18 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



July 15th we visited the herd of Oliver Meade, of Boxborougli, 

 consisting of two cows, and some dozen young cattle. Meade 

 had lost two cows, and the selectmen had compelled him to 

 shut up in his barn the remaining two. On inquiry it was found 

 that one of these cows and a two-year old had been purchased 

 of his brother, who lived about a mile distant, which brother 

 sometimes traded with Lexington people, and during the past 

 season had lost an animal of some disease. These were deemed 

 suspicious facts, and the cow bought of the brother, though 

 appearing to the inexperienced to be perfectly healthy, and 

 the one by her side which was evidently diseased, were con- 

 demned. The young cattle were taken from the pasture and 

 kept in a stable for iwo weeks, that Dr. Thayer might have a 

 good opportunity to examine them ; and that other herds might 

 not be exposed previous to such an examination. On our visit- 

 ing the place, two weeks afterward, one of the cows was dead. 

 The young cattle were examined thoroughly, particularly the 

 one bought of the brother, and also the remaining cow. The 

 doctor thought she must have the disease in the chronic stage, 

 being positive that she had a slight adhesion on one side, and 

 there seemed to be no other way to trace the disease, as none 

 of the young cattle had ever shown any symptoms of the disorder, 

 and they had been kept all winter in the barn, with the one 

 bought of the brother. The three cows, which Meade had owned 

 for years, were dead. The lungs of one of them Dr. Thayer 

 had examined, and there could be no mistake about its having 

 had the contagious pleuro-pneumonia. The remaining cow 

 must, as he thought, be the dragon that brought the trouble 

 into the family ; and though she stood a perfect picture of inno- 

 cence and health, was condemned. But alas for science ! her 

 lungs proved to be as clean as her countenance, and we poor 

 mortals were again afloat as to the evidence. To make the 

 matter still worse, it was found on hearing all the testimony in 

 regard to the brother's animal, that something else than pleuro- 

 pneumonia must have been the trouble with it. To relieve us 

 from the terrible dilemma, the veterinary surgeon of Boxborougli 

 suggested that Mr. Meade lived on a road over which cattle were 

 sometimes driven on their way to and from New Hampshire, 

 and what more probable than that some of them might have 

 had the disease, and stopped long enough at Meade's barnyard 



