SECRETARY'S REPORT. 9 



To the HonoraUe Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts : — 



Chapter 138, section third, of the General Laws of 1862, 

 provides that " cattle commissioners, now or hereafter 

 appointed, shall keep a full record of their doings and report the 

 same to the legislature on or before the tenth day of January 

 in each year, unless sooner required by the governor." 



The undersigned received an appointment as one of the board 

 of Cattle Commissioners, dated June 3, 1863, and was qualified 

 under tlie same June 17, following. So far as he has learned 

 no additional Commissioner has been qualified. Under these 

 circumstances, having had no authority to transact any business 

 relating to the commission, no report can be made. It is, how- 

 ever, proper to state that official notice was received from the 

 selectmen of the following named towns, bearing the dates 

 annexed, of the existence of pleuro-pneumonia within their 

 several limits, viz. : — 



Not having authority to give official aid in any of these cases, 

 the undersigned has rendered what assistance he was able in 

 answering repeated and urgent calls fur advice. 



It would seem eminently proper that if the commission is to 

 be continued, the vacancies therein should be filled without 

 unnecessary delay. Respectfully submitted, 



Jabez Fisher. 



FiTCHBURG, January 8, 1864. 



To His Excellency John A. Andrew: — 



Sir, — In accordance with an intimation from your Excel- 

 lency, I have the honor to lay before you the following account 

 of experiments on pleuro-pneumonia among cattle, made in 

 Cambridge during the past year. 



April 10, 1863, a letter was addressed to your Excellency, 



asking leave to make these experiments at my own expense. 



This letter was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and 



at a hearing before that committee, April 16th, I was requested 



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