No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 489 



The above list of towns, being alphabetical, gives no idea 

 of the geographical distribution of glanders and farcy in 

 Massachusetts, but it can readily be seen that there are cer- 

 tain centres of infection ; Boston is the principal one, here 

 and in the surrounding cities and towns the larger number of 

 cases are found ; Worcester must be looked upon as another 

 centre, from which occasional cases are taken to the neigh- 

 boring towns ; Fitchburg is another, although a smaller 

 centre, the cases in Sterling, Leominster, Lunenburg, Ash- 

 burnham, Westminster and Gardner being more or less 

 traceable to that city ; Springfield is another small centre, 

 and there are a few cases met with in the south-eastern 

 corner of the State, in Fall River and New Bedford, and 

 some of the intervening country towns. Occasionally cases 

 occur in the cities of the Merrimac valley. Local outbreaks 

 are also met with ; for example, the cases occurring in Clin- 

 ton seem to be the result of an outbreak there in 1898, 12 

 having been killed there in that year and 10 in 1899. 



The cases reported from Newton and Wellesley represent 

 another local outbreak, nearly all of these horses having 

 been owned at Newton Lower Falls, on either side of the 

 Charles River. At this point there are two public watering 

 troughs, one in Newton and one on the Wellesley side of the 

 line, which no doubt contributed to the spread of the dis- 

 ease in this village. 



In order to obtain as complete returns of the number of 

 cases of glanders and farcy occurring in this Commonwealth 

 as possible, July 28 the following letter was sent to the 

 principal renderers : — 



Boston, July 1, 1899. 



Dear Sirs : — Your attention is called to the following sections 

 of chapter 408 of the Acts of 1899 : — 



Section 1-i. Whenever in any city or town the board of health or 

 any member or agent thereof, or any other person, except the members 

 of the board of cattle commissioners, who has knowledge of or has good 

 reason to suspect the existence of any contagious disease among any 

 species of domestic animals within the limits of this Commonwealth, or 

 that any domestic animal is affected with an}^ such contagious disease, 

 whether such knowledge is obtained by personal examination or other- 

 wise, shall immediately give written notice thereof to the board of cattle 

 commissioners or any of its members, agents or inspectors, and for 



