AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. ■>■> 



REPORT ON TUBERCULOSIS. 



BY DR. F. L. RUSSELL. 



Last Fall there were discovered among the herd of cattle at the 

 State College farm two cases of tuberculosis. One was a year 

 old Guernsey heifer, and the other was a six year old cow, the 

 dam of the heifer. They were both killed and buried, but the 

 occurrence has given rise to considerable comment, and reports 

 have been circulated that were either untruths or but half truths, 

 so that many have gained an entirely wrong conception of the 

 whole matter. It is the purpose of this article to briefly state the 

 simple facts pertaining to the subject. 



In the Spring of 1889, when funds became available for 

 restocking the College farm, the trustees instructed three of 

 their number, who constituted the Farm Committee, to make the 

 purchases. 



The Farm Committee acted upon the policy that has been 

 adopted of having the different prominent breeds of cattle repre- 

 sented in the college herd, and bought two Jersey heifers, five 

 Guernseys and three Holsteius ; also six grade cows. There was 

 already on the farm a Jersey bull belonging to the College, bred 

 by J. R. Bremer, Hingham, Mass., (a cattle club bull), and in 

 the Experiment Station herd two Jersey cows and a calf, two 

 Ayrshire cows and a Holstein cow. 



Four of the Guernseys, viz.: a five year old cow, Sard 4th, 

 two two-year old heifers, Velraa 2nd and Mayland Lady, and 

 a year-old heifer, Margheita, were purchased the first of May 

 1889 at Way land, Mass., of Mr. Wm. P. Perkins. About the 

 same time, the Holsteins consisting of a six-year-old cow, Nitalia, 

 a four-year-old heifer, Agnes Smit, and a bull calf, Archer Aber- 

 dare, were purchased of Mr. Wm. A. Russell, No. Andover, 

 Mass. The Guernsey bull,"' "Jack Stately" was bought of Mr. 

 D. M. Clark, of Portland, Me., the following December. The 

 Jersey heifers were purchased in August, 1889, of Mr. Bailey, of 

 Winthrop, Me., and the grade cows were bought about the same 

 time of different parties in Kennebec Co. 



After the Guernsey cow Sard 4th was purchased, but before 

 she was moved, she dropped a heifer calf, so Ihere were eight 

 animals in the herd brought from Massachusetts in May, 1889, 

 five Guernseys and three Holsteins. 



When they arrived here I examined them with considerable 



