10 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



twenty-five per cent, of an infected herd will die, fifty per cent, 

 may recover so as in a measure to be healthy, but when killed 

 will be found to have a portion of diseased lung fully encased, 

 and separated from the healthy portions, and twenty-five per 

 cent, will come out in perfect condition. 



One hundred and fifty-four cattle have died or been killed 

 during the past ten months under suspicion of having been 

 infected. Of these forty-four were cattle pastured on Long 

 Island, killed for reasons hereinafter to be given. Of the 

 remaining one hundred and ten seventy-seven were diseased 

 and thirty-three perfectly healthy. Contact was proved in all 

 but one instance which may be thus given. 



Mr. "William Walker, of Quincy, was at Squantum when 

 diseased cattle were killed there. He examined closely por- 

 tions of diseased lung and walked through the blood of the 

 slain animals. He then rode home a mile and a half and went 

 to the barn and fed his cattle. These became diseased. Two 

 were sold to E. B. Taylor and all but three out of his herd of 

 twenty-one were found diseased. Another was sent to Long 

 Island where forty-four cattle belonging to individuals in dilTer- 

 ent towns were pastured. This cow was taken sick and when 

 killed was found to be diseased with this peculiar form of dis- 

 ease. Tliis affair caused great perplexity to the commission- 

 ers. The cattle on the Island had all been exposed and yet 

 they appeared perfectly healthy. It was decided to keep them 

 on the Island until it was necessary to dispose of them for 

 want of shelter. The owners were consulted and either they 

 or their neighbors objected to their removal from the Island. 

 Intelligent stock owners in various parts of the Commonwealth 

 remonstrated against endangering tiie whole cattle of the State 

 for the sake of the comparatively insignificant sum of eight or 

 nine hundred dollars. Accordingly the cattle were killed on 

 the last week of November and all found perfectly healthy. 

 Had it not been done the community would have been full of 

 apprehension. The law in relation to the disposal of exposed 

 cattle found perfectly healthy was so worded that an insignifi- 

 cant amount was realized from the sale thereof. "Without 

 going further into detail upon the i)rogress of the disease, the 

 accompanying diagram is suljmittcd, exhibiting its course during 

 the past year. 



