No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 431 



cases of disease excrete infinitely more germs than light cases, 

 hence the adA'anced cases constitute the greatest menace to the live 

 slock industry and the public health. For the purpose of discover- 

 ing and extirpating these particularly dangerous animals, a sys- 

 tematic inspection of dairy herds is necessary, I have been loth to 

 recommend such an inspection, because I know how unpopular the 

 idea of inspection is. It should be remembered, however, that it 

 is not fair to the careful, clean dairyman to have to compete in the 

 market with a man who has no pride in his work, or regard for the 

 quality or wholesomeness of his product. And it is unfair to permit 

 the worst managed herds to reach such a degraded state as to cast 

 reflection on the whole milk supply. I feel that unbiased consider- 

 ation of this suggestion must lead to the conclusion that objections 

 to it are based chiefly on sentimental grounds. 



Remember that it is not proposed to use the tuberculin test in 

 connection with this inspection, unless it should be necessary to do 

 so to remove doubt in relation to the condition of individual animals. 

 To propose to test all herds with tuberculin would be absurd, and 

 such a suggestion could not be made by any one who knows what he 

 is talking about. 



If such an inspection is provided for, the inspectors should, and 

 no doubt would, feel that they are selected to aid, and not to 

 oppress; to assist, and not to hamper; to co-operate, and not to op- 

 pose. It would — and I speak advisedly, and from long experience — 

 be in the rarest case that the inspector would have to make the 

 least show of authority. Such inspectors would be of great value 

 to dairymen as peripatetic advisors in relation to the control of 

 other diseases of importance, as abortion, calf cholera, infectious 

 gargets, etc., and in relation to general questions of animal, stable 

 and milk hygiene. 



In New York State, there are a dozen or more dairy inspectors 

 appointed by the city of New York, and a project is being consid- 

 ered to increase this corps to nearly one hundred. Such inspectors, 

 appointed and paid by a city, have in mind, first and foremost, the 

 interests of the city. The farmer is not helped by such men — unless 

 most incidentally — and, indeed, one could scarcely expect appointees 

 of Tammany Hall to be able to render much help to farmers, if they 

 would. 



If there is to be such an inspection, it should not be conducted 

 by the cities, but by a department of the State government that is 

 affiliated with the agricultural interests of the State, so that it will 

 be with, and not against, the best agricultural sentiment. But, of 

 course, the organization must be of such character that it will meet 

 the very proper and growing sentiment in cities for a purer and more 

 wholesome milk supply-. 



There are numerous other subjects that I might report to you, 

 but I esteem this to be one of such importance that I wish not to 

 obscure it by other topics. Moreover, I wish to be brief now, because 

 I am on the program for another paper at another session. I hope 

 this subject will receive careful consideration at the hands of this 

 representative body. 



A Member: Has there been any attempt made to vaccinate 

 calves? 



