123 



DlSEy\SES OF CATTLE. 



Splenic; (Texas) FevJ'^r. — A few nasfis of this uotowoi'diy climatic 

 disease are reported. Tlie saino distinctive^ leatuies marlc every out- 

 break. jS'evr evidences that its .iierni originates in the r.iiasinatic or 

 tide-Avater region, not only in Texas, Init in all the coast lands from 

 Texas to Yirgin.ia, accnniulate yearly. Onr (correspondent in I'luvannu 

 County, Virginia, (north of the James liiver, between liiehmond and 

 Lynch l)urg'h,) thus writes: 



There are some stranjje facts conne<'te<l wiMi the cattle disense coniincn to the louver 

 ti(ie-Wiiter conntieK ef Virginia, known eoinnionly as ninrrain, bloody iirine, or dis- 

 tompcr, wliieli may throw some light upon tho Spanish lever Tollowinfj; iii the truck oi' 

 Texan cattle. In certain districts of this State mnrrain has always prevailed in cer- 

 tain seasons, attacking- most i'ref|iiently young and fat cattle of lioth sexes. It is well 

 understood that if cows arc removed from I'pper Virginia to liicliii)ond,or the lower 

 counties, they are very apt to die tho first year, whereas cattle brought from the 

 lower counties up to Iliuhmond escape. For this reason milch cows broiight from Glou- 

 cester and other lower counties are much preferred by RichmoiKl buyers ; yet, in Glou- 

 cester, I have known seven cov/s out of ten to die of murrain in one fall. Again, 

 throughout certain counties on the south side of the James iiiver, extending to the 

 North Carolina line, cattle arc subject to uuirrain, while in other counties directly 

 abreast of them, on the uorth side of the river, tho disease is unknown, unless commu- 

 nicated by cattle brought from the south side, that in some Avay infect them, while 

 those from tho south side keep well. There seems, then, to be some inherent taint in 

 tho constitution of cattle living in certain regions, which may be communicated by 

 contact, and this, while in some caaes traceable to climate, in others exists when we 

 can discover uo difference in climate. A long acquaintance Avith Texan cattle intro- 

 duced into Louisiana warrants the opinion that they neither die themselves of this 

 disease uor communicate it to tho uativo herds in Louisiana. 



The fact that Texas cattle do uot commuuicate the disease to Louisi- 

 ana stock is well knovvn, and the reasou is obvious, viz, both sections 

 are miasmatic. The coast cattle do uot communicate splenic fever to 

 other coast cattle, but to herds above, tide-water. The fact is indisput- 

 able that cattle of the tide-water counties of Virginia, the Carolinas, 

 Georgia, Florida, and other States on the Gulf coast, do communicate a 

 fatal disease to stock of higher elevations and more salubrious climate, 

 and that this disease has very marked and distinguishing symj^toms 

 and peculiarities which are almost invariable. 



A correspondent in Murray County, Georgia, writes of a disease 

 which he thinks, from postmortem examination, presented " well-marked 

 and clearly detiued cases of splenic fever.'' He says it has brolceu out 

 each summer since 18G5, and continues till frost, lie does not describe 

 its attendant circumstances and symptoms, or say whether its advent 

 was heralded by the coming of coast cattle. It may, therefore, or may 

 not, bo the veritable splenic fever. Murray County lies iu the north- 

 west corner of the State, toward Chattanooga, and appears to have a 

 climate in which the splenic contagion might take. In Gilmer, an 

 adjoining county, arc reported '' a few cases of Spanish (splenic) fever 

 among cattle brought from more soutuerii latitudes." If the true 

 splenic fever, this must be misrejtorted, and must refer to native cattle 

 '■' among cattle brought froiu more southern latitudes." 



In Knox County, Tennessee, this disease prevailed last summer mainly 

 among milch cows exposed to contact with Texas cattle at a p^nnt v.diere 

 they were fed, in their passage to Virginia. 



In Lincoln County, Kentucky, in February, 1871, thirty-five Texas 

 cattle were pastured with native stock. In July, the lar.ter began to 

 sicken of Texas fever, and about twenty died. The Texans fattened 

 and did well. 



In ""iOgan County, Illinois, seventy-five Texas cattle were placed in 



