506 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



tions made upon voluntary request, it works, in every case, 

 with the co-operation and assistance of the persons in charge of 

 the herd. Other things being equal, it follows that better work 

 can be done under the latter conditions than under the former. 

 There is no doubt that, in examining herds upon request, the 

 commission is removing a very great amount of diseased ani- 

 mals which are scattered throughout the State, and which are 

 the source of the local milk supply ; and it is also removing the 

 disease from barns, many of which, it is to be hoped, will be 

 protected by the owner against the further introduction of 

 disease. The examination of herds upon voluntary request 

 has not only given the owner an opportunity to remove the 

 source of contagion, but in repeated instances has resulted in a 

 public demand by the consumers of milk in such city or town 

 that the herds from which they derive their milk shall also be 

 tested. This has greatly assisted in the cleaning up of localities 

 of greater or less extent, in substantially the same way as 

 would be done upon the principle of systematic examination. 



While this system of examination furnishes an opportunity 

 to the owner to remove the disease from his herd and to the 

 commission to remove the sources of contagion therefrom, it 

 must also be remembered that there are numerous owners of 

 herds who have not and probably will not make applications 

 for such tests ; although it is the feeling of the Board, based 

 upon its experience at the present time, that the number of 

 such people will decrease at a very rapid rate as the advantages 

 of the test become more widely known, and as such persons 

 find that the public refuses to receive the product from untested 

 herds. 



Another advantage of the herd work is, that it gives to the 

 owners of neat stock an opportunity, if they so desire, to 

 immediately clean up their herds, and by this means to furnish 

 milk free from tuberculous taint to their customers ; whereas, 

 by the systematic work, no direct advantage is derived by the 

 owners outside of the counties in which such work is being con- 

 ducted, and thus it would result that certain portions of the 

 State would be without this advantage for possibly many years 

 to come. On the other hand, it must be remembered that, 

 tuberculosis being a contagious disease, the State cannot expect 

 to eradicate it by means of examinations of isolated herds upon 



