SECRETARY'S REPORT. 133 



plant is the corner stone of civilization, and its destruction would 



overwhelm society with darkness blacker than the storm cloud 



at midnight." AVe trust the future history of our beloved 



Commonwealth will in this respect, as in all others, give us 



a right to the name, and to every blessing of enlightened 



civilization. 



Levi Stockbridge, 



Moses Stebbins, 



Nathan Durfee, 



Comviittee. 



Information having come to the knowledge of the Board that 

 a disease, supposed to be the so-called pleuro-pneumonia, had 

 again broken out in some of the towns in the neighborhood of 

 Boston, a committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. Peters, 

 Stedman, and Walker, to investigate the facts and draw up a 

 statement of them for the information of the people. At the 

 meeting of the Board held on the 27th of February, the Com 

 mittee submitted the following 



REPORT: 



Having good reason to fear that the disease known as pleuro- 

 pneumonia (so fatal in its ravages among the neat stock of 

 North Brookfield and vicinity in the years 1859 and 1860) has 

 again made its appearance in several towns in the county of 

 Norfolk, they feel it to be the duty of this Board to warn the 

 farmers and others, owners of neat stock in the Commonwealth, 

 that the time has arrived for them to take every precaution to 

 prevent the spread of this scourge ; and in view of its contagious 

 nature, they would urge the necessity of the greatest care being 

 taken by all interested in purchasing or permitting strange 

 cattle to come in contact with their herds. 



The disease now claiming our attention made its appearance 

 in the town of Quincy last April, breaking out in two herds 

 nearly simultaneously. Eight animals from one of the herds 

 were sold to a person in Randolph, in the month of September, 

 for eighty-five dollars for the lot. One of these animals died 

 before reaching the home of the owner, and three more shortly 

 after. The other four have been lost sight of. One herd in 



