No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 481 



the attention of the Board during the past year, although 

 the increase among horses seems to make the danger to man 

 greater. An interesting ease occurred in Middleborough. A 

 mare with farcy was killed, having a foal a few days old at 

 foot ; the marc had farcy for some time during the latter 

 part of her pregnancy ; the foal was weaned on to cow's 

 milk, as it showed no evidence of disease;, and now, at be- 

 tween the ages of two and three months, appears to be per- 

 fectly healthy. Judging from this case, at the present 

 time the old-fashioned idea that glanders and farcy is con- 

 genital seems to be erroneous. 



The law provides a penalty for any one removing, trans- 

 porting or selling an animal with a contagious disease, if 

 the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe such to 

 be the fact. Persons disposing of glandered horses always 

 deny that they knew or suspected the existence of a con- 

 tagious disease, and it is, therefore, useless to prosecute 

 cases unless proof is forthcoming to show that there was 

 good reason for believing the presence of glanders and farcy. 

 Two cases have been prosecuted during the year, one in 

 Fitchburg, where a man disposed of a horse after being in- 

 formed that an a^'cnt of the commission was notified to come 

 and see it. The case was placed on file, and costs assessed 

 on the owner of the horse. It was not a strong case. The 

 other prosecution was in Worcester, where two men were 

 fined $50 each for attempting to dispose of a glandered 

 horse. 



When we consider that in 1898 only 1,380 cases of glan- 

 ders were reported in Great Britain, 138 in Belgium and 17 

 in Denmark, it can bo more readily realized what a large 

 number 745 is for a State the size of Massachusetts, — prob- 

 ably more than any other State in the Union, — and how 

 important its eradication is. It is not only a heavy tax on 

 the horse owners of the State, but a menace to the public 

 health, as occasionally a person becomes infected from a 

 glandered horse, and succumbs to this loathsome disease. 



