SECRETARY'S RERORT. 15 



sick one and found that he had pleuro-pneumonia. The other 

 ox was taken to Brighton, where he afterwards died, but an 

 examination showed to Dr. Thayer's satisfaction, that lie had 

 never had the above-named disease. Some two weeks after the 

 ox was killed, the Commissioners were called to Mr. Smith's 

 again and found one of the cows quite sick. We had the whole 

 herd appraised, killed the sick cow, (she had pleuro-pneumonia,) 

 ordered Mr. Smith to isolate his herd by building a double fence 

 on the side of his pasture where other herds were kept. One of 

 Smith's bulls had been with the cows of Mr. Asa Walker till it 

 showed symptoms of the disease, coughing and the like, and the 

 Board directed these cows to be kept isolated. On the fourth of 

 July two of Smith's cows were brought to Newtonville to be 

 placed with four cows brought from Maine to try the effects of 

 an exposure ; both these cows were killed on the thirteenth of 

 July and found to have had the pleuro-pneumonia. Of the 

 experiment I shall speak hereafter. The remainder of Smith's 

 herd was killed in August ; all except one cow and the calf were 

 diseased. What this herd would have been worth to have kept it 

 of course would be presumptuous to say, for there was no pains 

 taken with the milking; the calf which was nearly three months 

 old went with, and of course drew his food from, as many of them 

 and at such times as inclination led him thereto. Smith consid- 

 ered the milk of no value except to feed swine upon, and the 

 cows were from all these reasons used in such a manner as 

 would have ruined any cows for the season. It should be noted 

 that the calf both before and after being killed had the appear- 

 ance of having been perfectly healthy ; also that the neighbors' 

 cows that were exposed to Smith's bull, six and probably nine 

 in number, have never shown any signs of disease ; and further 

 that a bull that was kept at Smith's place for some time after the 

 ox was taken sick, is said to have died in about ten days after 

 being taken away, having given the disease to each of the herds 

 with which he came in contact in Sharon, N. H. What reliance 

 is to be be placed on this story is for others to decide ; I record 

 it as it was told. Smith says in relation to this bull that he 

 never came in contact with the sick ox, nor with any other of the 

 sick cattle of his herd. It is conceded that no one of the above- 

 named herd would have died of the disease except the ox first 

 taken and the cow that was killed on the 2od of June, nor was 



