360 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Anthrax. 



Since the outbreak of anthrax mentioned in the first semi- 

 annual report of this Bureau tliere have been no other cases. 

 During the summer symptomatic anthrax, more commonly 

 spoken of as blackleg, has occurred in two pastures. One 

 was in August, in the Woodward pasture in Ashby, where 

 the disease has occurred in previous years. One animal 

 only died, which the inspector had buried, after the carcass 

 was covered with quicklime. 



The Cattle Bureau offered to provide protective inocula- 

 tion with the blacklegoids mentioned in the July report. 

 Only one owner cared to avail himself of it, and two animals 

 were given the protective inoculation. No further trouble 

 has occurred in this pasture. 



The other outbreak occurred in a pasture in the town of 

 Huntington, where two young animals died in July. Four 

 cows and four yearlings were left, and at tlie request of the 

 owner the four yearlings were given the protective inocula- 

 tion. No report has been received of any further fatalities 

 in this pasture. It is in a locality where other young ani- 

 mals are said to have died in previous years. In other 

 places where blackleg formerly occurred, no reports of the 

 disease have been received. This is probably due in a 

 measure to the Cattle Commission having required owners 

 to cremate carcasses of animals found dead wherever it was 

 possible to have this done, and in this Av^ay the spread of the 

 disease has been checked. Where the animals Avere left to 

 lie on the surface, wild animals and birds scattered the re- 

 mains around, carried the germs of the disease to other 

 pastures, and infected other herds of young cattle. By 

 cremating every carcass found dead all germs are destroyed, 

 and in this way the spread of the disease is checked. 



There is a piece of swampy land in Salem, near a tanner}^, 

 where cattle die if turned upon it in summer. Last autumn 

 a number of animals obtained access to this meadow, and 

 died, either from eating grass or drinking the water in the 

 swamp near the tannery. The owner of the animals lost 

 eleven cows, which died a couple of days after being found 



