400 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



portion of eveiy such herd would be a final loss to their 

 owner in consequence of death liy the disease. The prevail- 

 ino; sentiment with unfortunate stock-owners has jjone far 

 beyond this, — by claiming compensation for animals which 

 had died before they were aware that contagion was present, 

 and for all animals that Avere sick at the time the municipal 

 officers or commissioners assumed control of the case. Such 

 claims have not been allowed, and our administration of the 

 law has been in accordance with the view above given. The 

 original law in most of its provisions was extremely rigid, 

 and supported by public opinion its execution was only in 

 the line of extermination. 



There were several subsequent enactments relating to 

 other less destructive diseases : but the stringent measures 

 of the original act remained, and were necessarily applied 

 to all alike. Our observation of the type and progress of 

 hog cholera in this State, and our experiments in the isola- 

 tion, disinfection and treatment of the infected animals, 

 early convinced us that the prime object for which the law 

 was framed could be attained (except in rare cases) with- 

 out slaughtering the animals found apparently healthy at the 

 time the officers took control of the infected herds. Direc- 

 tions were therefore given for strict isolation ; to remove 

 all animals from their infected enclosures, to separate the 

 sick from the healthy, to disinfect and feed with acid, and 

 appraise such animals as showed no evidence of being dis- 

 eased at that time ; and if the disease developed in any of 

 the appraised animals causing their death, a bill according 

 to such appraisal, and the expense of appraisal, care and 

 disinfection, would be approved. Many such bills were 

 paid. But a subsequent examination of the strict letter of 

 the law by the approving officers led to the opinion that 

 though the method secured the objects for which the law 

 was framed, and saved a large sum of money to the State 

 and cities and towns, yet the bills were not strictly legal 

 unless the animals were killed ; and their further payment 

 was stopped. There are quite a number of such bills now 

 outstanding, and it would be only a measure of common justice 

 to pass an enal)ling act that they may be paid. Our statutes 

 conferring power for the suppression of contagions among 



