No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 417 



We were fortunately prepared to meet the emergency. While the 

 experience is fresh in our minds we should decide on measures that 

 could be safely adopted to handle a similar emergency more ef- 

 ficiently, if possible, in the future. It is not safe to be unprepared 

 for calamities of this kind. Safe and sane measures are hard to 

 promulgate and enforce during the existence of such a plague. In 

 times of peace we should prepare for war. The plan of extermina- 

 tion successfully used in the outbreaks of 1902 and 1908 was adopted 

 in dealing with this one. As soon as the disease was reported to the 

 Board each member favored continuing the work of extermination 

 along the same lines that had been used six years ago. The same 

 general plan was followed by the Bureau of Animal Industry in the 

 twenty states in which the infection was found. 



It was first necessary to locate the diseased herds. Agents were 

 sent out at once to trace suspicious shipments. When a diseased 

 animal was found all the cattle, hogs and sheep on the premises 

 were placed in quarantine. In all cases the diagnosis was confirmed 

 by the state and federal agents. Both representatives were satisfied 

 that the diagnosis was correct. The diseased and exposed cloven- 

 footed animals on the premises were then all appraised at their ac- 

 tual value and arrangements made by digging the burial trenches. 

 In some cases the work was done by the owner of the herd, while in 

 others contractors did it. In either case the expense was borne 

 equally by the federal and state governments. The animals were 

 then killed, covered with one hundred pounds of lime to each one 

 thousand pounds of estimated animal weight and buried in a grave 

 seven feet deep, seven feet wide, and two feet in length for each 

 mature bovine animal. Next the stable was carefully cleaned and 

 disinfected. The owner will not be permitted to re-stock with cloven- 

 footed animals for sixty days from the time the premises were disin- 

 fected. In the meantime a farm to farm inspection will be made 

 within a radius of three miles from the infected herd and each sus- 

 ceptible animal will be examined for any evidence of the disease. 

 During this time the township is held in quarantine and it is neces- 

 sary to obtain a permit to move hay, straw, cattle, sheep, swine or 

 hides. 



In the beginning of the outbreak a quarantine was placed upon 

 the whole State. This precaution appeared necessary for the reason 

 that the disease was so wide-spread. The counties into which no 

 interstate shipments had been made between October first and 

 twenty-fourth were released from quarantine as soon as the records 

 of sales and shipments were traced. A few counties had received 

 such shipments and upon examination the animals were found free 

 from infection. These counties were promptly released from quar- 

 antine by the State, but not by the Bureau of Animal Industry. It 

 was soon considered safe to release certain townships in counties 

 that had considerable infection. The disease was found in twenty- 

 seven counties. Some counties had but one or two diseased herds. 

 The counties that received the most infection were Lebanon, Lan- 

 caster, Berks, Montgomery, York, Bucks and Chester. The farmers 

 in these six counties keep many cattle. It is their custom to pur- 

 chase feeders in the fall and finish them for beef during the winter. 

 Their purchases are usually made at the season of the year when 



27—5—1914 



