1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



229 



to get fifty per cent, of the value of their cattle 

 they would be slow to suspect this disease, as also 

 that it would be difficult to convince others that 

 theii- cattle really had the disease. His idea was, 

 that a Commissioner should be appointed to de- 

 stroy every animal that has the disease or has 

 been in any way exposed to contagion, as if it 

 cost the State $5000, $10,000 or even $25,000, it 

 would be a trifle, comparatively. It would be bet- 

 ter, said he, to kill fifty well animals than to run 

 the slightest risk. It had been stated that the 

 disease had abated among ^Ir. Chenery's herd, 

 but he was informed that notwithstanding it did 

 apparently abate for a time, Mr. Chenery had re- 

 cently lost several animals, thus showing the dan- 

 ger of judging by appearances. He not only was 

 desirous of seeing all infected cattle killed and 

 buried, but the barns or buildings in which cattle 

 affected had been kept, either thoroughly purified 

 or burned. 



Col. Stone, of Dedham, spoke of the action of 

 Mr. Stoughton in relation to the resolve which 

 was on the table of the House of Representatives 

 and attribul ed the fact of its being in that position, 

 and not having been passed, to that gentleman. 



Mr. Walker, of North Brookfield, said that 

 when he drew up the bill that was presented be- 

 fore the Committee on Agriculture, he foresaw the 

 many objections that would be raised to it, and 

 many of them he recapitulated, but he wanted 

 some one man or body of men appointed in whose 

 judgment and honesty the Legislature could rely, 

 to make examination and destroy the diseased 

 cattle, and make such award therefor as was prop- 

 er. In Europe there was a provision that if a 

 man failed to give notice that any of his cattle 

 were attacked with pleuro-pneumonia, ho should 

 be fined $30, while if he gave such notice he re- 

 ceived full payment for his cattle. 



Mr. Walker said he had been informed just as 

 he was leaving home, but he would not vouch for 

 the truth of the statement, that the disease had 

 exhibited itself in another phase, which made it 

 still more serious. A neighbor of his bought a 

 cow last summer which was served by a bull be- 

 longing to Mr. Chenery, and M'hich had since suf- 

 fered from pleuro-pneumonia, and this offspring 

 of the cow has the disease now, while the cow has 

 never shown any symptoms of it. 



Mr. Fay, of Lynn, said the question appeared 

 to him to be as to the best mode of abating the 

 disease, and he thought this could be done as well 

 in twenty-four hours as in a year. On reading 

 over the act which was before the Legislature, he 

 had felt convinced that there should be something 

 more urgent as well as stringent. Something 

 must be done thoroughly, and whoever had the 

 doing of it must apply the remedy as the knife is 

 applied to the cancer. One, two or three persons 



should be appointed to attend to the matter, in 

 whom the people have confidence, and these should 

 have almost unlimited power not only to destroy 

 the cattle but the buildings, should they deem it 

 necessary, and thus eradicate the disease. Mr. 

 Fay said that $5000 was a mere pittance, yet so 

 far as he knew, it might be enough, and more than 

 enough, to pay the expense. If town by town, 

 where an excitement on this subject was felt, were 

 to come and present this matter to the Legislature, 

 an appropriation as large as that of the general 

 appropriation bill would be made. To show the 

 feeling in his part of the State, he said a man who 

 kept some 40 head of cattle, said he would give 

 $100 towards having the disease eradicated, while 

 another farmer who kept about the same number 

 of cows, said he would freely give the five best he 

 had to have the others insured from this disease. 

 If an exigency exists, said the speaker, then 

 prompt action is demanded imperatively, but if 

 there is no exigency, then no action is necessary, 

 and he thought it was just as well to have a law 

 to cover the whole ground at first as last. 



Mr. Stoughton said the reason he opposed 

 the passage of the bill in the House of Represen- 

 atives was, that he considered it defective, and 

 not what the exigency demanded. It provided 

 for no penalty in case information was not given 

 to the authorities, nor for any purifying of barns 

 or places where diseased cattle had been kept. It 

 gave a man owning diseased cattle his OAvn time 

 in which to make complaint, and in a disease 

 such as pleuro-pneumonia this was wrong, and 

 then it left it optional with the Selectmen whether 

 to kill all the cattle, or only the worst ones, and, 

 as these Boards in many instances consisted of 

 five, there would be a diversity of opinion among 

 the members, thus causing delay, and consequent- 

 ly danger. 



Col. Heard said the Committee on Agriculture 

 were divided in opinion in regard to the enact- 

 ment of a general law on this subject, but that 

 the whole committee were in favor of a special act 

 to meet the few cases now known. The parties 

 owning the diseased cattle had pledged themselves 

 to the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture that 

 they would put their cattle at a fair valuation, and 

 he thought the bill ought to be passed at once, 



Mr. BucKMiNSTER, of Boston, spoke in favor 

 of a special commission being appointed to destroy 

 cattle affected with pleuro-pneumonia as being 

 preferable to the Board of Agriculture or the Se- 

 lectmen of towns, who had enough to attend to 

 without this. 



Mr. C. L. Flint, Secretary of the Board of Ag- 

 riculture, said he was sure the enormity of the 

 evil was not known to the members of the Legis- 

 lature, as, was it understood thoroughly, he felt 

 satisfied twenty-four hours would not elapse bo- 



