ANTHRAX AND SOUTHERN FEVER AMONG CALIFORNIA CATTLE. 



Hon. NORMAN J. COLMAN, 



Commissioner of Agriculture: 



SIR : In accordance with instructions by telegraph, dated Novem- 

 ber 10, 1888, I proceeded to San Diego County, in this State, to 

 investigate the cattle disease there predominating. The result of my 

 investigations I herewith respectfully submit. 



On my arrival at San Diego, finding that my written instructions 

 had not yet arrived, I thought it the better plan to inform myself on 

 the following points: (1) The direction in which the said diseases 

 were supposed to exist. (2) The ranches on which said cattle were 

 dying. (3) The health and condition of the cattle in San Diego County 

 and its surroundings. In the course of my inquiries I came in con- 

 tact with the following-named gentlemen from whom I elicited the 

 appended information. The first gentleman I interviewed was Mr. 

 George Sellwyn, of the firm of Sellwyn & Allison, wholesale butchers. 

 He said: 



I have been twenty-three years in this county, and have known of the existence 

 of disease for the past sixteen years. In the neighborhood of San Diego it has been 

 worse during the last three or four years. Some seasons the disease predominates 

 in one locality more than in another. This year (1888) it has manifested itself prin- 

 cipally at Warner's ranch, which is owned by ex-Governor Downey, of California. 



Mr. Sellwyn also stated that cattle brought from the mountains 

 during the dry season of the year, to San Diego County, or any part of 

 the coast, are, in about fifteen days after arrival, subject to disease. 

 The disease is of frequent occurrence, and the cattle are slaughtered 

 and used for consumption. He describes the symptoms and the post- 

 mortem lesions, and they correspond to those of Southern fever and 

 splenic apoplexy. 



In the course of conversation I obtained the following informa- 

 tion about hogs : A disease among hogs made its appearance about 

 two years ago in the pens around the slaughter-houses. The disease 

 has not been so marked, and the mortality has been less during the 

 last six months. He said that in 1887 the mortality reached the 

 enormous figure of 1,000 head. Some of the hogs had red patches 

 along the abdomen, accompanied with a troublesome cough, and 

 their lungs after death were of a red and black color. He said 

 some of the hogs were coughing, and were recently driven out to the 

 slaughter-house, where I found a majority of them coughing. From 

 the characteristic cough I suspected swine plague, and at my request 

 Mr. Sellwyn slaughtered one, when I found the following post-mor- 

 tem lesions: The inguinal lymphatic glands were highly congested, 

 the spleen was very much enlarged, and the pulp was somewhat dis- 

 integrated. The mucous membrane of the small intestines was 

 highly congested, especially that of the ileum, around the ileo-csecal 

 valve. Some circumscribed red patches could be seen but no ulcers. 

 The mucous membrane of the stomach was highly congested, 



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