496 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



exhibiliiiii in this State, with about oue hundred horses. 

 When in Ashburnhara, our Board was notified of the num- 

 ber of horses belonging to the concern, and that glanders 

 was among them. The veterinarian of the Board visited the 

 place, but was unable to find a case of the disease, or the 

 full number of reported horses. About the 20th of the 

 month we were again notified of its being at Attleborough, 

 and that glanders existed in the stock. A visit proved the 

 fact, and seven animals were condemned and killed. Sub- 

 sequent examinations were made when the exhibition was 

 made at Franklin and at Great Barrington, but no disease 

 was found, though animals were missing. This establish- 

 ment, like others of its kind, travelled from place to place 

 in rail cars of its own, and fed and watered all its animals 

 on its exhibition grounds, but yet, if diseased, it was a 

 source of danger to the public, in consequence of its street 

 parades. Our experience with this concern should be a 

 warning to municipal officers, leading them to refuse licenses 

 to all similar affairs for exhibition, until they know that their 

 stock is free from disease. 



The Legislature of 1884 passed an act in May, increasing 

 the duties of this Board, by requiring us to make an inves- 

 tigation in relation to the prevalence, cause and cure of 

 abortion in cows. Early in July we prepared a circular 

 which, after citing the law, was as follows : — 



" Knowing you to be personally interested in every effort to promote 

 the interests of the farming community and the general public, we most 

 earnestly ask your aid and co-operation in the assigned work, by report- 

 ing to us all cases of abortion which occur among the stock of your 

 vicinity which are not the result of injury, that some member of our 

 Board, or some expert employed by us, may visit the locality and make 

 a minute examination of the same. We also request you to send us 

 any facts or statistics in your possession, or which you can obtain, show- 

 in o- the extent to which the disease has prevailed during the last two or 

 three years, and the probable annual loss thereby in the value of the 

 stock and its products." 



A copy of the circular was sent to each member of the 

 Board of Agriculture, to the officers of all the agricultural 

 societies, and to leading stock breeders of the State ; but to 

 date no reply has been received or case reported. Cases of 



