18 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



take the six and tie them among the twenty healthy, and keep the whole 

 together luitil the result is manifest. During the time of incubation and 

 afterwards, have the cows fed as they have formerly been, and also have 

 the milk accurately measured or weighed, and a record kept of the 

 quantity given by each animal. After the animals become affected, 

 select say f®ur or more which have been attacked with equal severity, 

 treat one-half with such remedied as appear to be indicated, leaving the 

 other half to nature, and observe and record the results. 



Finally, keep the same herd together for at least three years, sub- 

 jecting them to the same treatment milking herds usually receive, 

 keeping an accurate account of the milk given by each cow, and ako 

 recording the condition of the animals, both before and after becoming 

 affected, and at the proper time before slaughtering them, increase the 

 quantity of food, for the purpose of fattening, recording the results. 



At the reception of the first Order of the honorable council, adopted 

 April 20th, 1864, I did not suppose it was intended to carry on an 

 experiment, except for the purpose of testing the contagiousness of the 

 disease, and incidentally the curability or recovery of the animals which 

 were isolated by order of the commissioners. The first three herds 

 were isolated, and the results of the condition of those slaughtered 

 given in the annual report. My reason for making the above proposition 

 was, that no exi^eriment had been made in Avhich the healthy animals to 

 be exposed, nor the diseased ones to be placed with them, were under 

 the same influences as the herds of animals which had become infected 

 during the past five years ; consequently the experiments have not given 

 a fair exhibition of the character of the disease, as it usually occurs. In 

 the first place, the infected animals have not been placed with the 

 healthy until several days after the disease commenced. In all or nearly 

 all the herds in which the disease was traced to contact with animals 

 from diseased herds, the animals Avhich communicated the disease were 

 apparently healthy for considerable time prior to the commencement of 

 the attack ; consequently they became accustomed to the company of 

 their new companions, freely mingling with them. 



Secondly. The buildings selected for the purpose of experimenting 

 (from the fact that many doubted the contagious nature of the disease,) 

 were entirely unlike those in which a large majority of the herds of 

 cattle are kept in Massachusetts. As the disease is now proved to he 

 contagious, it appears proper to ascertain hoio contagious it is, under the 

 same conditions in which a thriving former keeps his cattle who raises 

 milk with profit, not inviting the cold winds to blow upon his cattle, 

 lessening the secretion of milk, and the fot upon his animals, or requiring 

 a much larger amount of food to retain it. 



Again : Past observation has demonstrated, that in animals well fed. 



