No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONEKS' REPORT. 437 



vrhich are still apparently in full health and vigor, and which 

 would, if allowed to live, yield to the owners for many years 

 a material return ; that, while such animals may have within 

 them the seeds of this disease which may ultimately sap their 

 vitality, they exhibit no external symptoms of it ; and that, 

 were it not for the intervention of the State and the demonstra- 

 tion of the existence of the disease by the tuberculin test, not 

 only could the farmer receive a full return from the animal, but 

 such an animal in the market, judged by all means which are 

 within the power of the ordinary buyer, would frequently sell as 

 freely and for as high a price as other animals in which the dis- 

 ease does not exist ; and that therefore the State is merely pay- 

 ing to the owner what he could obtain in the open market 

 for his animal had not the State stepped in and pointed 

 out its latent defects ; that this tuberculin test is a purely 

 scientific method, which can be safely and successfully used 

 only by those who have peculiar skill, a scientific training and 

 a more or less extended experience in its use ; that therefore it 

 is entirely without the reach of farmers and dairymen as a 

 means of assisting; them in determining whether the stock 

 they have purchased is sound and free from the disease. Not 

 only is it without their power to use it, but, because of its 

 recent introduction and because the reliability of it has only 

 been comparatively recently demonstrated, it has not been 

 within the control of veterinarians ; and they assert, therefore, 

 that the agricultural class has not had the power, either them- 

 selves or by the calling in of others, to gain the benefit of 

 the knowledge derived from its use ; that these owners of 

 stock have used every reasonable precaution that ordinary 

 business men would bring to bear to ascertain that their stock 

 is as healthy and free from disease as circumstances will per- 

 mit ; that this disease is not only not of recent introduction, 

 but has been existing and spreading among neat stock for years 

 without any steps having been taken by the State to stamp it 

 out, and therefore that it is in no sense their fault that this 

 marvellous agent should suddenly find that their cattle are 

 aflfected with this insidious disease; that not only have the 

 agricultural class bought from time to time these cattle in good 

 faith, as sound, but that in fact they have invested large sums 

 of money in this stock, and that to-day it is their main source 



