EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART V. 223 



cates that concerns aside from the larger houses were able to con- 

 sume that kind of stock without decrease in price. I think it is 

 unfortunate, however, that that condition exists, and I hope it may 

 be remedied by government inspection. If some of the stock could 

 be inspected it would trace the disease back to the producer and the 

 burden of loss placed on the man who furnished diseased stock. 

 That, of course would be incentive to each man w^hose herd is 

 infected to clean up his herd and reduce the loss as much as pos- 

 sible. 



There is one suggestion which Governor Packard made in the 

 form of a question which I think we are not ready for yet ; in fact, 

 I doubt if it would be a wise or successful policy — that is as to the 

 state veterinarian or other veterinarians inspecting and testing a 

 suspected herd and condemning all the animals. That would be 

 the policy of wholesale slaughter undertaken in other states with 

 great loss. I think a more rational and conservative policy should 

 be adopted. It is well known that a good many of the reacting 

 animals are not so badly diseased as to in any way impair the value 

 of their carcass for meat, and where the test is applied the owTier 

 ought to have the privilege of selling subject to post-mortem 

 examination. Then the animals, although reacting, if found to be 

 in such condition as not to render the carcass unfit for food, could 

 be disposed of for full value. It is also well known now that 

 tuberculosis is not a hereditary disease, and that the offspring of 

 animals that are infected with tuberculosis may, by means of isola- 

 tion, be raised free from the disease. This is important, of course, 

 in case of valuable breeding herds where animals reacting can be 

 kept separate and the offspring kept separate and raised to a healthy 

 and sound condition. I think a large part of the disease as it 

 exists in this and other states is undoubtedly traceable to disease 

 existing in cattle fed on the same farm or through the milk as it 

 comes from the creamery. This, of course, is a means of distribut- 

 ing the disease. We conducted an experiment at Ames the past 

 year in which it was conclusively demonstrated that milk is a means 

 of transmitting the disease and that tuberculosis is readily com- 

 municable through disease. There was a law passed in this state 

 a year ago last winter requiring that all skim milk and buttermilk 

 be returned from the creamery be Pasteurized. And I understand 

 from ^Ir. "Wright that this law is quite generally observed. I think 

 it is an important measure and one that ought to be fully and care- 

 fully observed, for undoubtedly that is one of the most common 

 means of distributins- the disease, from the fact that tuberculosis 



