376 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



The Board, therefore, felt that the best method of protecting all 

 parties and eradicating the disease was only to be obtained l)y 

 a thorouo:h scientific examination of all neat stock throuo-hout 

 the State. They therefore decided to begin a systematic exami- 

 nation of all animals in the State, county by county ; taking 

 proper precaution, as fast as all the animals in each county had 

 been examined, destroyed or marked, to prevent, by quaran- 

 tine regulations, the importation within its limits of animals 

 which had not already been so examined. 



In determining where they would begin this work, they took 

 into consideration the natural conditions of the State ; and, 

 feeling that the seaboard formed of itself a practical quarantine 

 from the importation of animals, they determined to begin with 

 counties bordering on the sea. They first, therefore, selected 

 Nantucket, Dukes and Barnstable. The reason which led to 

 the selection of these counties, only, in their first order, was 

 that they are comparatively small, contain but few animals, 

 presumably as healthy as any in the State, and that the small 

 appropriation would be practically exhausted by the time the 

 examination of the cattle within these limits could be completed. 



Accordingly, as a part of their general order of November 

 20, which is hereto appended, they issued General Order No. 5, 

 relating solely to those counties. This order briefl}^ quarantines 

 all neat cattle within the counties until examined, requires that 

 all the cattle M'ithin the limits shall be subjected to the tuber- 

 culin test, and forbids the bringing into these counties any neat 

 stock which has not been branded by the commission as free 

 from tuberculosis. 



This order was imposed at the same time the State was quar- 

 antined, and the regular S3'stematic examination and l)randing of 

 cattle at Brighton, AVatertown and Somerville was introduced. 

 In this way, not only were these counties freed from the disease 

 by the eradication of all sources of contagion within their limits, 

 but at the same time the inhabitants of these counties were fur- 

 nished with a market where they could be sure of purcliasing 

 animals which have successfully passed the tuberculin test. At 

 the time of making this report the commission have completed 

 the examination under this order of all animals in the island of 

 Nantucket, and they are very glad to say that the result in the 



