426 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



horses, or any other contagious or infectious diseases among domestic 

 animals, — 



to quarantine the suspected animals, to cause them to be 

 examined by a veterinary surgeon or physician, and if adjudged 

 to be infected, to cause them to be killed. Section 3 of the act 

 provided that such boards — 



. . . may cause all such animals to be appraised by three compe- 

 tent and disinterested men under oath, at the value thereof at the time 

 of the appraisement, — 



and such value was to be paid one-lifth by the city or town and 

 four-fifths by the Commonwealth. 



While, therefore, the law of 1882 theoretically authorized the 

 payment of the diseased value, as has already been stated, 

 practically, if the disease was taken into consideration, such 

 value did not exist. 



In 1885 (chapter 148) the law on the matter of compensation 

 was again amended by providing in section 3 that, when the 

 mayor and aldermen in cities or the selectmen in towns destroy 

 an animal that is aftected with contagious disease, — 



. . . they may cause all such animals except those infected ivith 

 glandei's or farcy to be appraised by three competent and disinterested 

 men, under oath, at the value thereof at the time of appraisement, and 

 the amount of the appraisement shall be paid as provided in section 

 one. Tliey shall cause all animals infected ivith glanders or farcy to he 

 killed ■without appraisement, but may pay the owner an equitable sum 

 for his services in the killing and for any reasonable expense incurred 

 by the burial thereof. 



As a result of this act, therefore, appraisal in the case of 

 glanders and farcy was done away with ; in the case of all other 

 diseases the actual value, if any, at the time of slaughter, was 

 paid. As, however, the main efforts at that time were directed 

 to the stamping out of glanders and farcy under the law as 

 practically operated, no compensation was paid. 



In the same year (chapter 378) an act was passed creating 

 the present Board of Cattle Commissioners, except that it has 

 since been enlarged by the act of 1894 from three members to 

 five. The Board then created until 1887 worked under the laws 



