168 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



Finally, the losses react upon the original owners, since 

 most buyers of live stock know the infected areas and offer 

 prices in accordance with that knowledge. In fact, such 

 buyers will purchase animals only subject to a test, when 

 they are from some areas known to be especially heavily 

 infected. 



How to Avoid Serious Losses. 



The campaign to eradicate tuberculosis from live stock 

 is now being conducted in 45 States in co-operation with the 

 live-stock owners and the respective State live-stock sani- 

 tary officials. Arrangements are being made to have other 

 States engage in the work. However, State and Federal 

 officials can not prevent losses from the disease without the 

 assistance and hearty co-operation of the owners. 



The first step is for the owner to sign an agreement 

 placing his herd under the joint supervision of the State and 

 the Bureau of Animal Industry for the control of the dis- 

 ease; then skilled operators are detailed to conduct the 

 test. Reacting animals should be promptly removed from 

 the herd and either isolated or immediately slaughtered. 

 Assistance is offered to insure a proper cleaning and disin- 

 fection of the premises formerly occupied by diseased cat- 

 tle. The agreement entered into by the owner entails that 

 he should submit his herd to a tuberculin test whenever 

 deemed necessary by proper Federal or State officials and 

 that no new cattle should be added to the herd after such 

 tests unless the additions are properly tested and approved 

 by these officials. The tuberculous cow is regarded as be- 

 ing the principal cause of infection in healthy herds ; there- 

 fore especial care should be taken to purchase cattle only 

 from those herds known to be free from the disease. One 

 owner known to the writers failed to exercise this precau- 

 tion and it cost him in one and one-half years 82 per cent 

 of his fine grade herd and a revenue of several hundred 

 dollars a month. 



Cleaning Up Areas. 



The individual efforts of owners to free their herds 

 suggest the thought of entire communities or counties es- 



