140 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



for Other purposes. The disinfecting sohttion was made by 

 dissolving one part, by weight, of corrosive siibhmate in about 

 a thousand parts of water. The pump was mounted on a fifty 

 gallon barrel and we used a little more than a half pound of the 

 sublimate for a barrel of water. We bought the pulverized corro- 

 sive sublimate and dissolved it in hot water. It dissolves very 

 slowly in cold water. The sublimate and its solution should be 

 kept in glass or wooden vessels ; it corrodes metal. The solution 

 is poisonous if taken in sufficient quantities, so it should never be 

 left uncovered where animals can get at it. 



Another means that we have used in keeping our herd free 

 from tuberculosis has been the testing with tuberculin of all ani- 

 mals purchased. By this means we have avoided purchasing 

 diseased animals that were satisfactory in other respects, and if 

 we were to neglect this precaution, we might easily undo all that 

 we have accomplished. When we could do so conveniently, the 

 animals purchased have been tested before they were brought to 

 the farm. In other cases they have been tested here before they 

 were admitted to the barns with the other cattle. In two cases, 

 we have avoided introducing tuberculous cattle into the herd by 

 this very simple precaution. 



SUMMARY. 



The College herd of cattle has never, prior to 1897, for long 

 at a time, been entirely free from, tuberculosis for nearly twenty 

 years. 



The entire herd w^as killed once to get rid of the disease. 



It was again introduced with cattle purchased; since 1894 we 

 have been making rapid progress in getting rid of the disease. 



We have not been able to discover any cases for more than a 

 year and a half and believe the herd, numbering fifty-one head, 

 most of them bred on the farm, is now free from tuberculosis. 



The herd has been freed from tuberculosis by first, killing all 

 the animals that reacted to tuberculin ; second, thoroughly dis- 

 infecting the barns where tuberculous cattle had been kept ; 

 third, carefully inspecting all cattle purchased into the herd. 



The methods used for getting rid of tuberculosis are easily 

 available and not expensive. 



