No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 239 



It should be renicmboicMl (hat llieie i.s no specific iiio<licine that 

 will ciiie contagious abortion. Tlieie are many patent medicines 

 on the market and in many cases their merits have been over-esti- 

 mated I'rom the lact that natural immunity has been the cau.se while 

 the medicine received the credit. In certain cases good has been 

 accomplished l)y Ihe use oT advertised treatments lor the reason 

 that isolation and sensible advice has accompanied the use of the 

 medicine. Recently considerable attention has been given to the use 

 of medicated methylene blue. This treatment has been tried exten- 

 sively under the (lirection ot the State Livestock Sanitary Board. 

 Some breeders have reported good results from its use but it is be- 

 lieved that in most case.g this is due to a mistaken idea as numei'ous 

 cases have been observed where equall}' as good results were obtained 

 with as without this treatment. The carbolic acid treatment has been 

 advocated more extensively than the medicated methylene blue, and 

 some good observei-s have ascribed some benefit to this remedy when 

 used either subcutaueously or by the mouth. In 1905 the English 

 Board of Agriculture appointed a Commission to make a special 

 study ot this disease and among other treatments carbolic acid was 

 given a trial. The report of this Commission shows no benefit de- 

 rived from the treatment, and this is the concensus of opinion among 

 those best qualified to judge. 



The danger of transmitting the disea.se from the bull is not so 

 great as at one time was believed, yet in exterminating the dis- 

 ease from a herd it is necessary to give consideration to the male 

 as well as to the female. Ko syraptoms are usually observed in the 

 bull yet he is likely to transmit it. It has been decided that clipping 

 the hairs around the prepuce and using the same injections as recom- 

 mended for the cow is advisable. This should be done especially 

 where bulls are used in more herds than one, or in other herds 

 that are not known to be free from disease. 



In considering the subject of infectious abortion, special attention 

 has been given to the disease in cattle for the reason that it is of 

 much more economic importance in this species. It should be re- 

 membered that a form of infectious abortion may be found in nearly 

 all species of domestic animals and when this occurs the prevention 

 and treatment recommended for cattle will apply equally as well to 

 others. 



ADDRESS 



By ROBERT S. SEEDS, Birmingham, Pa. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladles and Gentlemen: I want to say to 



Brother Campbell that I Avant to thank him from the bottom 



of my heart for the welcome he has given us coming into this county. 



1 have traveled v>itli him and know bim well, and know his county, 



and I assure you, my dear friends, that the longer I live and the 



