Tuberculosis in Live Stock. 
23 
Fig. 14.—An accredited Ayrshire herd, West Virginia. 
In 1910 the Bureau of Animal Industry took up the eradication of 
tuberculosis from the herds in the District of Columbia, which has 
an area of 60 square miles. At that time 1,701 cattle were found. 
Every animal was tuberculin tested; of the total number, 321 cattle, 
or 18.87 per cent, were tuberculous. The reactors were removed 
from the herds and, in most instances, were slaughtered. The 
infected barns, sheds, and premises were cleaned and disinfected. 
Each year since the inauguration of the campaign all the cattle 
have been tuberculin tested with the result that the infection has 
almost disappeared. 
There are States in which tuberculosis exists to less than 1 per cent 
among all the bovine population. The plan of carrying on eradica¬ 
tion in several counties at the same time in those States is practicable 
and is being conducted in a number of States. 
Before undertaking the work in any area, large or small, the cattle 
owners should be consulted, and unless they are willing to lend their 
earnest cooperation and know the sacrifice they may have to make, 
it is inadvisable to start. The better the organization and the more 
nearly perfect the plans are made, the more efficiently the work 
should progress. 
The larger herds, especially around cities and those supplying milk 
locally and for shipment to other cities, should be tested before the 
small lots. If it is known that the herds are but slightly infected, 
the intradermal method should be employed, as faster progress can 
be made with it than with the subcutaneous test. If reactors are 
found in using the intradermal test, the entire herd should be tested 
subcutaneously within a short time. The ophthalmic test may also 
be used in conjunction with the subcutaneous in “check” testing 
