Commissioner of Agriculture 149 



swamp fever or infectious anemia 



This disease was reported from northeastern New York in 1914, 

 and is still causing more or less loss in equine animals in that 

 district. 



Quarantine was placed upon an area which was expected to 

 surround the infection and permanent removal of horses from that 

 district except after proper examination has heen forbidden. 



The Department is much handicapped by the lack of any 

 curative agent for this disease, and therefore it is impossible to 

 suggest any remedy or efficient means of control. The large 

 sums of money spent in foreign countries and in the western part 

 of this country in the endeavor to find some means of checking the 

 disease or immunizing animals against it seems to render useless 

 further investigation by this Department, which would necessarily 

 be very limited. The supposition is that the infection will recede 

 from year to year and eventually disappear, but if its ravages 

 should become sufficiently important, some means will have to be 

 devised looking toward its control and eradication. 



A number of cases of which we have record are set forth below. 

 It will be seen that the infection is apparently less severe than in 

 the past year. This is its usual history in areas where it has been 

 found. 



RECOMMENDATIONS 



1. Adoption of a system of physical examination of all dairy 

 cattle producing milk to be used raw, with the object of detecting 

 and eliminating individuals undesirable for the production of 

 wholesome milk — this to be used as a supplement to the tuber- 

 culin test and not as a substitute for it. 



2. Permanent branding or otherwise marking of animals show- 

 ing positive evidence of infectious disease as the result of a recog- 

 nized test or examination. 



3. Requiring that all milk or whey from public creameries, 

 shipping stations, etc., be pasteurized before return to the pro- 

 ducer for feeding young calves or hogs. 



4. Reducing appraisal allowance on physical cases of tuber- 

 culosis and glanders, and increasing allowance for physically 

 sound but reacting animals. 



5. Requiring that all tests for glanders be reported to the Com- 

 missioner of Agriculture, as is now required for tuberculosis. 



