

 ago. Tuberculosis was known to exist, but it thought it could be 

 gotten rid of by mild measures. A cow when suspected to be tuber- 

 culous was taken away and afterwards killed. Unfortunately in 

 this disease an animal may be infected suflSciently to spread the dis- 

 ease without showing well marked symptoms. As an illustration 

 of this I might refer to an instance two years ago at the Livestock 

 Show in Chicago, when there was a class of about thirty fat steers 

 and individual bullocks competing for fat steers. They were the 

 best individual bullocks in this country that j^ear. Among them 

 from Ohio was "Best on Earth," a steer which had taken many first 

 prizes and in this very hot competition in Chicago he succeeded in 

 winning second prize. Afterwards there was a block test and the 

 winners were killed, and it was found that this steer was riddled 

 with tuberculosis. I mention this to show the care that must be 

 exercised if tuberculosis is to be got out of herds. 



The herd to which I have referred Avas built up with much care 

 but became infected with tuberculosis. Effective measures were 

 not taken and during the summer four cows died of tuberculosis. 

 They became so much run down that they were killed in order to 

 save their lives, as it were. The owner was advised to keep some 

 of the cattle for the purpose of rearing calves and saving the blood 

 lines but he didn't care to do that. The animals were killed and 

 the extent of the disease was everywhere most astonishing. Some 

 of them showed the disease during life. A number were in run 

 down condition. Others were in perfect health apparently, but all 

 were infected with tuberculosis. The owner is going to start an- 

 other herd and keep it free from tuberculosis. Many hundreds of 

 breeders have lost their interest in herds on account of this in- 

 sidious disease. There can be no doubt that the annual loss from 

 this disease amounts to several million. 



Anthrax has also caused enormous losses. There are farms in 

 this State where the rearing of cattle is impossible without A'accina- 

 tion. 



The most brilliant illustration of the relation of veterinary 

 sciences to dairy progress is in connection with the prevention and 

 treatment of milk fever. This is a disease of the best dairy cows 

 and an inspection of the books of famous herds of the Jerseys, Hol- 

 . steins and Guernseys would show a large proportion of these cows 

 dead of milk fever. The loss has not been merely the loss of the 

 animals but of the blood lines. 



There is also the danger of impoverishing cows. The best- that 

 is in a cow sometimes cannot be brought out for fear of the danger 

 of milk fever. The cows are allowed to get into a low state before 

 calving. Through the studies of a Danish investigator a cure has 

 been found for this disease, and one which is successful in about 

 ninety-eight per cent, of the cases. The mortality of this disease 

 a few years ago was as high as 50 to 75 per cent. 



Another disease is calf cholera. I have known of this disease to 



