SECRETARY'S REPORT. 79 



2. There is no evidence that W. F. Doane's herd, or the 

 ^' big team" took tlie disease from the Stoddard oxen which, it 

 is claimed, gave it to Olmstead's herd. 



3. Many lierds were exposed to animals that had been killed 

 and "pronounced" diseased. Eight of these herds containing 

 195 liead, are alive and well now. And a great number of 

 lierds killed never had shown any signs of disease, but were 

 disposed of because animals found among them had been pro- 

 nounced diseased. 



4. Mr. Chenery's herd were in a pasture adjoining others in 

 which were fifty or sixty head, of cattle belonging to his neigh- 

 bors, but none were ill. This is the whole of the non-contagious 

 evidence. 



The evidence in favor of contagion, recapitulated, is, that 

 four cows from Holland were taken to Mr. Chenery's farm on 

 the first of June. Two of them were sick and died in a very 

 short time. A third soon followed. About the first of July, 

 the calf sold to Stoddard appeared sick, and died about the first 

 of August. Near the first of August a cow called Lady Louise 

 sickened and died ; then one animal after another died till the 

 January following, at which time there had been twenty-seven 

 deaths, in this heretofore healthy herd. 



The disease is now carried from Belmont to North Brookfield 

 not by the air, but on the railroad, by the calf sold to Stoddard. 

 This calf is kept with Stoddard's herd during four or five days 

 of its sickness. In twenty-four days after it leaves the herd, 

 one of Stoddard's animals is sick; others afterward sickened 

 and died till he lost thirteen. Then the disease sparing several 

 lierds in the neighborhood of Stoddard's, attacked a herd in 

 which from Leonard Stoddard's were sold a pair of oxen, after- 

 wards examined and found diseased. 



At Olmstead's where the animals remained five days, nine- 

 teen days after, one of Olmstead's cows was taken sick and in 

 rapid succession one after another sickened and died, till, 

 between the time of exposure on December 1st, and April 11th, 

 seven out of twenty-two head had died. 



Then the disease is carried two miles by a sick cow from 

 Stoddard's, skipping over several farms and herds, to Needham's. 

 Twenty-one days after this aiiimal's arrival in Needham's herd. 



