BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 129 



ERADICATION OF SCABIES. 



In the work of eradicating sheep scabies in cooperation with State 

 officials, bureau employees made 20,371,965 inspections and super- 

 vised 9,515,720 dipi^ings in the held. The bureau also assisted State 

 authorities in arresting outbreaks of the disease in States where the 

 work is not regularly carried on. In the greater part of the range 

 areas where the disease formerly prevailed it now exists to only a 

 slight extent and in some States not at all. In Oregon there has 

 been an increased spread of the infection, and it is still present ex- 

 tensively in southern Idaho. With the exception of Missouri and 

 one or two other States where a considerable spread of the disease 

 among farm sheep had been noted previously, conditions in the sheep- 

 feeding States were greatly improved during the year. In Iowa 

 particularly the prevalence of the disease was greatly reduced. * 



In continuation of the cooperative eradication of cattle scabies, 

 bureau emploj'ees made 2,925,712 inspections and supervised 1,657,418 

 dippings of cattle in the field. In Ncav Mexico excellent results were 

 obtained and the disease now exists to a slight extent only. In Kan- 

 sas no progress was made toward eradication, while in the western 

 parts of Nebraska and South Dakota and in Colorado, Wyoming, and 

 Montana there was a considerable further spread of the infection. 

 This spread may be ascribed largely to the unusually severe drought 

 in the two last-named States, which, through lack of water for 

 dipping and lack of feed and water for the stock, made a thorough 

 dipping impossible and made it necessary to permit the movement of 

 cattle to other areas. 



Assistance was also given to the State authorities in Colorado and 

 Vermont in measures to eradicate sarcoptic mange of cattle in those 

 States. 



ERADICATION OF DOURINE. 



Efforts to control and eradicate dourine of horses were continued 

 vigorously and very good progress toward the final elimination of 

 this disease was made. Of the Middle and Northwestern States 

 where it had gained a foothold the infection is now known to exist 

 in only two, Montana and South Dakota, and in the latter onlv a few 

 cases were found during the year. In Montana considerable work 

 remains to be done in districts that are very difficult to cover. In 

 Arizona and New Mexico, where the disease has prevailed extensively, 

 satisfactory progress was also made. It is believed that especially 

 in New Mexico the disease is under good control and future progress 

 should be fairly rapid. In Arizona the situation still presents many 

 difficulties, more than half of all the cases found during the year 

 having been reported from that State. In both these States the 

 greater part of the known infection is within various Indian reserva- 

 tions, the animals belonging to tribal Indians. The character and 

 inaccessibility of the country makes effective prosecution of the work 

 exceedingly difficult. Nevertheless the infection has been greatly 

 reduced. State officials and the Indian Office of the Department of 

 the Interior have cooperated .freely with the bureau in this work. 



The bureau continued the practice of paying one-half the ap- 

 praised valuation of infected horses destroyed when they were owned 

 by citizens, such share not to exceed $100 in any one case. The num- 



