390 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



and wide. On the 26th of last January a car load of twenty 

 milch cows were received by a commission dealer in Brigh- 

 ton from Smith Brothers of Buffalo, N. Y., were sold by 

 him to difierent persons, and distributed to many towns in 

 the eastern part of the State. One of the animals was 

 bought by a Mr. Ford of South Boston, and taken to his 

 premises, but was found to be quite sick on her arrival. She 

 had veterinary attendance, and was treated for lung fever 

 and pneumonia, but died on the 15th of Feliruary. A post- 

 mortem was made at the veterinary hospital of Harvard 

 University by Drs. Lyman and Harrison, and a microscopical 

 examination by Professor Whitney ; and, to their astonish- 

 ment, it, in their opinion, revealed a case of contagious 

 pleuro-pneumonia. Searching examinations were made of 

 the lungs of the animal by veterinarians familiar with the 

 disease, and this opinion fully confirmed. The Bureau of 

 Animal Industry and this Board were informed of the case, 

 and, our investigations leading to the same conchision, prompt 

 action was decided upon to hold the disease within the limits 

 it might have reached. It was properly assumed that if one 

 of the twenty animals, in the car load received the 26th of 

 January, had died with this plague, the remaining nineteen 

 must be infected with it, and effort wus made to find and 

 isolate or slaughter them, as circumstances might require. 

 Twelve of them were found within three days, and they, 

 together with the cattle with which they had been in contact, 

 were placed in quarantine. Circulars were printed, and sent 

 to the different towns, warning stock owners and town 

 officers against the remaining seven cows, and offering a 

 reward for their delivery to the commissioners. But they 

 were so carefully secreted that we got no trace of them until 

 late in the month of April, when three of them were found 

 in health ; and it was ascertained that four had died, but of 

 what disease could not be learned. In the month of January 

 many cows from Buffalo were received at Brighton, and Ihey 

 continued to arrive at intervals afterwards ; and, as we had 

 reason to fear the place of shipment was a centre of infec- 

 tion, an agent was sent there to ascertain the facts, as a guide 

 to our action in relation to future importations from thence, 

 as well as to give a history of the case already in hand. 



