REPORT OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 467 



There were 15 head of cattle and among them two bad cases of tu- 

 berculosis. These 2 were bought last December at drove-yards in 

 Washington. They are supposed to have come from Virginia. These 

 2 have been coughing some months, and more recently nearly every 

 animal in the herd is coughing. The owner refused to kill any of 

 his herd. On this farm and the two farms above reported there was 

 fine opportunity to study tuberculosis and to be convinced of its con- 

 tagious character. 



On the farm of Blair Bros., Silver Spring, I found 61 cattle of all 

 ages. Thirty-five cows were in stable. Among these five cases of 

 tuberculosis were clearly marked. William Laird, near District line, 

 has 24 cows, among which are two cases of tuberculosis. 



On the farm of J. W. Boyd, Boyd's Station, I found 146 cows. The 

 stables and cows were in fine condition, but several cases of tuber- 

 culosis were found. There are many other farms where one or more 

 cases are to be found. Cattle are generally well cared for in this 

 county. 



Epizooty among horses has prevailed here to a considerable extent, 

 and of a severe type, several deaths having occurred within the past 

 few weeks. On the farm of N. P. Cook, occupied by F. P. Cooper, 

 2 miles north from Gaithersburgh, I found three cases of glanders. I 

 reported these cases to Dr. Ward, State veterinary officer, and by his 

 orders I had these horses killed September 10, and made post-mortem 

 examinations. One of the horses was purchased about the last week 

 in July from one of the car stables in Washington. The horse was 

 then ailing. Soon after this 2 horses, working in the same team, 

 were taken sick, and evidently contracted the disease from the new 

 purchase. All had well-marked glanders. The other horses on the 

 farm are in quarantine by order of Dr. Ward. 



For several years past tne losses by swine plague have been heavy. 

 The losses for the whole country for 1884 and 1885 reached, probably, 

 75 per cent., but for 1886 it was considerably less. Careful inquiry 

 induces me to place the loss for 1886 at about 30 per cent. This, for 

 6,503 voters, would make the loss about $29,263.50. In the sections 

 bordering on Frederick County the disease is now prevailing. 



HOWARD COUNTY. 



Along the Patapsco River and the line of the Baltimore and Ohio 

 Railroad large numbers of dairy cattle are kept. The milk and butter 

 are shipped to the Baltimore market. In other parts of the county, 

 away from railroads, few cattle' are kept except for winter feeding. 



Near Hood's Mills, on the two farms of the late Nimrod Dorsey, 

 and the farm of A. P. Forsyth, there had been pleuro-pneumonia in 

 the spring of 1886. The reports in these cases have been made by 

 your inspectors, Drs. Michener and Wray, by whom all the cattle on 

 these, three farms were slaughtered. The stables were disinfected 

 and several months were allowed to pass before any cattle were pur- 

 chased. The cattle now on these farms have been there several weeks. 

 I examined them carefully and found no disease. Careful investi- 

 gation convinces me the disease did not go beyond these farms. I 

 found no pleuro-pneumonia in the county. 



On the farm of Thomas W. Fisher, near Sykesville, I found one 

 case of well-marked tuberculosis, which he promised to kill at once. 

 Generally the cattle in this county are healthy and well cared for. 



]STo disease among horses was found. The swine plague or hog 



