322 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



was suspected of being diseased, and a subscrip- 

 tion having been raised to indemnify the owner, 

 was killed, together with her calf. Both ani- 

 mals proved to be suffering from the disease. It 

 was ascertained that another cow, in North Lan- 

 caster, had been exposed from the keeping of Mr. 

 Wood's cow in the same barn on her way from 

 Brookfield, and she exhibited signs of the disease. 

 She has been isolated until further action by the 

 Commissioners. It is asserted, says the reporter 

 of the Journal, and we have had the same assur- 

 ance from other sources, that, in every case yet 

 known to the Commissioners, a direct communi- 

 cation can be traced with Mr. Chenery's herd, or 

 with cattle exposed by others which had received 

 the contagion from that source. The fact is one 

 of much importance, and it ought to be made 

 known and well weighed, as an evidence of the 

 contagious and not epidemic character of the dis- 

 ease. 



On Wednesday, May 23, the Commissioners 

 visited South Maiden, and, after examination, 

 ordered a cow belonging to Mrs. Susan Josslyn, 

 and animals of John McBath, James Moran, Zeb- 

 uion W. Davidson and Mr. Connors, thirteen in 

 all, to be confined in enclosures isolated from all 

 others- The cow belonging to Mrs. Josslyn was 

 purchased of Mr. Chcnery, of Belmont, but did 

 not develop the disease till quite recently. The 

 examination by the Commissioners resulted in 

 strong proof that it was affected by a virulent 

 lung disease. The other animals have been ex- 

 posed, and having ranged over the marshes, may 

 have given the disease to other cattle. 



With regard to the spread of the cattle disease 

 into Connecticut, we have the following : 



Some of the Connecticut papers express fears 

 that the disease has gained a footing in that State. 

 To remove all doubt, Dr. Dadd, of Boston, visit- 

 ed the .suspected district (Stafford S])rings) a day 

 or two since, and examined one or two animals, 

 and pronounced them infected with pleuro-pneu- 

 monia of the worst type. The people held a town 

 meeting, which was addressed by Dr. Dadd, and 

 a committee was appointed to confer with the 

 State Board of Agriculture upon the subject. The 

 animal butchered was taken from Stuz'bridge, 

 Mass. 



On the other hand, the Hartford Courant, after 

 full inquiry, is satisfied that the cattle panic which 

 prevailed in Connecticut last week was unfound- 

 ed, and that the pleuro-pneumonia has not yet 

 been introduced into that State. It does not see 

 the necessity for the grant of a large sum of money 

 to keep the disease out of the State, but thinks 

 that Commissioners should be appointed, with 

 large discretionary powers, for a limited period, 

 to act in concert with the local town authorities 

 to prevent the moving of cattle through the State, 

 or their iiftroduction from Massachusetts, 



May 28th, the House Committee on Agricul- 

 ture, at Washington, had another meeting on the 

 subject of the cattle disease in Massachusetts. 

 The Secretary of the National Agricultural Soci- 

 ety gave some further information relative to the 

 matter. 



Dr. Calvin Cutter informs the Journal, that on 

 the 28th he was called to examine a cow at An- 

 trim, N. H., which was said to be diseased. He 

 found in the pasture of David Hills, two cows ex- 

 hibiting evidence of the disease. They were killed 

 and examined, and both exhibited pleuro-pneumo- 

 nia of an intense type. These animals were taken 

 from Acton, Mass., to New Hampshu-e on the 4th 

 of May. The citizens of Antrim held a meeting 

 on the 28th, to devise means for the safety of 

 their herds. Meetings were held in Dcering and 

 Weare on Monday, which passed resolves per- 

 emptorily prohibiting the passage of cattle across 

 the town lines. All the cattle in pastures adjacent 

 to other towns are to be removed into the interi- 

 or, and only horses will be kept in the boundary 

 pastures. The utmost vigilance will be used to 

 prevent contagion. 



Several of our Agricultural Societies, among 

 them the Middlesex, South Middlesex and Frank- 

 lin Societies, have voted to dispense with the 

 show of neat cattle the next fall, and the rest will 

 probably follow their example. Indeed, we think 

 it would be the wisest course for all the New Eng- 

 land Agricultural Societies to avjid any possible 

 exposure of stock to the disease, during the pres- 

 ent season, at least. 



Several cases have been reported in Holden, 

 Worcester county. Cattle killed there have 

 shown unmistakable proofs of the infection. The 

 Worcester Sj)y says : 



"There is now danger that the disease will be intro- 

 duced liei-c liy cattle driven into the city from neigh- 

 horing towns. It is already rumored that a pair of ox- 

 en aliected with the disease have been driven into the 

 city fnnn Ilolden. Wc gave the p;'.rMculars of the 

 slaughter, on account of the disease, of Mr. Dike's cow 

 in liulden. Another cow that took the infection from 

 this, hiis been slaughtered there, and found very much 

 diseased ; and the disease has nppcarcd in a yoke of 

 oxen lielonging to the same herd. It is estimated that 

 from seventy-live to one hundred head of cattle have 

 been exposed in Holden. There is need of the utmost 

 caution." 



The near approach of the disease naturally 

 creates much excitement in that vicinity. The 

 Mayor of Worcester, which adjoins Holden, has 

 issued a proclamation recommending the com- 

 plete isolation of individual herds in Worcester, 

 at whatever cost or inconvenience to the owners. 

 Also the erection of fences to separate contiguous 

 pastures by the space of twenty-five or thirty feet, 

 and that cattle be driven upon the highways only 

 in cases of absolute necessity, and then that con- 

 tact with others be carefully avoided. Policemen 

 are stationed upon the streets leading from tba 



