504 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



have been as rigidly made as here ; as, for example, in the case 

 of New York, where 34.9 per cent, of the animals examined 

 under similar conditions were found to be diseased. 



In attempting to deduce from these figures the probable 

 amount of disease in the State, it should be remembered that, 

 while these examinations cover a large number of animals, as 

 compared with the total number in the State, they are but few, 

 and in the majority of cases the owners had some reason to 

 suspect that disease might be present, although they had no 

 means of judging to what extent. 



The table showing the voluntary requests received by the 

 commission also shows that applications have been received to 

 test 221 herds, embracing 3,346 animals, which have not yet 

 been attended to on account of lack of sufficient appropriation. 

 In addition to the examinations made upon these voluntary 

 requests, further tests have been made by private veterinarians 

 and approved by this Board covering 584 animals, of which 90 

 were condemned, and 89, or about 15.2 per cent., were found 

 to be diseased. 



The work of the commission in attending to the examination 

 of herds upon voluntary requests has been extremely satisfac- 

 tory. It has resulted in the removal of a large number of dis- 

 eased animals which otherwise would be the source of the milk 

 and food supply of some considerable number of people. It 

 has demonstrated that the disease exists in almost every county 

 of the State, and it has further demonstrated that in tuber- 

 culin we have a reliable agent, by means of which we can with 

 substantial accuracy pick out all cases of the disease where 

 the germ has gained any lodgement whatever in the animal's 

 body. 



The commission has experienced during the past year more 

 or less scepticism as to the value of tuberculin as a diagnostic 

 test, and there has been a feeling, to a greater or less extent, 

 that the use of tuberculin is an injury to sound animals. The 

 Board has found, however, in connection with this class of 

 work, in almost every case wherein herds have been examined 

 upon voluntary request, that upon the completion of its work 

 numerous requests were immediately received from the owners 

 of cattle in the immediate neighborhood ; and, as the work has 

 progressed, the confidence in the use of tuberculin has grown 



