Commissioner of Agriculture 123 



Several proposed changes in policies and the adoption of new 

 measures were postponed, owing to all the available forces being 

 engaged in the extra duties made necessary by the foot-and-mouth 

 outbreak. We have followed essentially the same course in the 

 control of infectious diseases of animals as in the past, and, as 

 heretofore, bovine tuberculosis has been the most serious disease 

 with which we have had to contend. 



The Com m ission on Bovine Tuberculosis, appointed in 1913 to 

 consider methods for the control and eradication of this disease, 

 submitted their report to the Legislature during the past year. 

 This comprised several recommendations which had been decided 

 upon by the Commission as advisable. These findings were em- 

 bodied in a bill which was introduced in the Legislature of 1915. 

 The changes in the law which the Commission advocated included 

 the adoption of a district system for veterinary control work; a 

 change in the requirement governing the reporting of tuberculin 

 Tests to the Commissioner of Agriculture ; a revision of the methods 

 of appraising animals ; a slight change in the allowance made by the 

 State for animals showing generalized tuberculosis and physical 

 glanders ; the requirements that all skim milk and whey returned 

 from cheese factories, creameries, etc., should be pasteurized ; a 

 provision for the physical examination of all dairy cattle from 

 which milk is used in liquid form ; and a plan for the development 

 of a meat inspection service. 



After tuberculosis, the next most important disease is glanders, 

 or farcy. Its existence is still largely confined to greater New 

 York and the surrounding territory. As a rule, oases occurring 

 in the rural districts are traceable to city horses shipped fom New 

 York and bringing infection with them. This disease, which 

 affects not only the equine race but man as well, appears to be 

 less prevalent in the State than heretofore. In the glanders sup- 

 pression work of 1914, New York City (Greater New York) was 

 placed in quarantine with the object of preventing the removal of 

 animals from the metropolitan district without proper health 

 certificate. Owing to the large number of cases of glanders which 

 are found in New York, it was deemed advisable that the move- 

 ment of equines from that district should be restricted to those 

 which were believed to be healthv. Investigation has shown that 



