BUEEAU OF ANIMAL IXDUSTEY. 549 



The lines referred to by Colonel Cunningliam in his report will be 

 found on the accompanying map, and are numbered to correspond with 

 tbe numbers used by bim. 



It will be observed that in the report of Colonel Cunningham, and in 

 that of the committee of the Brazos and Colorado Association, the state- 

 ments in regard to this disease are general and apply to a large district 

 of country without any definite detailed facts in support of them. This 

 (lifllculty has been encountered with many reports received from the 

 State of Texas. Different organizations of stockmen and different indi- 

 viduals have different ideas as to the location of the infected district in 

 the Stnto, and these are usually presented in general terms as conclu- 

 sions Irom their experience in the country referred to. It is evident 

 tlmt a definite line cannot be traced from such information as this. The 

 opinions of difierent individuals will vary, and that of the same indi- 

 vidual, from year to year, according to his experience at the time. The 

 only way to draw a definite and safe line of demarkation is to consider 

 the definite observations of cattlemen as to the effect of moving cattle 

 from one given part of the State or of the country to another given point. 

 When a large number of such observations are collected then we have 

 reliable data upon which to found an opinion that cannot but be in 

 accordance with the f\icts. Believing this to be true, I kave taken 

 into consideration the definite statements which have been given in 

 full above, and I have drawn a line from the lied to the Eio Grande 

 Kivers in such a position that I think it may be assumed that all the 

 country west and iiorthAvest of that lino is free from any permanent in- 

 iection, and the native cattle from it may be safely taken to any part 

 of the country without disseminating the contagion of Southern fever. 

 I would repeat here what lias been said in regard to other States, that 

 ail the country east and southeast of this line must not bo considered 

 as permanently infected ; undoubtedly there are considerable sections, 

 possibly whole counties, which are free from the contagion of this dis- 

 ease, and from which cattle might be safely taken to Northern States. 



The counties most likely to be uninfected, I judge, from information 

 received from the leading stockmen of Texas, are Shackelford, Calla- 

 han, Taylor, Eunnels, Coleman, Concho, jMcCulloch, San Saba, JMason, 

 Llano, Gillespie, and j)erhaps others which arc of a more or less moun- 

 tainous character. 



The lino which is drawn must, therefore, be considered as a prelimi- 

 nary line, based upon, such i)ositive information as we have been able 

 to collect, and is subject to revision and change according to investi- 

 gations which may be made in the future. 



In c'ase the i^"ational Government attempts to regulate the movement 

 of Texas cattle and makes a distinction between the infected and the 

 uninfected portions of the State, I would strongly recommend that ex- 

 periments be instituted to determine from what counties east of this pre- 

 liminary line cattle may be safelj^ taken to uninfected sections of the 

 country. The quarantine restrictions of Kansas and other Western 

 States considered all that part of Texas south of the thirty-fourth par- 

 allel of latitude as infected and the cattle from all this part of the State 

 as liable to disseminate the disease. These regulations were doubtless 

 based upon the most authentic information that could be obtained at 

 the time, but it seems very certain from the facts given above that such 

 a division of the State does great injustice to many of the western 

 counties, and if the preliminary line which I have indicated should be 

 adopted cattle from a large section of the State would be allowed to go 

 anywhere without restrictions, and this may be safely done, although 



