100 THE LUNG PLAGUE OF CATTLE. 



one was affected with lung plague. He states that he has riot lost a single cow in 

 two years. Before that he lost 10 COAVS in one week from Texes fever contracted by 

 allowing them to graze on commons where Texas cattle had been herded. Now he 

 has a fenced pasture, into which no strange cattle are allowed to come, and does not 

 buy fresh cows in the warm summer months, and thus escapes the fever. 



"Win. Klinger, Natural Bridge road, has 40 cows, which were free from lung plague. 

 They are allowed to graze on the commons in the vicinity, yet have never contracted 

 any lung disease. He states that none of his cows have died this season. Four years 

 ago, when in another part of the city, he lost fifteen out of twenty -five head from 

 Texas fever. The stable was very dirty and filthy from the manure that was not 

 properly cleaned up, and from the mud on all sides, from lack of provision for drain- 

 age. It was very imperfectly built of boards, and large cracks in the sides caused 

 the cows to be exposed to the effects of cold and rain. 



H. Bunten, Natural Bridge road, has 40 cows, which were healthy. He stated 

 that none had died this season. Three years ago five had died. These cows are also 

 turned out 011 the commons. The stable was kept in very good condition. 



John Groh, Natural Bridge road, has 50 cows that werte healthy, and states that 

 none have died. 



Charles Burns, Natural Bridge road, has 22 cows that were healthy, and states that 

 none have died. 



All these dairymen are in the habit of feeding distillery slop, which is run into 

 troughs in front of the cattle. Brewers' grains, wheat bran, and hay are also fed. 

 They buy fresh cows of dealers and sell their fat ones to the butcher. 



During the warm weather they are a little apprehensive of their cows taking Texas 

 fever, but after the first frost all fears of that disease are removed. 



S. W. Steigers, Saint Louis avenue, has a dairy upon a farm that has been used for 

 that purpose for a great many years. He has 150 cows which I examined and found 

 none with lung plague. He states that this summer two only have died. Six years 

 ago 15 died of Texas fever, which was the only serious outbreak of disease that ever 

 occurred upon the place. His practice is to buy springers, either of cow dealers at 

 the stock-yards or of farmers, and to keep them until they calve, when they are 



E laced in the dairy and remain eight or nine months, when they are sold to butchers 

 w beef. The cows have large pastures to graze in, are only put in the stable to be 

 milked, at which time they are fed brewers' grains and w T heat bran, mixed together 

 in about equal parts and moistened with slop. 



From all the facts that I was able to gather, and from the number of cows exam- 

 ined, I consider that there is no lung plague in the dairies of Saint Louis, but that 

 they have been troubled and have sustained heavy losses from the Texan cattle dis- 

 ease. 



KANSAS CITY. 



At Kansas City stock yards, in Kansas City, Mo., is one of the most important 

 cattle markets in the West. The receipts in 1880 were 244,709 ; the shipments, 244,281 



i head of cattle. 



C. F. Morse, manager of the yards, stated that the cattle had been freer from dis- 



- ease this year than for any season since the yards had been in operation, which was 

 ten years. There had not been a sick steer in the yards this season. The only dis- 



/jease that had ever affected the cattle here was Texas fever, and even that did not 



5 now prevail to such an extent as it did formerly. 



The only calf trade that had been carried on here was done last winter by a few 

 , (dealers as a sort of experiment. They brought a few car-loads from Ohio and put 



, them upon the market. 

 K Mr. Morse thought the experiment was not likely to be repeated, as those who feed 



.cattle prefer young cattle from Kansas and Colorado, as they are better bred, are 

 higher grades, and take on fat more readily. Dairy cows and their calves are not 

 offered for sale here, as farmers find it more profitable to fatten their cows and sell 



,them for beef. 



1 1 The cattle handled here are fat cattle and " stockers, " though a good many thorough- 



j.bredspass through the yards on their way to the western stock ranges. 

 \ There are no commons around these yards, but cows, belonging to people in the city 

 who keep only one cow and turn it out into the streets to get its own living, often 



^wander into the alleys between the cattle pens in search of hay or ears of corn which 

 the cattle did not eat. None of these cows were diseased, though they could become 



., infected if any of the cattle in the pens were infected. All the cattle in the yards 

 were healthy. 



or; I next visited Plankinton &. Armour's packing-house. They were killing between 



- xthree and four hundred cattle j:er day, as this was the height of the packing season \ 



,5juid after the season was over, they kill from 25 to 30 cattle per day to supply their 



j retail meat market. 



