78 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



through an effective organization has been well exemplified. With 

 neighlioihootl .standards of sanitation for farm buildings rising, with a 

 neighborhood conscience quickened to the point of acting for what is 

 beneficial to the gronii. including a sacrifice of personal convenience or 

 temporary personal interests when necessary, the man who is careless of 

 his premises, who would conceal infection rather than report it and get 

 rid of it, and who thereby becomes a source of danger to the community, 

 is no longer tolerated by his neighbors. Furthermore, as the control of 

 the disease conies to be regarded as a community interest, the commun- 

 ity assumes a share of the expense of the treatment as is shown in two 

 or three counties where serum has been furnished by the township to be 

 used as the agent may direct and Avithont any charge to the farmers. 



As a result of the persistent organized efforts to control hog cholera 

 during the season of 1915 in the four sourthern counties where losses had 

 been greatest in preceding years, the reports of the agents show that 

 hogs approximating in value |1')0,000 were saved to the farmers of these 

 counties. In regard to hog cholera since January 1, 191G three counties 

 report some inspection and disinfection carried on merely as precaution- 

 ar}' measures, no cholera having occurred this year in either county. In 

 a fourth county there has been one outbreak traceable to manure drawn 

 from stock cars. Of the four southern counties above mentioned two re- 

 I)ort six outbreaks each; from one comes a report of sources of infection 

 as follows: carried over from previous years, three, (one of these was 

 spread by flood conditions) ; hogs brought in from adjoining county to a 

 local slaughter house, one; carried to farm by stock cars on railroad 

 passing farm, one; from feeding garbage, one. In the third county a 

 systematic campaign for the control of cholera has been carried forward 

 all year; although many suspicious cases have been reported only a few 

 of these have been found to be cholera. In the fourth county reporting, 

 not a single case is noAv known to exist. 



The most encouraging feature of all this season's work is the fact that 

 in not a single instance has any spread of tlie disease been found. 



The cooperating parties in the control of this disease are the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, tlie 

 State Live Stock Sanitary Commission, the Farm Bureaus and Agricul- 

 tural Agents of the counties. 



The only other disease that has claimed enough attentiftn to be noted 

 has been tuberculosis. At tlie conference of the county agricuUui'al 

 agents at the ('ollege February 2S, one session was given largely Lo the 

 consideration of the relation of the County Agent to the use of the tuber- 

 culin test. A committee was appointed to formulate a policy in regard 

 to this and the report of that committee was adopted by the agents. In 

 brief it seemed to be the con.sensus of opinion of the men present that 

 the agent's attitude in regard to the use of the tuberculin test should be 

 largely an educational one and that the consideration of the common 

 good should be the basis of his activities in this respect. He should try 

 to secure the cooperation of the veterinarians of his county in an organ- 

 ized effort to control or eradicate bovine tuberculosis. Experience shows 

 that as a rule the veterinarians are willing to cooperate with the agents 

 in this important work. Where they are not, it was believed that the 

 good of the community and of the county should be the first considera- 



