300 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



from New Hampshire into Massachusetts, little thinking that 

 such a hotbed of the malady existed there. 



If it had not been for the prompt action taken by the 

 agent of the Cattle Bureau of the Massachusetts State Board 

 of Agriculture at the Watertown yards, this outbreak might 

 have continued for some time longer before being discov- 

 ered, and assumed much larger proi)ortions before the atten- 

 tion of the United States authorities was called to it. 



By the last of December, 1902, or first of January, 1903, 

 most of the herds where foot and mouth disease was present 

 had been discovered and quarantined, and were killed by the 

 agents of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry ; and 

 the buildings where the animals were killed, or were allowed 

 to remain because they had recovered, were being disin- 

 fected as rapidly as possible by the disinfecting squads of 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry ; but there was so much of 

 this work to be done that it was decided that it would ex- 

 pedite matters and lessen the danger of the spread of the 

 disease if the work were supplemented by having some of 

 the buildings disinfected by the Cattle Bureau of the State 

 Board of Agriculture. Disinfecting squads were therefore 

 organized in five different localities, each squad being in 

 charge of a veterinarian, and consisting of three or four men, 

 with a large tree-spraying force pump and hose, and a sup- 

 ply of lime and disinfectants. This work was continued 

 through January and Avell into February, when so few new 

 herds having the disease were discovered that it was possible 

 for the United States authorities to immediately disinfect 

 buildings as soon as the animals in them w^ere slaughtered, 

 when this work was relinquished by the Cattle Bureau's 

 agents, except that in March some work was done by the 

 State in disinfecting the large stock barn at Brighton and 

 the premises of the New England Dressed Meat and Wool 

 Com})any at Somerville. The yards at Brighton and Water- 

 town were disinfected by the disinfecting corps of the United 

 States Bureau of Animal Industry. 



In Chelsea, Everett and that })art of Revere where the 

 original outbreak occurred, all the ])remises where cattle 

 were kept were disinfected, as a large })roportion of the 



