106 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



herds in 27 counties in Pennsylvania since that time. Infection was 

 carried from the stockj^ards in Chicago through Pittsburgh and Lan- 

 caster to various places in Pennsylvania in a period of less than two 

 weeks. Five days previous to October 24th we were notified that the 

 disease had been diagnosed in two counties in southern Michigan 

 and two others in northern Indiana. In the meantime our cattle 

 shippers, commission men and over eight hundred veterinarians 

 had been warned that the disease had been found in this country 

 and that all should be on the lookout for symptoms of Aphthous 

 Fever. In many cases infected herds were located and quarantined 

 before suspicious symptoms had been found. Seven administration 

 districts were established in the infected territory with head office 

 at Harrisburg. Each district was in charge of an experienced agent 

 of the federal and state government. The federal inspectors were 

 appointed agents of the State Livestock Sanitary Board and cards 

 of identification were issued to each so he could work under the 

 State law. About one hundred trained veterinarians were employed 

 by the federal and state governments. The work, expense, and 

 responsibility were shared about equally by each. The work of 

 locating and exterminating the disease was made easy from the 

 first by the mutual co-operation of commission men, dealers, rail- 

 roads, herd owners, local veterinarians, and the experienced officials 

 in charge. The first class helped greatly by furnishing free access 

 to records of shipments and sales. In many cases the disease was 

 recognized and reported by the owner. 



This outbreak has been the worst calamity to our stock raising 

 industry that has ever occurred in Pennsylvania or in North 

 America. It was forced upon us with practically no warning and 

 came in the nature of a flood, earthquake or monstrous conflagration. 

 Something of the extent of the disease in this country will be ob- 

 tained from the following table, which was submitted by the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry: 



