284 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



veritable hotbeds of the disease. A Icav years ago a large 

 number of herds were tested in Billerica and Dracut by vet- 

 erinarians employed by the farmers, who had the work done 

 not with a view of eradicating tuberculosis, but simply as a 

 matter of speculation in selling tuberculous cows to the 

 State of Massachusetts. Little pains was taken with disin- 

 fection and little care exercised in buying new cows, with 

 the result that these and adjoining towns are still full of 

 tuberculous cattle, and many are condemned each year in 

 them. The law has since been changed, so that private 

 tests are not now recognized by the State authority. If 

 every farmer would take pains to disinfect his stable every 

 time the State kills a tuberculous cow for him, and then 

 buy only tested cows to replace those killed, still greater 

 advances in suppressing this bovine scourge would be made. 

 The difficulty seems to be in securing the intelligent co- 

 operation of the cattle owners in this work. 



In addition to the cattle tested at Brighton, the follow^ing 

 statement shows the number of permits granted for bringing 

 cattle to other points, the number of cattle tested after 

 arrival and the number supposed to have been tested before 

 shipment : — 



Report of Cattle brought into the State during the Year, to 

 Points outside of the Quarantine Stations. 

 During the year 1904 the following cattle Avere brought 

 into the State to points outside of the quarantine stations : — 



For dairy ami breeding purposes, tested before shipment, . 3,185 

 For dairy and breeding purposes, tested after arrival, . . 3,663 



6,848 

 Neat cattle on which no test was required, .... 7,062 



Total 13,910 



Nearly all of these were brought in on permits issued by 

 the Chief of the Cattle Bureau, only 352 head having been 

 brought in without permits, which were reported to this 

 Bureau by railroad agents, local inspectors or others. Of 

 these, 58 were accompanied by satisfactory certificates of 



