EEPOET OF THE BUEEAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTEY. 317 



Mr. J. C. Dodson, Albany, Shackelford County: 



I have in hand a circular of Commissioner Colman, dated February 13, 1887, 

 regarding splenic or Texas fever, and in reply will say I have lived near and on the 

 trail, in this (Shackelford) county, over which cattle from the coast are driven, and 

 have noticed how native cattle are affected. I have for the past three years been 

 interested in several pastures, and now have cattle in two pastures through which 

 the trail runs, and have cattle in two pastures a good distance away from the trail. 

 Every year, just after the herds begin passing, the cattle in the two pastures com- 

 mence dying, and we have lost quite a number in these two trail pastures every 

 year, but in the pastures that are away from the trail I have never known a single 

 animal to die with the disease. I have traveled a great deal over the country after 

 cattle that have strayed off, and I have never known of any cattle dying with simi- 

 lar disease as those that die on the trail, nor have I ever heard of such cases. It is 

 generally considered among owners of herds in this section, and has long been so, 

 that the eastern and coast cattle give our cattle this disease. This decision has been 

 arrived at from the deaths along these cattle trails each successive year, especially 

 when the cattle that were kept away from this trail remained healthy. It is our 

 firm belief, after this experience, that these eastern and coast cattle are the cause- of 

 this disease, and that native cattle of Shackelford County are as healthy as cattle 

 in any county I know of. I bought 3 Durham bulls about five years ago (in 1883), 

 and have 2 of them yet. The other one disappeared very mysteriously. We 

 were watching them pretty closely, and one day we missed this one from the place 

 where we were keeping them. Thinking he was hurt or possibly sick we hunted 

 everywhere, far and near, but never could find him or heard of him, and as we felt 

 sure we would have found him if he had died (it being summer time) I have always 

 believed he was stolen and driven off. He was the finest of the three. These bulls 

 either come from Illinois or Missouri. I have 9 bulls now which I bought and 

 shipped from Missouri, getting them here about the 1st of February. I turned them 

 in with my native cattle and they are as fine and healthy as you please. 



Mr. A. J. Jones, Breckenridge, Stephens County: 



I bought 3 Durham bulls four years ago. They were shipped from Missouri, near 



Kansas City. Two of these bulls died of fever the first year, in the summer season. 



The third one lived until this winter, when it died. But he never did any good; was 



useless, in fact. I don't think they infected other cattle. If cattle driven from 



eastern counties into this infect native cattle I don't know it. 



Statement of Mr. M. Harrold, Fort Worth, Tar-rant County: 

 Mr. Harrold says that in 1882 he moved a herd of cattle from Buffalo Springs, 

 Clay County, to Greer (?) County, and turned them on the range with acclimated, 

 high-grade cattle. No splenic fever developed in consequence. He considers Clay, 

 Palo Pinto, and Jack Counties safe. In the fall of 1881 he moved 35,000 cattle 

 from Clay, Baylor, Archer, Jack, Young, Palo Pinto, and Throckmorton Counties to 

 Tom Green. No rain from 8th of June to 12th September. No disease developed; 

 water bad. Other parties drove in the next year cattle from same counties; no 

 disease. Large numbers of native, high-grade Panhandle cattle drifted among 

 these herds with no bad results. He says he would not hesitate to ship cattle from 

 these counties to Colorado and turn them loose with native range cattle. His ex- 

 perience causes him to believe that it is a question of altitude. Splenic fever is 

 like yellow fever among men, it never originates in high altitudes, hence is a local 

 disease. The United States Bureau of Animal Industry is engaged in a most com- 

 mendable work in trying to determine the line in Texas separating the infected 

 from the non-infected districts. 



Mr. E. P. Davis, Throckmorton, Throckmorton County: 

 In reference to imported cattle I would say that I have noticed that our cattle 

 die in the summer months along the trail where those cattle are driven, and do not 

 on any other part of our range. I can not account for this unless the disease is 

 splenic fever. I sold Mr. Dave Grever, of Kansas, a lot of steers a few years since. 

 The cattle were driven to south line of Kansas in July, and were grazed the bal- 

 ance of the season with a lot of native Kansas cattle. "None of the Texas or Kansas 

 cattle took the splenic fever. 



Messrs. J. 0. Wood & Sons, Fort Griffin, Throckmorton County: 

 We are in receipt of your letter of inquiry, and in reply will give you a few in- 

 stances which, to our minds, are convincing proofs that our cattle (in this, Throck- 

 morton, and adjoining counties) are free from splenic fever. We sold, a few 

 years since, several hundred head of three and four year old steers to one Mr. D. 



