Hi' BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



CATTLE COMMISSIONERS' REPORT. 



To the honorable Senate and House of Representatives of 

 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the undersigned Cattle 

 Commissioners present their report for the year ending Dec. 

 31, 1891. 



Throughout the year the general condition of our domes- 

 tic animals has been good. They have not been sub- 

 jected to any prevailing epidemic or contagion, and the 

 sporadic cases, though large in the aggregate, were but a 

 very small per cent of the whole. Foot and mouth disease, 

 Spanish fever and contagious pleuro-pneumonia have not 

 afflicted them, and the diseases mentioned in our last report 

 are the only ones with which we have had to contend, and in 

 relation to which our regulations published a year ago are 

 yet in force. 



Glanders. 



The peculiarities of the prevalence of this disease, which 

 have been previously brought to your notice, have been 

 more marked during the last than any previous year. There 

 have been reported to us but two cases west of Worcester 

 County, none from Barnstable, Dukes or Nantucket ; but in 

 localities in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Middle- 

 sex, Bristol and AVorcester, it has been very prevalent. 

 The whole number of cases we have caused to be destroyed 

 in accordance with the provisions of law, or by the voluntary 

 act of the owner after being convinced ot the nature of the 

 disease, has been 157, which is nearly double the number 

 destroyed in any previous year. Some of these cases were 

 of horses recently brought into the State, and others were 

 traceable to contagion disseminated by such animals. 



