20G ANNUAL EEPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



LIP-AND-LEG ULCERATION OF SHEEP. 



The form of necrobacillosis loiown as lip-and-leg ulceration of 

 sheep, which appeared in Wj-oming about two years ago and became 

 so threatening as to necessitate a federal quarantine in the early part 

 of the past fiscal year, has fortunately become much less prevalent 

 under the quarantine and methods of treatment carried out under the 

 direction and cooperation of federal and state officers, aided, perhaps, 

 by the drought of the past season. This disease appeared in a very 

 malignant form over a large part of Wyoming and Montana, and it 

 was necessary, before progress could be made in controlling it, to 

 study more closely its nature and to work out methods of treatment. 

 During the fall, winter, and spring three meetings were held at which 

 officers of the Bureau conferred with officers and sheep owners of the 

 aifected States to discuss the situation and consider means of dealing 

 with it. A circular describing the disease and recommending methods 

 of treatment was issued in the spring and has been widely circulated 

 in the affected region. Ten veterinarians of the Bureau's staff were 

 stationed in different parts of Wyoming to observe the disease and to 

 instruct and assist the flock masters in the best methods of treatment 

 and in the disinfection of infected premises. ^Vliere care was exer- 

 cised in administering the treatment and in disinfecting the premises 

 the disease either disappeared or was greatly reduced. About one- 

 fourth of the area placed under quarantine in the early part of the 

 fiscal year was recently released, and the number of cases of the dis- 

 ease in the territory remaining in quarantine has been reduced about 

 50 or 75 per cent. 



It has been thoroughly demonstrated that this disease can be con- 

 trolled by methods such as have been adopted, although the 

 malignant form is persistent, and very careful and thorough treat- 

 ment is necessary. Numerous instances were found where flocks had 

 become infected by being permitted to trail over ranges where dis- 

 eased sheep had been and to drink at water holes where such sheep 

 had watered. These instances, considered in connection with scien- 

 tific experiments made by the Bureau, show beyond question that the 

 disease is of a contagious nature. While the majority of cases are of 

 a mild type affecting only the lips, it seems that under certain condi- 

 tions, which are not at present understood, this type may develop 

 into the more severe form. In order to stamp out the disease, it is 

 therefore necessary to treat the mild as well as the malignant form. 



SCABIES or SHEEP AND CATTLE. 



The eradication of scabies of sheep in the West has progressed so 

 well that during the fiscal year areas aggregating 390,000 square 

 miles were released from quarantine and the disease was greatly 

 reduced in the territory remaining under quarantine. 



During the fiscal year, owing to the continued increase of scabies 

 in sheep in the State of Kentucky, the entire State was placed under 

 federal quarantine. On account of the absence of an efficient state 

 law under which the Bureau could cooperate, no active work in the 

 eradication of the disease has been done. However, at the last ses- 

 sion of the Kentucky legislature an act was passed providing for 

 the appointment of a state live-stock sanitary board with power to 



