No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS' REPORT. 471 



The commission also, during this period, had numerous re- 

 quests from cattle dealers and buyers trading at these markets, 

 urging it to resume its work at these stations, as being of great 

 value to them in determining the soundness of animals there 

 offered for sale. So many applications of this sort were re- 

 ceived that the commission deemed it advisable to meet the 

 parties most largely interested for the purpose of discussing ways 

 and means for producing the best results with the least incon- 

 venience to the dealers ; and accordingly, on June 8, 1895, 

 the following circular letter was issued, and a copy of it sent 

 to all the interested parties, so far as their addresses were 

 known to the Board : — 



52 Village Street, Boston, June 8, 1895. 

 Dear Sik: — The commission will be very glad to meet those in- 

 terested in the transportation and sale of cattle within the borders of 

 this Commonwealth at the Quincy House, Boston, on the afternoon 

 of Tuesday, June 11, 1895, at 3 p.m., to consider how the work of 

 the commission can be carried on in the best interests of the State, 

 with the least possible inconvenience to those concerned. 



Yours truly, 

 (Signed) F. H. Osgood, Chairman. 



At the meeting which followed, representatives of nearly all 

 of the dealers in cattle coming from without the State were 

 present, as well as of some of those interested in Massachu- 

 setts cattle only ; to all of whom the following statement 

 was made : — 



Inasmuch as chapter 491 of the Acts of 1894, as amended by 

 chapter 496 of the Acts of 1895, provides that animals coming from 

 without the borders of the Commonwealth shall be subjected to the 

 tuberculin test prior to being distributed throughout the State, and 

 the commission has taken the stand that it is impracticable to examine 

 animals recently shipped until they have had time thereafter to settle 

 into their normal condition, which, in the opinion of this commission, 

 cannot safely be set at less than six days, it is for the interest of 

 drovers to have the animals which they propose to ship examined 

 before leaving the State from which they are to come, in order that 

 they may, be placed upon the market immediately after arrival. 



This proposition, although giving rise to a considerable dis- 

 cussion, was finally adopted by the dealers as being fairly 



