154 



THE ILLINOIS FA-HMiER. 



grower in the State. 1 do not believe that 

 a single case of Pleuro-Pneumonia as known 

 in Europe, has made its appearance outside 

 of Massachusetts, and I hope that the prompt 

 measures taken by the Legislature of that 

 State, and those acting under her authority, 

 aided by the cheerful and ready acquies- 

 cence on the part of the citizens of the 

 whole State, to aid said axithorities, to ex- 

 terminate this fatal disorder from her bor- 

 ders will soon prove entirely successful. I 

 feel well assured that the disease will spread 

 no further, unless stock be taken from the 

 infected districts into those not infected, and 

 patriotism and selfishness alike demand that 

 this is not done. As non-communication 

 with a case of small-pox is the only mode 

 by which a person not vaccinated can escape 

 the foul disease, so non-communication with 

 stock from the infected districts, is the on- 

 ly safe-guard against this terrible cattle 



scourge. 



It will be remembered that some two 

 months since it was said that Pleuro-Pneu- 

 monia had made its appearance in New Jer- 

 sey and the Canadas, and more recently that 

 it had broken out at Shabbona's Grove, in 

 De Kalb county, in the northern part of 

 this State — and a letter from Mr. M, L. 

 Curtis, of Elk Grove, Cook, county, to you, 

 says he thinks the disease has appeared in 

 that neighborhood. Further — the report of 

 T. Cooper Walton,. of Bunker Hill, Macou- 

 pin county, to you, asserts that Pleuro- 

 pneumonia prevailed in his county last win- 

 ter. These reports were doubtless believed 

 to ' be true; yet that the Massachusetts cattle 

 scourge was found to exist in any of the lo- 

 calities above referred to, I do not credit. 



No evidence wsis givon, nor was any claim- 

 ed to exist, tending to show that the intro- 

 duction of the disease, to any one of the 

 States or localities above referred to, was 

 from Massachusetts, where the Pleuro- 

 pneumonia was then prevailing. The wri- 

 ter who claimed that the disease had made 

 its appearance in New Jersey says that 

 it was carried there from Brooklyn, New 

 York, and was the same disorder that had, 

 according to Leslie's account, killed a vast 

 number of cattle, and added fearfully to the 

 mortality of the inhabitants of New York 

 and Brooklyn, consequent upon the use of 

 milk from the diseased cows. The disease 

 that is referred to in Shabbonas and Elk 

 Groves, has not as yet spread so as to cause 

 any alarm outside of those localities, and I 

 apprehend it will be found that the cattle in 

 those Groves died of Murrain or Pneumonia, 

 to which in many sections of the west and 

 south, cattle are more or less subject. The 

 first symptoms of Pleuro-Pneumonia, ac- 

 cording to Dr. McF&rland's report, and oth- 

 ers, are as follows : " The animal will sep- 

 arate from the '.herd, and be disinclined to 

 stand on its feet, and if standing on its feet, 

 stands with an arched back and stiffened 

 appearance; when urged to move, it will do 

 SO for a short distance only, and walks with 

 a staggering (or unsteady) gait; seems to be 

 more or less fatigued; the eye loses its lus- 

 tre, and exudes from the lids a viscous mat- 

 ter, which dries into a crust.'' I have been 

 engaged in breeding, growing and feeding 

 cattle for thirty-five years, and never had a 

 sick animal that did not exhibit, to a great- 



er or less extent, some or all of the above 

 symptoms, in proportion to the violence of 

 the attack. Hence, many may be easily 

 misled by the first symptoms of Pleuro- 

 pneumonia, some of which also indicate 

 the presence of other diseases. In the com- 

 munication of Mr. Walton, he confidently 

 asserts that a disease identical with Pleuro- 

 Pneuminia prevailed to an alarming extent 

 in that county, in 1858-9, and he estimates 

 the loss at 3000 head. He further states 

 that the Texas fever, which prevailed in 

 Missouri in 1858 was introduced into Ma- 

 coupin county, in that year by Texas cattle 

 driven through that county, fuid expresses 

 the belief that the so called Texas fever, as 

 it prevailed in Missouri in 1858 was Pleuro- 

 pneumonia. There was in the winter of 

 1858-9 a fearful mortality among the cattle 

 of Macoupin county; and I understood that 

 the stock of that county died for the want of 

 food, owing to the unprecedented short crops 

 of that year, and never, until I saw the com- 

 munication of Mr. Walton, did I dream that 

 a disease similar to the Pleuro-Pneumonia 

 had prevailed in that county or any other 

 portion of the west. In regard to this so 

 called Texas fever, there are various opin- 

 ions in Missouri and Illinois. In my opinion 

 it is nothing more or less than the murrain, 

 in an aggravated form. It is endemic, or in 

 other words, it is peculiar to some portions 

 of the west and<jouth, and when cattle are 

 collected in large herds, driven out of those 

 districts,from change of pasturage.water, cli- 

 mate and long journeys, the disease breaks 

 out with more violence and malignity, thanit 

 would have done, if the stock had not been 

 moved. When the disease once breaks out 

 every animal prcdispoeed to the disorder is 

 attacked, and the only remedy is isolation 

 of the sick, and scattering the well. In 

 1825-6, 1 heard a very intelligent and prac- 

 tical gentlemen of Missouri, Wm. Lamme, 

 Esq., speaking of the prospects of the west, 

 and especially of the adaptation of Missouri 

 to growing stock. He stated that such was 

 the liability ot cattle to the attack of mur- 

 rain that farmers were almost deterred from 

 embarking largely in growing horned cattle. 

