456 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



that the same is affected with or has been exposed to a contagious 

 disease, and who, upon the inspection of the carcass thereof, finds 

 or is of the opinion that the same is affected with a contagious dis- 

 ease, shall notify such owner or person in possession thereof of the 

 existence of such disease, and shall also immediately notify the Board 

 of Cattle Commissioners of the same, and of the place where the 

 animal was found, the name of the owner or owners or person or per- 

 sons in possession thereof, and of the disposal made of such carcass. 

 Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be subject to 

 the same penalties as are provided in section fifteen of this act. 



In the opinion of the commission, one very potent source 

 of the dissemination of glanders and farcy is in the public 

 drinking troughs and watering tubs. 



In Worcester County, for instance, there are a great num- 

 ber of itinerant venders of wares, who buy worn-out and sick 

 horses at nominal prices, a large number of them being pur- 

 chased outside the limits of this Commonwealth, where they 

 are not subject to strict inspection laws. These animals are 

 lodged in old barns and small buildings during the night, and 

 in the daytime are hitched to the carts from which wares are 

 sold, and driven throughout the surrounding country. 



The commission has found cases of glanders in Fitchburg, 

 Clinton, Ashburnham, Westport and Newton Low r er Falls, 

 which were directly traceable to the horses of itinerant venders, 

 the disease having undoubtedly been conveyed through the 

 medium of the public watering troughs. 



The 'commission has no practical way of coping with this 

 disease other than by promptly examining all suspected cases, 

 and destroying those that prove to be diseased. 



Notwithstanding the fact that many practitioners use and 

 advise the use of mallein as a diagnostic agent in the presence 

 of suspected glanders, this commission has continued to rely 

 upon a carefully made physical examination in all of the cases. 

 It has, however, used mallein to verify these diagnoses in 

 twenty-seven instances ; or perhaps the situation would be 

 more accurately stated by saying that in twenty-seven instances 

 of undoubted glanders the mallein was used and its perform- 

 ance carefully watched. 



