452 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



knackers department to be made into fertilizers, be found 7.5 per 

 cent. Certainly no place could be found wbere tbe percentage 

 could possibly be higher, or more unfair as a basis from which to 

 calculate tbe condition of either tbe cows or tbe cattle population. 



While it might be that abattoir figures would be slightly favor- 

 able, that could not possibly be the case with this class of animals. 

 Among Western cattle he has found only one case of tuberculosis. 

 One of his reports to me was for ten weeks last year, when he 

 found, among 7,000 cattle slaughtered, only seven cases of tuber- 

 culosis. His next report to me was for six months. Out of 

 15,506 cattle slaughtered, he found only .17 (or 17-100ths of one 

 per cent) tuberculous. Of the above number, 810 were Eastern 

 cows ; of these, 3.30 per cent were tuberculous ; while among 

 eighty dead cows carted in for fertilizers from the vicinity of Bos- 

 ton, six were found to be tuberculous. 



My reason for challenging the statements made in the Review 

 editorial is because they appear to me entirely wrong and unfair to 

 the country, especially when read in foreign countries, where our 

 products are objected to on account of their supposed diseased 

 condition. It interferes with the business of the steamship lines 

 coming here, it injures the stock raisers and shippers, and must be 

 embarrassing to the Bureau of Animal Industry at Washington, 

 which is now doing so much to remove this wrong impression 

 abroad. Williamson Bryden, V. S. 



Inspector for British Steamships. 



Can these statements of Drs. Bryden and Burr be dis- 

 proved by Dr. Bailey of Maine and Dr. J. F. Winchester of 

 Lawrence, Mass. ? If not, then there is no present cause for 

 alarm, and the measures of the cattle commissioners, if car- 

 ried forward, will accomplish all that under present condi- 

 tions is possible. 



We have already alluded to the sensational character of 

 the reports which have been circulated respecting our cattle. 

 This is apparent by the language and terms which are used 

 in speaking or writing of it, such, for instance as " dread 

 disease," " most alarming," " shocking," " stands appalled," 

 and the like. It would appear as if these men thought them- 

 selves to be the discoverers of the disease, that they only 

 knew its character, and therefore felt it necessary to use the 

 strongest, most stirring words found in or which could be 