 That for several successive years the stock 

 might be comparatively healthy, and then 

 the disease would break out and destroy 

 large numbers, and often entire herds. I 

 believe that the cattle driven into Central 

 Illinois from Missouri, the Cherokee Nation 

 and Texas, are more healthy some seasons 

 than others, and that the mortality, when 

 driven here, grazed and fed, is from 2 to 15 

 per cent., as in Mr. Walton's report. It is 

 said in Missouri that the disease follows the 

 trails of cattle driven tJirough the country 

 from Texas. Now if this disease is not mur- 

 rain, and peculiar to special localities, butis a 

 difl'erent disease, and contagious, why is it, 

 that cattle brought into Central Illinois have 

 not been destroyed by it, nor infected our 

 home stock ? To my mind it is clear that 

 the Texas fever and murrain are one and the 

 same disease, and that its symptoms are 

 somewhat similar to those of Pleuroi-Pneu- 

 monia, and calculated to mislead the inex- 

 perienced, 



I do not believe a single case of the Mass- 

 achusetts cattle disease has made its appear- 

 ance in our State, nor do I believe there 



will be, unless it is introduced from infected 

 districts by cattle being brought in that 

 have been exposed to the disease. 



How shall we keep this cattle plague from 

 Illinois ? Let the plan sugested by the Gov- 

 ernor of the State, and the Illinois State 

 Agricultural Society be cheerfully sustained 

 by the people. Nothing will be left undone 

 by the Executive of the State, and 

 the Executive Committee of the State 

 Agricultural Society to keep the disease out 

 of the herds of Illinois. Let every farmer 

 prepare for the worst, and act as though 

 everything depended upon his action. He 

 should as far as possible isolate his own cat- 

 tle, and; under no pretext suffer stock to 

 enter his premises without knowing whence 

 they come. I would recommend at all 

 times the separation of a complaining animal 

 from the lierd. In the 25 years that I have 

 bred and raised blooded cattle in Illinois, I 

 have lost but twelve from disease. The uni- 

 form good health of my herd may, in some 

 measure, be attributed to the isolation of a 

 diseased animal. 



Our State Fair is at hand, and as the cat- 

 tle department is an important feature in 

 our exhibition, let no breeder be deterred 

 from the exhibition of his stock from fear 

 of Pleuro-Pneumonia. No cattle will be 

 allowed to enter the grounds from Canada 

 or the States north and east of Kentucky 

 and Ohio.' The public may rest assured 

 that the first appearance of the disease in 

 Illinois will be proclaimed. I realize the 

 importance of the trust imposed on me by 

 the Society, and will discharge its duties 

 earnestly, if not ably. 



Kespectfully, Jas. N. BroWN. 

 •••- 



American Pomological Society. 

 This Society holds its annual meeting in 

 Philadelphia, commencing the 11th of Sep- 

 tember, and continuing throughout the week. 

 We have the honor of being the member 

 of the General Fruit Committee for this 

 State, of which fact we were .but recently 

 notified. We shall endeavor to have the 

 fruits of this State then and there repre- 

 sented, and invite our friends to send pack- 

 ages of specimens to the meeting. Send 

 by Express, to Thos. P. James, Esq., for 

 American Pomological Society, Philadel- 

 phia; enclose a list of the .fruits in the box, 

 and send a duplicate to M. L. Dnnlap, 

 Champaigo, 111. Ship say 5th to 6th Sep- 

 tember, so that they will be sure to reach 

 there in time. As our own State Fair is 

 held at the same time, it is not possible 

 for us to be present. 



— — «•. 



[From the Typographic Advertiser, Pliiladelphla.] 



Western Printing. 



We have received from Bailhacho k Baker, of Springfield, 

 two voluraea, containing the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge, 

 and of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter ofl llinoig. We presume 

 that they are sent as specimens of the woric executed at their 

 printing office ; and we are happy to express our opinion that 

 these books give quite satisfactory proof of the typographical 

 taste and capabilities of this energetic Western house. 



Thank 5'ou, friend Advertiser. Of all the 

 numerous compliments paid our book and job 

 printing department we prize the above most 

 highly, because it comes from parties whose 

 judgment in such matters cannot be impeached. 

 The Advertiner is published by L. Johnson & Co., 

 proprietors of the oldest and most extensive 

 t3'pe foundery in the Union, and is itself much 

 the neatest specimen of newspaper typography 

 on our exchange list. — Illinois State Journal. 



