206 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



legislation in the interest of righteousness ; but to ask for 

 legislation because it interferes with the sale of his butter 

 and cheese and lard is not strong ground upon which to 

 stand. These are frauds upon the consumer when sold 

 under any other than their true names ; and such fraud 

 should be dealt with the same as any other counterfeit. 



So with regard to milk. It is the farmer who best knows 

 the difference between milk from healthy cows, fed on clean 

 pastures and sound grain and hay, drinking the water of 

 pure streams, or fed on distillery refuse in reeking stables, 

 till their carcasses go to the offal yard. Laws to protect the 

 consumer may hit the farmer sometimes ; yet, in the interests 

 of a higher and better agriculture, he should sustain them. 



We are just now, in my opinion, upon a question of more 

 vital consequence to the community and to agriculture than 

 any other that we have been called to deal with in a legisla- 

 tive way. 



Contagious pleuro-pneumonia in cattle was bad enough, 

 but, thanks to the decisive action of Massachusetts, it was 

 speedily stamped out here. A different course in New 

 York and other States allowed it to spread till it threatened 

 to destroy our export cattle traffic ; and then the United States 

 department of agriculture, bureau of animal industry, was 

 empowered to stamp it out. After several years of persis- 

 tent effort, directed by skillful veterinarians, it has been 

 stamped out, and notice is given that the country is free 

 from this plague. This malady was terrific, for it had one 

 element of danger not common to any other then known 

 contagious disease, — that there was no certain time limit to 

 the powers of communicating the malady, even after appar- 

 ent recovery. 



Now we have another bovine disease, — tuberculosis or 

 consumption, — that is more insidious in its approaches; 

 less easily distinguished even by veterinarians, as it may 

 affect different organs ; slower in its progress, with strong 

 suspicion, amounting almost to positive proof, that it may 

 be both hereditary and contagious, and communicable to the 

 human subject from the use of milk or otherwise ; that has 

 already gained a wide foothold in our herds of cattle. How 

 to deal with this plague is a question requiring much wisdom 



