304 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Agriculture giving a permit to owners to do so, after the 

 application had been approved by the Cattle Commission in 

 an adjoining State and by the Chief of the Cattle Bureau of 

 the Massachusetts State Board of Aoriculture. 



Late in the winter or early in the spring, after the known 

 cases of foot and mouth disease had been reported, agents of 

 the United States Bureau of Animal Industry made a house- 

 to-house inspection in all the towns where foot and mouth 

 disease had been found, and the adjacent towns, and in some 

 instances went over several towns a second and third time. 

 This work was supplemented by agents of the Massachusetts 

 Cattle Bureau, who conducted a similar inspection in May 

 and June, in towns not already covered by agents of the 

 United States Government. 



Agents of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry in 

 this way found two infected herds in Lincoln, in March ; 

 two yoke of oxen in Quincy, one cow in Braintree and a 

 small herd in AVayland, in A})ril ; and two herds supposed 

 to be infected in Framingham, in May, that were not pre- 

 viously reported. All of these animals were killed and the 

 premises disinfected. 



In an outbreak of this kind, considerino- the unfamiliarity 

 of our farmers with this disease, it is not surprising that a 

 few herds should have been discovered in this wav. With 

 the few exceptions mentioned above, the cases were promptly 

 discovered, prompth' quarantined under the State authority, 

 and immediately reported to the Chief of the United States 

 Bureau of Animal Industry or its agent. In the cases men- 

 tioned, the oxen in Quincy Avere just developing the disease, 

 and it is doubtful if the owners in two or three of the other 

 cases had any realization of what ailed their cattle. 



When Brighton market was re-opened, two veterinarians 

 were detailed to examine the local cattle brouo-ht there, as 

 well as any from New Hampshire and Vermont, to be sure 

 that no undiscovered cases were introduced there to endano^er 

 the health of the animals. These were in addition to the 

 regular agent and his assistants who test with tuberculin all 

 out-of-the-State cattle. Later, as there seemed to be little 

 or no danger, but one of these veterinarians has been pres- 



