244 



CONTAGIOUS DISEASES OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS. 



were bought out of a herd ou the Johnson and Hosmer range, near 

 Caklwell, in the Indian Territory. On Sunday, November 11, accom- 

 l)anied by Dr. Bassett and Mr. Davis, I drove out to ex-Brig. Gen. G. 

 T. Wilde's, who, with his copartner. Colonel Mason, are engaged in the 

 breeding and feeding of cattle. Colonel Mason was absent from home, 

 but General Wildes gave me the following history : 



Mr. Miison visited Halstead, Harvey County, Kansas, in the mouth of August ; 

 here he found that a number of cattle had died — town cows — with the Texas fever, 

 attributed to infection received through a herd of cattle brought from the line of 

 Arkansas and Missouri; that these were the only foreign cattle brought into Hal- 

 stead tbis season. These cattle must come very nearly, if not quite, from the same 

 section of country as that from which the King cattle are said to be derived. 



On the 12th I went out over the range where Robeson had herded 

 his cattle during the summer. I found it to be an elevated ridge of 

 limestone soil, extending for miles northward along the west side of the 

 Walnut Creek. The Walnut Creek supplied the cattle with water 

 morning and evening. The water was perfectly sweet and pure. At 

 noon the cattle drank from a spring creek, which takes its origin from 

 several springs located on the range. The grasses are the usual prairie 

 grasses found throughout the middle section of the State, composed 

 chiefly of bunch grass or blue top, blue grass, and here and there is to 

 be seen small patches of buftalo grass, the latter occurring where there 

 is alkali soil or the remains of what are called buflalo wallows. 



I also went out with Mr. Robeson to examine and to see the condition 

 of the King cattle. These are the only cattle which yet remain in the 

 charge of Mr. Robeson and are located in a corral 2 miles west of town 

 for winter feeding. I found them to be ver^^ diminutive cattle (mullet 

 heads) and also in a very poor condition to withstand the inclemency 

 of winter. Many of them were three-year-old steers, but none of them 

 exceeded 600 pounds weight. Many of them, however, have been sick, 

 but have so far recovered as to begin to lay on flesh again. I tested 

 the tem])erature of 7 head that had been sick, which registered as fol- 

 lows : 100°, 100.2°, 91)o, 101°, lOl.lo, 102°, 101° ; of four that have not 

 been sick, 97.7°, 101.4°, 101.3°, and 100.8° F. 



Through the kindness of Mr. Robeson I am enabled to make an accu- 

 rate tabulated statement of the number of cattle that were placed iu 

 his care during the season, the dates at which he received them, and 

 the time when they were removed from the infected range: 



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