314 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. 



and other Western stock, which had contracted the disease by 

 being brought in contact with them, had been purchased and 

 sent to this State, and many had been driven to Connecticut. 

 So far as we could learn at that date, few, if any, Texas cattle 

 were then on the route to our markets. The season was far 

 advanced, and whatever of the disease existed in the State 

 would be destroyed by the autumn frosts. And, desiring to 

 avoid disturbing our cattle-markets until self-protection 

 should make it imperative, no orders were issued to prevent 

 the transport of cattle to the State, but arrangements were 

 perfected which would enable us to do it speedily, if after- 

 developments should make it a necessity, which, happily, 

 proved not to be required. 



But twenty-four animals died of the disease in this State, 

 and most of this loss occurred in West Springfield. The 

 disease, in that town, originated from Texas cattle brought 

 there by D. H. Baldwin, a butcher, who had no knowledge of 

 their dangerous character. Seven of his herd died between 

 the 15th of August and the 10th of September. Baldwin's 

 cattle came in contact with several herds or animals of the 

 native stock of the town, who contracted the disease ; and 

 between the 16th of September and the 9th of October, eleven 

 head died ; but there was no appearance of the disease in 

 that locality after that date. Early in October, six head of 

 cattle died of the disease, which were owned by E. Smith, a 

 drover of Hadley, and bought by him in Buffalo. The 

 reported case in Grafton, where several animals died, did 

 not prove unmistakably to be Spanish fever. One of our 

 Board visited the place, but could not positively ascertain 

 that Texan cattle had been brought into the town ; and, as 

 the dead animals had been buried, there was no opportunity 

 to examine them ; but the symptoms and manner of death 

 strikingly corresponded with this disease. The peculiar 

 characteristics of this disease (called Spanish Fever, or Texas 

 Cattle Plague) have been fully described by us in a former 

 report, but we desire to call attention to one or two of them. 

 The disease is communicated to our native stock by apparently 

 perfectly healthy Texas cattle, which come to us direct from 

 that State, or which have not passed one winter in our 

 northern climate. If these cattle have upon them the "Texas 



