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which will be found in almost every drove coming from Texas. Their feet become worn out 
and sore from long travel, matter forms between the hoofs and is left on the ground and in 
the water through which they pass, and, it is contended, this inoculates our cattle by 
being taken in the stomach or otherwise. Others think it is done by the excrements left by 
those that are lame or diseased, while some think it is through the slobber or froth which is 
left on the grass. On one thing they agree, that the fever is communicated in some way, 
raging until the cold weather puts a stop to it, no remedy appearing to have any effect. 
From the few cases mentioned, which are selected from many of like nature, I have been 
led to believe, first, that the disease is conveyed to our cattle by those from Texas; second, 
that the feeding of a large herd one winter in this climate does not prevent the spread of 
the infection from them the next season; third, that Texas cattle, in apparent good health, 
give disease to ours; fourth, that the disease is not contagious from our own cattle to each 
other; fifth, that killing frost will stop the disease ; sixth, that no remedy has been found to 
cure this fever. 
‘* By avery close observation of this disease among my own and neighbors stock for the 
last thirteen years, I have generally found, on opening those that had died, but very little 
blood, and the following results: in those that passed water mixed with blood the kidneys 
and surrounding parts were entirely decayed, the other parts of the body sound; those that 
did not dung at all, or but little, with manifolds perfectly dry and partly decayed, while the 
large stomach would be more or less mortified, other parts healthy ; those that appeared to 
dung and pass water naturally, with a liver more or less decayed, the gall always swelled 
to its greatest tension, other parts healthy ; those that were on their feet in a watchful atti- 
tude, the brain was found more or less decayed. This leads me to believe the disease is in 
the blood, which finally becomes congestive, destroying the parts in a few hours after it be- 
comes seated, and no doubt in many cases could be cured if we knew exactly where it had 
located itself—blood-letting not being sufficient of itself to check the inflammation. The hol- 
low horn and tail no doubt is caused by the fever destroying the blood in the extremities 
before it does in the vessels, which it does in a great measure before death. This county 
has suffered very severely with this disease for a number of years, losing, in the year 1858, 
cattle estimated to the value of near $200,000. The present law is very defective, First, 
it ouly precludes the sick ones from passing through the county, and few men under oath 
can say that because a steer has an unhealthy smell he is sick ; secondly, in order to separate 
the lame or sick ones, if any, the drovers under the present law are reqnired to impound 
them in erder that the selection may be made, &c. But it is little use to select the sick ones 
when there is equal danger from those that are apparently well.” 
The above is as good a description of this plague as can be given until the Congress of 
the United States or our State legislatures shall be induced to have it more thoroughly exam- 
ined. That it is nearly related to and can be be classed with the rinderpest of Europe there 
can be no doubt. It acts here in its mildest form, for this reason: our cattle are confined to 
no fenced pastures or regular watering places, but have the range of miles of open prairie. 
Whenever our cattle are confined to a limited range, as those of Mr. Colley and Mr. Bar- 
rows, before mentioned, the fatality increases from 50 to 90 per cent. That Congress should 
take some action in this matter there can be no doubt. Why delay investigation until 
this disease reaches the States east of the Mississippi, and millions are los! in a season? I 
have often stated, and still think, that the best thing that can be done in the premises is to 
open a public highway for the passage of Texas cattle. Drovers would be willing to pay for 
the use of such a privilege. The public domain in Kansas intervenes between the cattle 
region of Texas and the nearest point onthe North Pacific railroad. Here the highway could 
and ought to be opened, until the southwest branch of the Pacific railroad might offer a greater 
convenience. ‘This matter is worthy of investigation by the general government. Great 
interests are involved both to Missouri and Texas. 
The writer is referred to an article in this issue, entitled “ We have no rind- 
erpest,” which will convince him of his error in classing Spanish fever with that 
disease. The virus in the former case is communicated to other cattle by ani- 
mals in apparent health, which may be constantly improving in condition, while 
the subjects of the infection inevitably sicken and generally die without in turn 
communicating the disease to others. These facts are as well substantiated in 
the severest as in the mildest types of the malady. In the rinderpest, on the 
contrary, the poison is fatal to the animal communicating it and to all others 
through which it successively passes, with very few exceptions, mitigated very 
slightly, if at all, in its virulency, by its diffusion through the blood of many 
healthy subjects. If necessary other points of difference could be shown, but 
it is very evident that the Spanish fever is very different from the rinderpest, 
by no means so generally fatal, and only in a limited degree contagious. 
Greenwood county, Kansas—“In September, 1865, large numbers of cattle 
in my immediate neighborhood died with Spanish fever. I lost 52 per cent. of 
