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fected. Hence, his herd was not quarantined, bu1 permitted to move at 

 once on to his range. In reaching tin it- new range they were driven through 

 the San Pedro Valley, where many native cattle were grazing. A few 

 weeks after the arrival of the Plaster cattle at Benson, the Barbocomari 

 Cattle Company drove in between five hundred and six hundred head of 

 beef steers from the range, and -hipped out of the same pens into which 

 Plaster bad unloaded his Texas cattle. This lot was shipped to Califor- 

 nia and put in pasture at Kings River. In about fifteen day- after their 

 arrival, splenic fever developed among them, and twenty-live percenl of 

 them died. This was called 'big melt,' and those familiar with the local 

 disease could distinguish no difference between the symptoms or the post 

 mortem appearances. After the disease had run it.- length in this herd 

 of Arizona cattle, Mr. Miller, who was acquainted with the disease, pur- 

 chased the balance of the cattle, and the shipper returned to his ranch. 

 On his way down the San Pedro Valley he saw many dead and dying 

 cattle among the native herds that had grazed over the trail of the 

 Plaster cattle, and all of the symptoms were the same a- those manifested 

 by his cattle that had died in California. There is every reason to 

 believe that Plaster's cattle were infected, and that they scattered the 

 germs in the shipping pens and along their trail, and that the disease 

 on Kings River, California, and on the San Pedro, Arizona, were the 

 same and from the same source. All this was undoubtedly the true 

 Southern splenic fever. The exact resemblance of this Kings River 

 disease, in symptoms and post morion appearance.-, so Ear a- lie- most 

 practical men could determine, and the local disease of 'big melt' 

 strongly confirms the opinion that they are the same disease, changed, 

 perhaps, a little, by local causes." 



In 1888 Mr. Mercer was commissioned to make a further investigation 

 concerning the diseases of animals in California. In his report, dated 

 October 9, 1888, lie says: 



"In accordance with your telegraphic order of September 28, 188S, 1 

 employed Dr. Thomas Bowhill, M.R.C.Y.S., and at once took the field 



to investigate the causes of the great mortality among the cattle in 

 Monterey County, this State. 



"Arriving at Cholone, a station on the Southern Pacific Railroad, we 

 visited the herd of E. J. Preen, and found that during the month of Sep- 

 tember he had lost over nine hundred out of a band of twelve hundred 

 cattle, and nearly one hundred others were Buffering from the disease. 

 Two cow- were killed that were in the last stages of the disease, and 

 autopsies made. These are hereto attached and made a part of this 



report. Texas fever was the trouble. 



" Proceeding to Coburn's ranch, we found thirteen cases of actinomy- 

 cosis, and some tuberculosis. Two animals were killed, autopsies made, 

 and (he results herewith submitted. 



"At Soledad we examined one cow, and pronounced it splenic fever. 

 Around this village nearly all the cattle are infected, and hundreds have 



died. While we found no anthrax, there is no doubt, in my mind, hut 

 that the disease exists here, and probably more than half of the deaths 

 have occurred Er this cause. 



"Visiting Gonzales, we found the whole region round aboul rotten 

 with anthrax. <>ne herd of eighl hundred cattle placed in a stubble- 



