91 



found. These figures include a quarterly retest of three dairies 

 which contained no less than 35 reactors when previously tested, 

 while on this occasion only one was found. This certainly looks 

 promising for the early suppression of the disease in the Hilo 

 district, after which it is to be hoped that some arrangement can 

 be made that will allow Dr. Elliot to extend the work to the entire 

 island. 



Both Drs. Fitzgerald and Glaisyer report the testing of various 

 herds and while perhaps in a less systematic way than Dr. Elliot, 

 still every reactor located and branded is one center of infection 

 less to deal with when system has been established. 



The annual report (1914) of the U. S. Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry has been received and shows that the work of eradicating 

 bovine tuberculosis in the District of Columbia has reached al- 

 most exactly the same stage as our own work, that is, their last 

 complete test gave 2.03 per cent of reactors, while ours gave 2.08 

 per cent. But while the District of Columbia herds aggregated 

 only 1628 animals (33 reactors), we dealt with nearly 7250 head 

 (151 reactors), and while the District of Columbia paid respec- 

 tively 50, 75 and 100 per cent indemnity for badly diseased, slight- 

 ly diseased and doubtfully diseased animals, we paid none. The 

 work was begun in both places almost at the same time (1910), 

 and similar to our extending it to the other islands so is the bureau 

 gradually taking in the surrounding parts of Virginia and Mary- 

 land in gradually widening circles, they having last year tested 

 5779 cattle in Virginia (3.49 per cent reactors) and 1155 head 

 in Maryland (3.64 per cent reactors). 



CEREBRO SPINAL MENINGITIS OR FORAGE POISONING. 



A rather severe outbreak of this disease has occurred in one 

 of the plantation stables on this island, nine valuable animals (7 

 mules and 2 horses) dying in the course of a few days. In this 

 connection the same federal report states that, though a number 

 of large outbreaks have occurred in seven different States and 

 the disease has been under constant observation and investigation, 

 nothing more is known today about its nature, cause, treatment 

 or prevention than was known years ago, and that is nil. There 

 is no other disease before which the live stock sanitarian of today 

 stands so absolutely helpless ; there is nothing he can suggest 

 beyond the most elementary precautions such as change of feed, 

 pure water and general cleaning up and disinfecting of the prem- 

 ises. Even the expert of the Rockefeller Institute, the very man 

 who solved the mystery of infantile paralysis, has failed to get 

 one step nearer to the etiology of this fatal disease, which, so far 

 as this Territory is concerned, remains the only serious menace 

 to horse stock since glanders was eradicated. Every effort even 

 to produce the disease, to transmit it from one animal to another, 



