352 



it must be admitted that there is not a dairyman in the district 

 who has not signified his wilhngness to "do the right thing" to co- 

 operate with this Board in its effort to eradicate bovine tubercu- 

 losis — only there are some who want to do it in their own way 

 and at their own time and convenience. And in the meantinie 

 we see fresh cases of infection developing in these "retained re- 

 actor" herds at an amazing rate, the number of reactors doubling 

 and even trebling between two tests, only a few months apart. 



Segregation by wire fence, whether single or double and 

 whether twenty or fifty feet apart, can no longer be accepted as 

 safe, at least not in this climate where the infected manure dries 

 quickly, is trampled to dust and scattered by the winds at least 

 during 75 per cent of the days of the year. 



Take as an example a case encountered during the past month — 

 a lady owning three dairy cows all of which have been raised on 

 the premises and all of which had passed the tuberculin test four 

 times, the last time in April of this year. These cows were sent 

 to a pasture for a period of about three months, while dry, there 

 being supposedly no reactors or untested animals in the same en- 

 closure. A few months after coming home fresh one of the cows 

 developed a suspicious cough and the owner requested that the 

 animals be retested. Two of them reacted and both were found 

 upon post mortem examination to exhibit fresh tubercular lesions 

 in cervical and thoracic lymph glands and one of them, the cough- 

 ing one, in the lung tissue also. That these animals had come in 

 contact with tubercular cattle during their absence from home 

 cannot be doubted, but where and how the infection reached them 

 could not be determined after the lapse of nearly half a year. 

 But it is safe to conclude that unless retained reactors or untested 

 tubercular animals were in the neighborhood, or else that the in- 

 fection was carried to them by either wind-blown dust or drink- 

 ing water, they certainly could not have contracted the disease. 



A far stronger proof, however, of the danger of spreading the 

 disease by means of the retained reactor will be found in the fol- 

 lowing figures: An aggregate of 3000 tuberculin tests have 

 been made during the present August to November test. About 

 300 of these injections were made on premises where previous 

 reactors have been retained for shorter or longer periods before 

 l)eing slaughtered. Of this minil)fr not less than 30 reacted, in- 

 cluding a number of calves and lu-ifcrs. Among the remaining 

 2500 head, all ou premises wIktc- rcaclnrs arc destroNcd without 

 delay. f)nly eleven reactors were found, or 0.44 of one per cent 

 as compared to nearly eight ])er cent. If this docs not prove 

 the retained reactor to he an expensive luxury, it at least demon- 

 strates the ease with which the infection is spread, as all ordi- 

 nary precautions against this are supposed to have been taken in 

 every case. When it is further considered that beef prices at 

 the present time are very high an ordinary milk cow in fairly 



