THE CONTROL OF TUBERCULOSIS 153 



237. Keeping the herd clean —The principal things that an 

 owner must do to keep his herd clean under the federal plan have 

 been mentioned. We want to emphasize here the importance of 

 following the regulations closely. The utmost care and vigilance 

 are necessary to prevent reinfection particularly in areas where 

 the disease is widespread. The greatest care should be exercised 

 in buying in animals. They should not be bought simply on the 

 basis of passing one tuberculin test but they should come either 

 from accredited herds or one should be sure that the test is reliable. 

 Showing at fairs should be limited to those where adequate sani- 

 taiy regulations safeguard against infection. The man who has a 

 tuberculosis-free herd will win back the losses he suffered in clean- 

 ing up only if he keeps it clean. A clean herd is an asset that will 

 increase in value from year to year. More and more, buyers will 

 demand that the animals they purchase shall come from accredited 

 herds and the selling price of such animals will increase. 



238. Clean areas ideal. — Every owner of a clean herd should 

 be behind the accredited herd campaign and should urge his 

 neighbors to clean up. A clean area means less chance of rein- 

 fection and buyers are going to purchase in areas free from the 

 disease in preference to buying from clean herds surrounded by 

 the disease. The nation-wide campaign has progressed to the point 

 where certain areas are recognized as fairly free from tuberculosis 

 and others as widely infected. The latter areas will shortly find 

 little market for their cattle unless they clean up. Thus, every 

 owner of a clean herd should strongly support a campaign for 

 cleaning up his community and state. 



