370 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



machinery was found cumbersome, in that it required local 

 boards to act as a board ; and also practically defective, because 

 the local authorities treated the inspector as the agent of the 

 Board, whereas he was an independent officer ; and consequently 

 most quarantines imposed were found to be imperfect. The 

 change in the law of last year has been found to be very bene- 

 ficial in correcting this evil. 



The method of imposing quarantines was also changed by the 

 law of 1894, which required, for the first time, that the quaran- 

 tine should be in writing ; that a copy of the order should be 

 delivered to the owner or person in charge, or left at his last 

 and usual place of abode, or that the same should be posted 

 upon the premises ; thus leaving no room for doul)t in the mind 

 of the owner as to whether or not his animal had been placed in 

 quarantine. Whenever the inspector imposes a quarantine, it 

 is his duty to immediately send an exact copy of the order to 

 the Board of Cattle Commissioners, and to notify the local 

 board of health, at the same time, of the establishment of the 

 quarantine ; this gives a double check upon the work of the 

 inspector ; and this copy returned to the commission, with 

 the statement upon the reverse side, by the inspector, showing 

 the method of imposing the quarantine, is in itself good evidence 

 in any tribunal that a quarantine had been properly imposed. 

 In this way the work of quarantining has been thoroughly sys- 

 tematized. Under this power, prior to December 15, the in- 

 spectors have imposed quarantines and made returns of the 

 same to the Board as follows : neat cattle, 2,584 ; horses, 230 ; 

 swine, 25 herds. 



While the inspectors are given the power to impose quaran- 

 tines, they are not given the power to remove them ; all such 

 quarantines can only be removed by order of the local boards 

 of health or by the cattle commissioners. In addition to the 

 power given to the inspectors to impose quarantine, the local 

 boards of health have similar powers. The boards of health 

 have not generally been called upon to exercise this power 

 except in a few instances where horses suspected of being 

 glandered were concerned. 



Upon the receipt by this Board of a notice of quarantine 

 upon any animal, it becomes the duty of the commission to act 

 in the matter. In view of the great mass of work coming under 



