14 . BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ing, milking, breeding, or working purposes ? I present the 

 following as all the facts I have been able to obtain. 



The first case I was called upon to visit was that of a herd 

 belonging to Martin Beatty, of Lexington, containing thirteen 

 or fourteen head, made up ofcows and young cattle. This herd 

 had been isolated some time previous by the order of the select- 

 men. The Commissioners had continued the isolation, and had, 

 previous to ray meeting with them, agreed to kill one cow 

 belonging to Mr. Beatty, and an ox which had been kept for 

 some time in the barn with the diseased cow, owned by Carroll 

 & Nevils. Both of these animals had been in a low condition, 

 but for two weeks or more had gained in flesh rapidly. An 

 examination proved that each had what is called contagious 

 pleuro-pneumonia. That they would have fattened readily was 

 believed on all hands, and their improvement for the two weeks 

 previous to their being killed seem(^d to warrant that conclu- 

 sion. Where either of these got the disease, we could not learn. 

 The cow was kept with the rest of the herd, (thirteen, I think, 

 in number,) till some days after she showed that she had the 

 disease, probably till after the time it is generally supposed those 

 affected with contagious pleuro-pneumonia will communicate it 

 to others, and yet no one of the herd with which she was kept 

 had the disease that we are aware of; and perhaps it is proper to 

 state that we kept the remainder of the herd isolated for some 

 time, and Dr. Thayer made a number of examinations before 

 we thought it prudent to take off the restriction. 



The herd of Levi Smith of Ashby was the next I visited, 

 from which any facts were elicited that bear upon the questions 

 under consideration. Smith had a herd consisting of eight cows, 

 two bulls, and a calf. There had been kept a pair of oxen 

 belonging to one Willard with this stock, which oxen were 

 purchased in Marlow, N. H., and were kept one night at the Box 

 Tavern with some other cattle which were supposed to have 

 pleuro-pneumonia. I say supposed because no evidence came 

 before us that any one who had any knowledge of the disease 

 had ever examined them, and had it not been for the breaking 

 out of the disease in Smith's herd probably none would have 

 suspected the cattle at the Box Tavern. Some forty days after 

 the above supposed exposure, one of these oxen was taken sick. 

 Dr. Thayer and Mr. Preston had the yoke appraised, killed the 



