Klil'OKT OF SI£CKETAKY. 31 



CONTROL WORK. 



According- to the custom of the Veterinary Department ditring- the 

 past, an attempt has been made to control all outbreaks of contagious dis- 

 eases among the domestic animals and to eradicate the disease from the 

 vicinity in which it existed, as promptly as possible. The letters from 

 veterinarians of the State and petitions from freeholders, giving notices 

 of outbreaks of contagious diseases, have all been answered with as much 

 dispatch as possible. The increased traffic in horses the past few years 

 lias resulted in an unusual number of outbreaks of glanders. The ship- 

 ping in of stock cattle to take the place of cattle which were shipped out 

 during the drouth has resulted in the introduction of tick fever into locali- 

 ties in this State in which the disease has probably never existed before. 

 There were two outbreaks of anthrax in the State during the year, and the 

 source of the infection has never been known. All of the outbreaks of 

 glanders and anthrax have been promptly controlled and the infection 

 eradicated. All of the outbreaks of tick fever, except in the permanently 

 infested area in South Missouri, have been controlled and the infection 

 eradicated. 



HOG AND SHEEP DISEASES. 



Up to the present time no aggressive effort has been made to control 

 the outbreaks of contagious diseases of hogs and sheep. The princ'pal 

 diseases of these animals, which we may expect to find in this State, are 

 hog cholera and sheep scab. Neither of these diseases has any extensive 

 foothold in the State, and at present, although hog cholera is spreading 

 rapidly, I believe that both can be eradicated from the State entirely if 

 an aggressive fight is made immediately. 



During the past two years, through the courtesy of the United States 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, our Department has been furnished prompt 

 notices of the receipt at any of the stock yards of any hogs affected with 

 hog cholera or sheep affected with scab. The notice gives the name of 

 the shipper, the place from which the stock was shipped, the date of ship- 

 m.ent and the route and number of car on which shipment was made. This 

 information is sufficient to enable the State Veterinarian to make a thor- 

 ough investigation. We have tried to give the necessary attention to these 

 outbreaks, but have not had a sufficient force of veterinarians to do it. If 

 there were enough deputy veterinarians over the State, one could be sent 

 to the point of origin of each car of infected stock to control the outbreak 

 and advise the proper modes of disinfection. By selecting deputies in the 



