530 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



wish to take action until the fact was proven that the cows did 

 become infected in the suspected pens. In yards transacting any 

 consideisable business such delay would be productive of great loss. 

 The federal authorities have depended upon the New York State 

 officials for an investigation and action, and have not investigated 

 the outbreak outside of the Brighton yards. The tardy action of 

 States in investigating such outbreaks should not be awaited for 

 by the federal officers when interstate traffic is involved, and fed- 

 eral laws, over which they alone have supervision, have been vio- 

 lated. Had it not been for the investigation ordered by your own 

 State, the source of infection would not have been definitely 

 decided ; each State involved would have believed the other at 

 fault, and no relief against future outbreaks been proposed. 



Resume. 



1. The outbreak of disease which destroyed at least thirty-five 

 head out of fifty-eight cows transported from New York State to 

 eastern Massachusetts was due to Texas fever, contracted in the 

 stock yards at West Albany, New York. 



2. The infection of the "West Albany stock yards was due to 

 the illegal unloading and detention of quarantine cattle in those 

 yards, and presumably to a carload (or two) of quarantined young 

 stock shipped from Chicago to New York, and detained about five 

 days in said yards. 



3. Future outbreaks may be prevented by the complete en- 

 forcement of United States laws by officers of the United States 

 Bureau of Animal Industry, and the notification of the State Cattle 

 Commissioners concerning the unloading of quarantine cattle into 

 pens set apart for them by those officers. 



4. The present State law relating to the unloading of cattle 

 which may spread Texas fever seems adequate for all purposes, 

 and, if carried out, will prevent Texas fever spreading from cattle 

 delivered into "places set apart." 



5. The investigation undertaken by the Cattle Commissioners 

 will have been justified when adequate steps are taken to prevent 

 future outbreaks ; then Texas fever, as a disease of northern cattle, 

 will become an historical reminiscence. 



Cooper Curtice. 



The existence of Tefxas fever in Massachusetts this sum- 

 mer was first called to the attention of the Board of Cattle 

 Commissioners by Commissioner Dennen, who had three 

 cows, bought in Brighton, — two from the carload arriving 



