THE COMBAT AGAINST BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS. 269 



any other disease. The insidiousness with which it finds its way 

 into and spreads through the whole herd, even before the farmer is 

 aware of its presence, the large number of cattle rendered worthless 

 through its agency, especially among high-bred and valuable ani- 

 mals, the suspicion which it throws upon the milk-supply, the 

 injury that it does to the animal which is to be used as food, the 

 great cost of tuberculosis legislation by the different States, all 

 these serve to emphasize the seriousness of the problem. Nothing 

 can be of more importance to the farmer than the discovery of some 

 means of controlling this disease. Legislation designed to control 

 it has been adopted by most states in Europe and America, but 

 such legislation has usually had in mind the protection of the public 

 rather than the assistance of the farmer. 



THE COMBAT AGAINST BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS. 



Resistance of Cattle. The foundation of a successful contest 

 against the disease is a herd of animals in a proper condition to 

 resist it. This side of the question is too commonly neglected, 

 and nearly all of the attempts made to combat the disease have 

 been directed solely toward devising measures for preventing the 

 distribution of the bacillus. It is, however, impossible absolutely 

 to prevent the bacillus from being distributed by diseased ani- 

 mals, and occasional infection will occur in spite of all preventive 

 measures. Without some efforts directed toward producing a 

 healthy herd of resisting animals, it is quite certain that the endeavor 

 to prevent the distribution of the disease will be unsatisfactory. 



It is doubtless much more easy to give the farmer directions 

 looking toward the prevention of the spread of the bacillus, than 

 it is to instruct him how he may increase the resisting power of 

 his animals. But nevertheless some suggestions may be made 

 which, if carried out, will certainly improve the conditions and 

 induce better health and, hence, greater resisting powers. There 

 is little doubt that in a majority of cases the cattle need more air. 

 Too many are crowded together in a small space in the winter season 

 and there is too little ventilation of the cow stalls. In the attempt 



