TUBERCULOSIS AND THE STATION HERD. ITJ 



In order to meet the demands for dairy products it was con- 

 sidered necessary to replace the cows killed, and ordinary grade 

 and native cows that answered the requirements were purchased 

 from nearby sources. Every precaution was taken to procure 

 sound animals, and before they w^ere introduced into the barns, 

 they successfully passed the tuberculin test, hut as it was late in 

 the fall and the barn was full of hay and grain, it zvas not con- 

 sidered practicable to disinfect the barn. The lintel was disin- 

 fected but not the rest of the barn until the following- summer. 



During the winter of 1893 and 1894 and the following spring, 

 several cases of tuberculosis developed, some of them being cows 

 purchased the fall before, from healthy herds, and according 

 to every known test, healthy animals themselves. They must 

 have contracted the disease in the College barns. In the summer 

 of 1894, the barn was disinfected and since that time compara- 

 tively few cases of tuberculosis have been found, the last case 

 being discovered in the fall of 1897. In 1896, the barn was 

 again disinfected in a very thorough manner. Since then we 

 have found but two cases and each of them was discovered 

 before it was possible that they should have infected their sur- 

 roundings or other cattle. Since October 1897, no new case has 

 been discovered, although the entire herd w^as tested in 1897 and 

 again in 1898. We now feel justified in making the claim that 

 since October 1897, the herd has been entirely free from tubercu- 

 losis for perhaps the first time in its history, although we are 

 aware that it is possible that among the older animals there may 

 be one or two that have been infected for years and may develop 

 the disease at any time. The herd now numbers fifty-one head 

 of all ages, most of these bred on the farm. 



Some mistakes have been made without doubt, and it was 

 unfortunate that means were not earlier discovered for accom- 

 plishing the end we have now reached, but if there has been any- 

 thing exceptional in our experience with tuberculosis, it con- 

 sists in the fact that in about three years'Vime we have exter- 

 minated the seeds of the disease from a badly infected herd and 

 premises without sacrificing either to any great extent. Other 

 colleges and experiment stations situated as we were in 1894 

 have felt it necessary to destroy buildings and cattle and in one 

 instance, at least, import range cattle that it was assumed had 



