128 Twenty-Second Annual Eepokt of the 



sidered necessary to limit placing such herds to State or county 

 institutions. This applies only when cattle are the property of 

 the State. Owners are allowed to keep their own animals if 

 they so desire, providing they.'comply with the regulations advised 

 by this Department for such keeping. The Bureau has endeavored 

 to impress upon the custodians of animals the possibilities of the 

 Bang system, particularly the advisability of raising calves from 

 the diseased ancestors and thus replacing the tuberculous herd 

 with healthy individuals. One serious obstacle to the practical 

 application of this method of controlling the disease is the diffi- 

 culty of compliance with the laws and regulations of State and 

 various municipal authorities. The objections on the part of the 

 consuming public to products of such animals, even if pasteurized, 

 is a serious handicap. 



Unfortunately, since the pasteurization system has come into 

 quite general use there seems to be less tendency on the part of the 

 consumer to question the source of his milk supply. While pas- 

 teurization may be a safeguard against diseases which may be dis- 

 tributed through milk, it does not reach the source of evil nor in 

 any way tend to eradicate disease in the dairy herd. In other 

 words, the present tendency seems to be to consider the product 

 rather than the producing factor. At the same time, the question 

 as to the efficiency of so-called commercial pasteurization leaves a 

 possible chance of infection being distributed. Since pasteuriza- 

 tion contemplates the conversion of otherwise pathogenic milk to 

 a wholesome product, it would seem that eventually the product 

 of the tuberculous animal in good physical condition will come to 

 be used without some of the restrictions now imposed. The objec- 

 tions raised by the consumer to such milk can hardly be con- 

 sidered logical, since milk at the present time is frequently pro- 

 duced under conditions which are decidedly more questionable as 

 regards disease and sanitation. 



In connection with the proposed changes in the Agricultural 

 Law already referred to, it might be well again to call attention 

 to suggestions made in previous reports concerning the use of 

 animals that have reacted to the tuberculin test but are in appar- 

 ently good physical condition. At the present time the statute 

 places all animals that have reacted to the tuberculin test in one 



