No. 4.] REPORT OF CATTLE BUREAU. 281 



cows will not bring their full value if killed for beef when 

 in milkino: condition. 



Below is given a report of the herds and cattle tested at 

 the request of owners : — 



Of the number that did not react, 1 was killed at owner's 

 request, and found to be diseased. 



In 1902, 17 herds were tested, but they were smaller, and 

 contained only 274 animals. . Five of the 16 herds tested in 

 1903 were retests on herds tested the year before, or the 

 completion of work undertaken the previous year, therefore 

 only 11 belonged to new owners. Four herds were found 

 to be free from disease ; in the herds where disease was 

 found some of them were badly infected, and a very large 

 per cent of the animals reacted. 



The problem of how best to deal with bovine tuberculosis 

 in order to further diminish it is an important and serious 

 one. At present the law requires owners to be compensated 

 for cattle killed because of tuberculosis, the appraisal being 

 based upon the apparent market value of the animal at the 

 time it is condemned, the limit of value on any one creature 

 being placed at $40. The cattle quarantined by local inspec- 

 tors on suspicion of having tuberculosis are generally found 

 to be animals that are badly diseased, unsafe to produce milk 

 for human food and unfit to be utilized for beef ; and such 

 animals should be killed, to i)rotect the public health, as 

 they are a menace to their stable companions. At the same 

 time, taking a tuberculous animal here and there, perhaps 

 only one or not over two or three from any one owner, does 

 not seem to diminish the amount of tuberculosis perceptibly. 

 Many owners are careless in disinfecting the place where the 

 animal destroyed stood ; and, even when the disinfection is 

 thorough, there are other slightly tuberculous creatures left, 



