408 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



farmer in one of the northern New England States does not like to 

 sell a cow subject to the test, and have her left on his hands if 

 she reacts ; the drover does not like to buy a cow out and out, 

 and have her react, because he has to sell her at a loss near home, 

 her value being diminished if she turns out to be an animal he is 

 not allowed to bring into Massachusetts. The result has been 

 that a number of the dealers have done their best to corrupt the 

 veterinarians or alleged veterinarians making the tests, and induce 

 them to make out certificates without using tuberculin at all, and 

 in many instances have succeeded in doing so. When the Massa- 

 chusetts Cattle Commission finds that a man is doing dishonest 

 work, it refuses to accept his tests, and the drover then has to 

 find a new man, and, if possible, corrupt him. There have been 

 a few exceptions to this rule, when the culprit has acknowledged 

 that he has done wrong, and has promised to turn over a new leaf 

 when the disgrace of his dishonesty has been pointed out to him, 

 and he has been reinstated. 



In localities where an occasional carload of cows is shipped into 

 Massachusetts I think that the testing has been in the main prop- 

 erly done ; but where the cattle are shipped every week, as they 

 are from certain points in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, 

 corrupt methods have developed. Two years ago last spring the 

 Massachusetts Cattle Commission had a list printed of men whose 

 tests it would accept, after dropping a number of names from the 

 old list, and it is now time to prepare a new one ; the chief reason 

 for delay is the fact that just when it seems that the names of 

 only reliable men are ready, it is found that another good man 

 has gone wrong. 



Another reason for dishonest work, in some instances, is due to 

 comi^etition among the veterinarians, who cut prices in order to 

 obtain a certain drover's patronage, until they reduce the price 

 to such a rate that a man cannot afford to test the cattle and use 

 tuberculin, and so makes out the papers without the formality of a 

 test. This has been a very foolish cause for this kind of work, as 

 there are so few men on the list now that they could all agree to a 

 good price, and obtain it. 



Occasionally a tuberculous cow may be honestly tested and fail 

 to react, — that is, she may be tested b}^ a man one week and 

 refused a certificate ; and then the owner may have another veter- 

 inarian test her the following week without informing him that she 

 has reacted once, and thus obtain a certificate of health because 

 she fails to react when tested the second time ; or a drover may 

 have a cow of which he is suspicious, and himself inject her with 

 a heavy dose of tuberculin, and when she recovers have her tested 



