188 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



even through fences or against trees, the eyes being of a green cast, very glaring and wild; 

 those of the first type have a dead, sleepy, and glazed appearance. Both these classes 

 die, as I have described them, without any change, except that the hair deadens before 

 death and has the appearance of that on a dry hide. 



&quot;The drove mentioned as having passed through the county in 1853, was owned by 

 Mr. Richard Burris, of Spring River. They were driven from Texas the fall previous and 

 wintered about fifty miles south of here, near Sarcoxie. In the early part of June Mr. 

 Burris came into this county with his cattle, apparently healthy, in good order, and no 

 lame ones in the drove, numbering about four hundred and fifty head. He made a slow 

 passage through the county, grazing on the best grasses near the road unmolested, as no 

 one knew at this time that this species of cattle communicated a disease to ours. Early 

 in July the fever broke out on the road traveled by this drove, lasting until the frost put 

 a stop to it, with the fatality previously mentioned. As the disease this year was in no 

 other locality except where these cattle were driven and grazed, the citizens, after care 

 fully tracing their route through the county, in all its windings, came to the conclusion, 

 for the first time, that this fever was engendered from the Texas cattle. This was fully 

 verified in the next year ; and up to the outbreak of the war hundreds of cases occurred 

 to prove that they were not mistaken. IS o Texas cattle, until this year, (1866,) except 

 two yoke of oxen worked here in the fall of 1865 by Mrs. Box, have passed into or 

 through this county since 1860; neither has there been a case of Spanish fever during 

 this period, or any other fatality among our cattle. Mrs. Box s oxen, so far as could be 

 seen, were healthy, and not lame. The neighbors whose cattle&quot; came in contact with 

 these oxen were Mrs. Smalley, Mr. Cothran, and Mr. Packard, all having the Spanish 

 fever among their stock, and losing some notwithstanding the lateness of the season. About 

 three thousand head of Texas cattle passed through this county in the month of June, 

 in 18G6, and a portion of them reached six or eight miles into Bates, the adjoining 

 county, before being turned back by citizens of that county. They returned on the 

 same road previously traveled, making no delay in their passage either way more 

 than was necessary. The disease did not break out for some six weeks after the passage 

 of the droves many more recovering than usual, and about forty per cent, dying 

 extending into Bates County to the point where they were turned back. It proved more 

 fatal on the crossings of water-courses, killing about seventy per cent. In 1858 my stock 

 were exposed to this fever by coming in contact with a drove of Texas cattle. The fever 

 was very bad among them, one or two dying every day through the month of August; 

 they were in daily contact with Mr. Millender s stock, who kept a herder, not suffering 

 them to reach the ground that had been used by the Texas droves, yet he had not a single 

 case of fever. When spoken to about keeping my stock from coming in contact with his, 

 he told me there was no danger of our own cattle diseasing one another. I have since 

 watched many such exposures, and in no case has the fever been propagated. The 

 farmers have each an opinion as to how the disease was propagated to their cattle, some 

 thinking it is through the lame ones, a few of 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 



