REPORT OF SF.CRETARY. 27 



VETERINARY SERVICE. 



The Veterinary Department of the Board of Agriculture was estab- 

 lished for the purpose of assisting in the development and protection of 

 the live stock industry of the State. To fulfill this purpose requires two 

 distinct lines of work ; investigation and control of diseases. These are 

 both important but before the Board can know how to control the spread 

 of a disease in the best way the natural cause of that disease must be un- 

 derstood. The Board in the past few years has co-operated with the 

 Experiment Station in the work of investigation of live-stock diseases 

 to the great benefit of the live-stock owners. Especially is this true of 

 the investigation of Texas Fever by Dr. J. W. Connaway, who has been 

 assisted by the funds of the Board. New diseases will break out and 

 the facilities for this work of investigation should be increased until tlicv 

 arc ample to give the live-stock interests the best possible protection. 



In compliance with the provisions of sections 10545-6 of the Revised 

 Statutes, 207 investigations have been made by the veterinarians since 

 January first. One hundred and fifty-three of these cases were diagnosed 

 glanders, two anthrax, nine Texas fever, one rabies and the other 

 forty-two cases were of a less dangerous character, and many of them 

 not contagious. In a great many of these cases more than one animal 

 was afifected, and in all several thousand animals exposed. The prompt 

 action in having these animals destroyed or placed under control, and 

 thereby preventing further danger, has been a great service to the stock 

 owners. 



The increase in the number of cases of glanders has most all been 

 reported from the district of Kansas City. A deputy veterinarian has 

 been appointed who lives in Kansas City, and who can give prompt 

 attention to all tlie cases reported. With the co-operation of the local 

 Board of Health and the enmity court it is thought that the infection 

 there is about stamped out. 



TEXAS FEVER AND LIVE STOCK INSPECTION. 



Notwithstanding the fact that the Texas Fever outbreaks were more" 

 numerous all over the country this year than usual, occasioned, no doubt, 

 by the dry weather and the ground being protected with snow most of 

 the time during the winter, no infested cattle, so far as we can ascer- 

 tain, have been permitted to be shipped or driven from the counties in 

 this State where infection is known to exist. The number of cases in 

 the counties where infection exists has been much greater than in the 



