174 



ing heifer calves should be abandoned — must he if we expect to meet the demand 

 which Great Britain and our home markets will always make for butter and 

 cheese. 



This report terminates properly the statistical year of 1865-'66, and with the 

 next number will be commenced our reports of the grain crops of 1866. So far 

 the accounts of the wheat crop are discouraging, as they indicate a short crop 

 over a large part of the coimtry. But the circulars to be returned on the first 

 day of June will fully show the condition of this and other crops at that time. 

 So backward is the season, that eai'lier accounts cannot be relied upon. 



ISAAC NEWTON, Commissioner. 



LEGISLATION NECESSARY AGAINST THE CATTLE PLAGUE. 



In several of the previous reports we have called the attention of Congress 

 and of the public to the absolute necessity of the enactment of such laws as 

 will take immediate hold of any case of cattle plague whenever it may occur- 

 To our remarks that no local legislation had been had on this subject, Mr. 

 Charles P. Preston, of Danvers, Massachusetts, corrects us as to that State, and 

 sends a copy of the law now in force there. We republish this law as a guide 

 to other legislative bodies, and give also the following portions of Mr? Preston's 

 letter, who is one of the commission under this law, having in charge the en- 

 forcement of its provisions : 



Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts, 



April 19, 1866. 



Dear Sir : I send you herewith the laws now in existence in this State re- 

 lating to contagious diseases among cattle, and I know of no other State, except 

 New Hampshire, having similar laws. An outbreak of the " pleuro " happened 

 in that State in the spring of 1865, and it was eradicated by prompt legislative 

 action. In Massachusetts this disease appears now to be eradicated, after efforts 

 extending from its outbreak in 1860 to the present time, and an expenditure of 

 about S150,000, no case having come to the commissioners' notice for more than 

 six months. 



I am glad to know that you urge the States to take action, as I feel certain, 

 from what I have learned by some years' experience, that no highly contagious 

 disease can be controlled except by such action. Suppose that the rinderpest 

 should break out in this country when Congress is not in session, so far as I 

 know no State but Massachusetts is prepared to take measures at o7ice to pre- 

 vent its ravages, and one or two weeks' loss of time might entail on the coimtry 

 millions of dollars loss. Therefore, if you can prevail on the States to take 

 action and be prepared, you will do most effective work. 



The laws which I send comprise the whole, except one act passed since, 

 which empowers commissioners to sell the healthy animals for beef, and is as 

 follows : [We place it at the end of the law. J 



You will perceive that the laws of Massachusetts permit action by the select- 

 men of towns, (known in the western States as trustees of the district or town- 

 ship,) in case no commission exists ; but if a commission exists, then it has the 

 whole matter in charge, and the selectmen are required, under penalty for 

 neglect, to give it all information in their possession, and otherwise render all 

 such aid as the commission may require. 



