448 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. No. 4. 



indemnify the owners of the animals which are destroyed as 

 a result of this policy. They believe, further, that if the 

 farmers and dairymen lose the cost of these animals, or any 

 considerable portion of it, it will be a serious blow to the 

 agricultural interests of the State. They feel that if the valu- 

 ation of the animals can be properly limited, so that the owner 

 shall not receive any greater sum from the State than he would 

 receive if the animals were sold in the open market, as they 

 stand, with all their faults, but under the assumption that both 

 buyer and seller are ignorant of the existence of tuberculosis, 

 as disclosed by the tuberculin test, there could be but little 

 encouragement to practise fraud upon the Commonwealth. It 

 is further believed that if such a policy as this is instituted it 

 will encourage the hearty co-operation of owners in the work ; 

 and, as a result, the administration will be easier, more eflB- 

 cient, and will possibly cause but little increase in the ultimate 

 expense over that of the present method. If coupled with this 

 a limited time of ownership is required, and a proper quaran- 

 tine maintained against all animals coming into the State, there 

 will be but little danijer of the introduction of diseased animals 

 from without its limits for the purpose of obtaining the com- 

 pensation paid by the State. 



If full indemnity upon this plan is adopted by the Common- 

 wealth, the burden will be divided fairly between the commu- 

 nity at large and the farmers, who not only pay their share of 

 the tax, but in addition have to take upon themselves the cost 

 of maintaining the animals during the necessary quarantine, 

 and who also suffer to a considerable decree from the attendino; 

 interruption to their business. 



FREDERICK H. OSGOOD, Chairman, 

 CHARLES P. LYMAN, Secretary, 

 MAURICE O'CONNELL, 

 LEANDER F. HERRICK, 

 CHARLES A. DENNEN, 



Board of Catllc Commissio7iers. 



