256 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



It is our belief that the year has generally been a prosper- 

 ous one with the dairy farmers of the State. The outbreak 

 of foot and mouth disease, although annoying in the extreme 

 to all owners of live stock, in that it prevented the making 

 of additions to herds and closed the natural cattle markets 

 of New England, has not assumed as serious proportions as 

 were at first feared. Your committee sympathizes with the 

 owners of infected herds in the monetary loss and the annoy- 

 ance to which they have been subjected, and would recom- 

 mend that this Board use every effort to secure the passage 

 through the Legislature of the necessary legislation to reim- 

 burse to these cattle owners the thirty per cent of the value 

 of their animals which the United States government deemed 

 inexpedient to give them ; also, legislation to secure for 

 them compensation for any hay, grain, buildings or other 

 property which it may be found necessary to destroy for the 

 purpose of completely stamping out the disease. 



Respectfully submitted, 



ISAAC DAMON. 

 JOSHUA CLARK. 

 JOHN S. ANDERSON. 



