72 CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED AXIMALS. 



seemed impossible that this disease could have secured a peimaueut 

 lodgement so far uortli, and the reports were scarcely credited. 



A careful examination of the peninsula, however, has demonstrated 

 the existence of the infection of southern catlle fever throughout North- 

 ampton County, and extending for 2 or 3 miles across the boundary into 

 the southern part of Accomack County. The infection seems to have 

 been in Northampton County so long that no one remembers a time 

 when it was absent. It is said that there are local laws prohibiting the 

 movement of cattle from Northampton to Accomack at any season of 

 the year, but that recently they have not been strictly enforced. In 1880 

 a considerable number of cattle that had been running upon commons in 

 Accomack County, 2 or 3 miles from the southern boundary, died with 

 symptoms of southern fever. It was found by investigation that more 

 or less cattle had died from pasturing on these commons every summer 

 for the past ten years. 



In April, 1881, a drove of about 50 head of cattle was collected in 

 Northampton County and driven to market across Accomack. At 

 Pungoteague a stop of several hours was made, and here at least six 

 head of cattle contracted the disease during the following summer and 

 died. Two miles farther north another halt was made for dinner, and 

 in this vicinity nine of the native animals died. Twenty miles north of 

 this the herd seems to have stopped again, and here a large number of 

 native cattle died. 



There seems to be no reason to doubt, then, that Northampton County 

 has long been infected, and that the cattle from that section when 

 driven among susceptible animals produce the same fatal results as has 

 long been recognized to follow a similar movement of Texas and Gulf- 

 coast cattle. The infected part of Accomack County is very narrow, 

 perhaps not more than 5 miles wide, and it is said that the disease is 

 more malignant toward the seacoast than it is in the parts which border 

 on the bay. This is in harmony with the fact that southern fever is 

 known to have existed along the seacoast in North Carolina and Virginia 

 for many years before it invaded the interior. 



A careful investigation of the counties north of the Rappahannock 

 lliver failed to reveal any trace of the disease. Not only were all the 

 cattle apparently in good healtli, but imported cattle had remained free 

 from disease after their introduction. Several instances were related 

 of bulls being brought from North or West and continuing to thrive in 

 their new home. According to all the information attainable, then, 

 there is no permanent infection north of the Rappahannock River. 



Coming south of this river, we iind that cattle brought from Glouces- 

 ter and Matthews Counties to sections of the State farther north and 

 west infect pastures and thus destroy native animals. The facts ob- 

 tained indicate that IMiddlesex County has become entirely infected, 

 but we were unable to ol:)tain evidence of any [)erinanent infection in 

 Essex County. In King and Queen County the infection has reached 



