496 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Boston, Oct. 18, 1898. 



Dear Sir : — In view of the fact that you have had tuberculous 

 animals in your herd, and your barn in consequeuce having be- 

 come an infected barn, and in view of the difficulty of thoroughly 

 disinfecting premises that have once been infected by tuberculous 

 cattle, the Board of Cattle Commissioners would advise that you 

 should agaiu thoroughly cleanse, disinfect and whitewash your 

 premises, as directed last year. In this way the possibility of 

 danger from the presence of any infectious material that may 

 have been overlooked, or that may have been brought into the 

 barn since last disinfected, will be much reduced. 



The Board further desires to impress on all owners of cattle, 

 that to secure the best results the Board should have the hearty 

 co-operation and assistance of the individual owners ; and that 

 assistance can best be given by seeing to it that not only must 

 the premises previously occupied by diseased cattle be thoroughly 

 and frequently cleansed and disinfected, but (as suggested in the 

 annual report, published January, 1898) it is always of the great- 

 est importance, whether tuberculosis has existed in the herd or 

 otherwise, that pains be taken to improve the light, drainage and 

 ventilation of all barns, and to allow only animals known to be 

 healthy to mix with the balance of the herd already in the barn ; 

 in this way the gains made during the last few years will be main- 

 tained, and gradually a better condition of affairs will result. 



Austin Peters, Chairman, 

 John M. Parker, Secretary, 

 Maurice O'Connell, 

 Leander F. Herrick, 

 Charles A. Dennen, 



Board of Cattle Commissioners, 



Incidentally the great value of insisting on the cleaning 

 and disinfection of barns is shown in another direction by a 

 statement made by the Boston milk contractors, that less 

 milk had been spoiled and returned to them during the past 

 year than ever before ; this is attributable in part at least to 

 the greater cleanliness in the barns. 



The law further provides that inspectors must be present 

 at all licensed slaughter houses or establishments upon the 

 day or days designated for slaughter (section 20, chapter 

 491 of the Acts of 1894, as amended by section 6, chapter 



