No. 6. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE. 387 



of the Western states. Horses coming from such states may at 

 anytime introduce this disease. There is also a great deal of danger 

 with relation to second-hand horses from New York City, for in that 

 city glanders prevails very extensively. The State Live Stock Sani- 

 tary Board has thus far been able to control important outbreaks 

 of glanders before they have gained much headway. In order to do 

 this it is necessary that the Board shall have reports of the early 

 occurrence of this disease. In fact, a recent state law makes it com- 

 pulsory upon owners of animals to report outbreaks of infectious 

 diseases that may exist and be of serious damage to a community. 



The mule can be raised at less expense and less risk than the 

 horse. The demand for him being just as great and at a better price, 

 no one need fear overstocking the market with good heavy mules. 



Pennsylvania continues to import from other states, chiefly from 

 Ohio and New York, about 15,000 dairy cows every year. The 

 $600,000 that is paid for these cows might be had by farmers in 

 parts of Pennsylvania that are admirably adapted to the rearing 

 of cattle, and where the dairy industry is now highly developed. 

 I have discovered where milk shipping comes into vogue in a com- 

 munity, all other branches of agriculture have a tendency to decline 

 until finally the sole income of the farm is derived from the sale of 

 milk. Nothing is grown excepting for the use of the cow stable, and 

 even the cows themselves, and often times the butter used in the 

 farm house, is purchased. 



Such a state of affairs tends to make farm life less attractive than 

 when there is a greater diversity of interest, and in districts where 

 this system prevails there appears to be an increasing tendency to 

 turn the farm over to tenants. The addition of swine, poultry, a 

 small flock of sheep, a colt or two all tend to create interest and the 

 result is more satisfactory to those thus engaged. 



The diseases that have long been in the State have continued to 

 prevail, although to a less extent than formerly. Abortion of cows 

 is a disease that is causing very great losses in breeding herds, and 

 for which there should be a better means of controlling. The State 

 Live Stock Sanitary Board is anxious to take up the study of this 

 disease and also of calf cholera, a very fatal and destructive malady. 

 At present, however, the full resources of the, Board, so far as they 

 arc available for investigation, are being devoted to the development 

 of vaccination against tuberculosis. 



Great success is attending this work, and already vaccination is 

 being used under the direction of the State Live Stock Sanitary Board 

 in a number of important breeding herds. The plan is to make this 

 process generally available just as soon as sufficient knowledge is at 

 hand to show to what extent it may be relied upon under different 

 systems of herd management. Loss in Pennsylvania the last year 

 from disease is two per cent. The Federal Meat Inspection Statis- 

 tics, which cover about 0,000,000 cattle a year, show that the con- 

 demnations on account of tuberculosis are increasing from year to 

 year at a rate that must cause anxiety to every one interested in 

 American agriculture. 



An official report declares that for years to come there will be 

 more mone}' in sheep than in any other agricultural product and 

 that the Pennsylvania farmer is in position to profit by this condi- 

 tion. The reason why sheep raising is to be found so profitable is 



