304 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



There are other diseases new and strange to us existing in various 

 lands which may or may not be capable of introduction into the United 

 States. There is, for example, the horse sickness of South Africa, a most 

 fatal and unmanageable disease; there is the Angora goat disease; there 

 are various sheep and swine diseases, notably the erysipelas of Europe. 



And finally there is tuberculosis, which is neither new nor strange to 

 us. Tuberculosis is perhaps the worst of all animal diseases, because, 

 like pleuropneumonia, it is a very insidious disease, entering a herd and 

 progressing in it until most of the animals are diseased before its presence 

 is suspected. Like pleuropneumonia again, when once it has entered a 

 herd, it remains there during the existence of the herd unless stringent 

 measures are adopted for its eradication. But its possibilities of danger 

 are far beyond those of pleuropneumonia, because it attacks all species of 

 domesticated animals — horses, cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs. Its greatest 

 ravages are, as you Know, with cattle and hogs. In some countries 40 to 

 50 per cent of the cattle and 3 to 4 per cent of the hogs are affected with 

 it. In this country we have had far less than most other parts of the 

 world, but the disease is increasing in most parts of the United States. 

 This is shown by the federal meat inspection statistics, which since 1895 

 have covered over 30,000,000 head of cattle and 120,000,000 hogs. In 1896 

 the condemnation of cattle carcasses for tuberculosis equalled 407 per 

 million; in 1901 they amounted to 1,285 per million, or three times as 

 many. In 1895 the condemnation of hog carcasses for this disease 

 equalled 29% per million; in 1901 there were 352 per million or nearlv 

 twelve times as many. The inspectors are acting under the same instruc- 

 tions now that they did in 1895; and, making all allowances for the im- 

 provement of the inspection and its extension into smaller houses, where 

 classes of animals are killed that are more likely to be affected, there is 

 no escaping the conclusion that the disease has become much more fre- 

 quent in slaughtered animals. What is the explanation of this fact? 



In various countries the conclusion has been reached, after careful 

 investigation, that tuberculosis was being spread by pure-bred animals 

 purchased to improve the common animals of the country. Has that been 

 the case with us? I know that this seems at first sight an ungrateful 

 suggestion to bring before an association devoted to the production of 

 pure-bred stock, but I believe that you have the strength, intelligence, 

 and honesty to meet it squarely, and to take such measures as are neces- 

 sary to guard against the dissemination of this disease by the cattle 

 which you breed. When the department of agriculture began making 

 tests of the pure-bred cattle coming into the United States from Canada, 

 it found that 24 per cent of them were affected with tuberculosis; and 

 in some of the tests made in Great Britain of cattle that importers desired 

 to purchase, it was found that 50 per cent had the disease. How is it 

 possible to maintain the health of our cattle if we continue to import that 

 kind of breeding stock? 



I present these facts plainly because you are the men who should, 

 above all others, be interested in the welfare of the cattle industry, and 



