488 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



without t'xpeiiHe to the owiiern. AiiKJiig the cattle sent to the station for this pur- 

 pose the following breeds maybe mentioned: Polled Durham, Hereford, Shorthorn, 

 Red Poll, Jersey, grade Hereford and Shorthorn, and grade Hereford and Holstein. 

 About 50 cattle were artificially immunized by blood inoculation and all i)assed 

 through the 60-day period during which they were under observation without any 

 mishap or without the necessity of medical treatment. The blood used in inocula- 

 tions was from a steer imported from Missouri which had previously passed through 

 an attack of fever. All the animals passed through a primary and secondary attack 

 of fever. It is considered that the best time for inoculation is in the late fall or 

 winter, for the reason that when the animals are turned out to pasture for the first 

 time after immunization the ti(;ks will not be numerous enough to cause a relapse. 

 The author believes that the operation of blood inoculation is so simple that it can 

 be successfully carried out by practical stockmen without the assistance of a trained 

 veterinarian. All of the cattle which were inoculated at the experiment station 

 were later shipped to their respective owners in different parts of the State and were 

 placed on tick-infested pastures. A few of these animals had relapses and some 

 died, but the history of the different cases indicates that the relapses and deaths 

 could largely have Ijeeu prevented by careful attention to the animals when they 

 were first turned out to pasture. Rec'ently inoculated animals should not be turned 

 into pastures where the ticks are exceedingly numerous for the reason that an exces- 

 sive infestation of ticks may overcome the partial immunity w'hich is already pro- 

 duced in the animals. 



An outbreak of anthrax occurred in 1900 on the experiment station grounds. A 

 cow died rather suddenly from the disease and the carcass was thoroughly burned. 

 The remainder of the cattle on the i>asture were changed to other grazing ground 

 and later were inoculated with the first and second lymph of anthrax vaccine. Al)Out 

 a month after the outl)reak of anthrax the vaccinated cattle were turned on the pas- 

 . ture where the first case occurred, but no further cases of the disease were noticed. 

 One mule and one horse became affected and died. It is believed that the infection 

 which caused this outbreak came from a bull which died in a neighboring farm 3 

 or 4 weeks before the outbreak on the station grounds occurred. Anthrax was not 

 so i)revalent during 1900 as during the 2 or 3 previous years, and it is believed that 

 this was due to greater sanitary precautions being taken by stock owners throughout 

 the State. Several outbreaks of blackleg occurred and were reported to the station. 

 Inoculation with blackleg vaccine was recommended and the S]>read of the di.sease 

 was (-becked. A serious outbreak of glanders occurred as a result of the importation 

 of diseased animals from Kansas City. Of 223 animals which were inspected, 39 were 

 found to liave glamlers. Of these, 11 died and 28 were killed on account of clinical 

 symptoms of glanders or after reacting to the mallein test. It is stated that there is 

 no law in Louisiana requiring shi])pers to give any guarantee as to the healthfulness 

 of horses and mules whi(;h are shippeil in from other States. It is urged that a law 

 be passed by which the stock owners of the State may he protected against unscru- 

 pulous stock dealers who migiit otherwise ship in glanderous horses and nmles. A 

 nervous disease of cattle, characterized l)y trembling of the head, neck, and other 

 portions of the body, was investigated, and tlie author believes that the disease was 

 due to slight poisoning from eating unwlujlesome weeds. All cases recovered, the 

 treatments recommended including a change of grazing ground, purgation witli 

 Epsom salts, and administration of bromid of potash. 



A disease is reported among cattle as due to eating rotten sweet potatoes. Tlie 

 chief symptoms were difficulty of respiration and groaning. The sweet potatoes 

 were probably affected with the black-rot fungus. Brief notes are given on the 

 nodular disease of the intestines of sheep. This disease is reported as prevailing 

 throughout the State, and it is stated that experiments are in progress which are 

 designed to discover means for eradicating it from pastures so far as possible. 



