DEC 4 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
763 
3ttfruslr’l Societies. 
THE NATIONAL CONTAGIOUS DIS¬ 
EASES CONVENTION. 
[Rnml Special Report.] 
The Convention called by Dr. Loring, Com¬ 
missioner of Agriculture, to consider the 
subject of contagious diseases in the United 
States, held its sessions in the Club Room, 
No. 4, of the GraDd Pacific Hotel, and was 
attended by about 300 stockmen, representing 
27 States and Territories, by represeutati ves 
from Canada, and also by Mr. John Dunn, 
who was present under instructions from the 
British Government. It was much regretted 
by all that illness prevented the attendance 
of Dr. Loring. It seems to be conceded that 
the Commissioner of Agriculture has left no 
means in his power unused to promote all 
knowledge in relation to the proper means 
for'preveuting the introduction'of contagious, 
cattle diseases from Great Britain and Conti¬ 
nental Europe, and to cause their suppression 
when introduced. The usual amount of bun¬ 
combe was indulged in by that class who 
always want to let the world know that there 
is no “ager” in their country; but the ma¬ 
jority of members in attendance were well 
aware that trying to puil wool over the eyes 
of foreign governments was not “the thing” 
in this enlightened age. The Government of 
Great Britaiu and the Continental Govern, 
ments know very well that contagious pleuro¬ 
pneumonia is not in the West, nor, indeed- 
west of the Alleghauies. They know also 
that the disease is confined to a comparatively 
small region of country in the States where 
it does exist. They also know that under our 
system of government the disease will not 
be stamped out by purely State action, unless 
all the States of the Union unite in similar 
legislation. This will not be done by all the 
States. Hence, if the plague is ever to be 
exterminated it must be by Congressional 
action. Then the assistance of the several 
States will be valuable. Once this dread dis¬ 
ease finds its way to the great herds of the 
Western States and the great Plains, the $500, 
000,000 this disease has cost England will he 
but a small item in comparison with our 
losses. It will be a national calamity more 
serious, in poiut of money, than any war in 
which we have been engaged. 
Prof. Law, in his address in reference to 
devising means for the suppression of the lung 
plague, asked; Can we render the animal sys¬ 
tem insusceptible or non-receptive of the 
poison; and can we destroy every vestige of 
the poisou? As to the first, he suggests the 
keeping of insusceptible herds, the passage 
of the young through (he disease, and inocula¬ 
tion with fresh virus from the diseased lung, 
or with weakened virus, or sterilized virus 
(the Professor favoring the latter), and pre¬ 
ventive medication. The poison should be 
destroyed by disinfection of the air breathed, 
isolation, slaughter, aud disinfection. The 
onlv sound aud just method of dealing with 
the disease must be directed aud sustained by 
the National Government.” 
Dr. Salmon in an address on the suppression 
of contagious diseases, said the Department 
of Agriculture was willing and anxious to do 
everything in its power to assist the stock 
owners of the United States in the protection 
of their animals from these dreaded plagues. 
No one has a doubt upon the subject; but 
action lies with Congress, aud if legislators 
there could only rise superior to the pettiness 
of mere politics, there would be no difficulty 
in the passage of laws that would root out 
this dreaded evil. 
The question of State rights was interjected 
into the discussion. Ultra advocates of State 
rights seem afraid that a great principle will 
suffer by the oxtirpution of pestilence from 
the country by national actiou. There is such 
a thing us State rights. A State has a right, 
for instance, to govern itself; but a State has 
uo right to become a nuisance to its neighbors. 
The tender-teed sticklers will sooner or later 
find this out. Sooner or later Congress must 
take cognizance of inter-State transportation 
iu the government of the railway service, in 
the controlling of aggressive and oppressive 
monopolies. The time has certainly come 
when the people demand that this question of 
the suppression of contagious diseases shall be 
honestly and lately met. Congress should 
appropriate money for the quarantining of 
imported live stock, aud this iu the most thor¬ 
ough manner. The Treasury Department has 
already done something In this direction. It 
should restrict the importation of cattle to 
certain designated ports. It should cause the 
most rigid inspection of cattle iu infected 
districts, uud forbid the removal of cattle 
theuce until they have undergone a proper 
quaruutiue. It should appropriate money to 
pay for infected cattle slaughtered for the pub¬ 
lic good to prevent the spread of disease, so 
that the innocent owners may not suffer 
Some of the States, of course, are doing this, 
but the matter is a national one—one in which 
every man, woman and child in the country 
is interested; and hence a State, unfortunate 
enough to have received the plague, should 
not be made to suffer the entire loss necessary 
to prevent the entire States from becoming 
infected. This is the feeling of the intelligent 
stockmen of the West, and I have not con¬ 
versed with a single prominent breeder who 
seemed averse to bearing his share of the 
taxation necessary to accomplish the end 
sought. J. P, 
-- 
THE NATIONAL CONTAGION CONVEN¬ 
TION. 
(Rural Special Report.-) 
The national convention to consider conta¬ 
gious diseases among'domestie animals, called 
by Commissioner of Agriculture Loring, was 
held in Chicago, November 15 and Ifi. 
One buudred and sixty delegates were re¬ 
ported. Dr. Loring not being able to preside, 
owing to illness, Prof. Geo. E. Morrow, of Ill., 
was elected temporary chairman, and L. S. 
Coffin, of Iowa, temporary secretary. The 
permanent chairman was J. S. Williams, of 
Kentucky, and the secretary was Thomas 
Sturgis, of Wyoming. Governor Hamilton, 
of Illinois, welcomed the convention to Illin¬ 
ois. Various speakers declared there had 
never been pleuro-pneumonia in the West. 
Chairman Williams, a U. 8. 8enator, de¬ 
clared that Congress would have to be coerced 
into voting money to stamp out these diseases; 
that the British did not recognize the authority 
of the individual States, and that the diffi¬ 
culty of exportation would only be removed 
when the Federal Government took the re¬ 
sponsibility of issuing clean bills of lading. 
James Law, F. R C. V. 8.. Professor of 
Veterinary Science in Cornell University, 
Ithaca, N. Y., read a paper. I regret that 
lack of space prevents me from giving it in 
full, as also the papers of Dr. D. E. Salmon, 
of Washington, D. C., Dr. J. W. Gadsden, of 
Pennsylvania, and Prof. Hopkins, of Wyo¬ 
ming. 
Prof. Law said the milk or flesh of cattle 
affected with pleuro-pneumonia is not hurtful 
to man, when eaten Dr. Gadsden thought 
that inoculation was a ridiculous proposal for 
this extended country. A committee of one 
from each State and Territory was chosen to 
draft the resolutions, which were to the pur¬ 
port that because disease has seriously afflicted 
cattle in America and thereby hindered ex¬ 
portation of live stock, and because these 
diseases arose from cattle i mported from Eu¬ 
rope, thereby constantly threatening the live¬ 
stock interests of this country, and because 
State legislation can only give partial relief, 
and prompt action by Congress is needed, 
resolved, that there should be a thorough in¬ 
spection of all live-stock aud meat-products 
shipped to foreign countries; resolved, that 
the convention heartily indorsed the action of 
the Treasury Department in enforcing quar¬ 
antine against all imported cattle to prevent 
further importation of diseased cattle, and the 
convention recomtneuded that the regulations 
be enforced with rigid impartiality, and, fur¬ 
ther, that Congress should authorize the quar¬ 
antining of sheep, swine and goats; resolved, 
that a committee be appointed to present a 
memorial to Congress, telling the extent of the 
loss and damage incurred by these contagious 
diseases and the danger therefrom, with the 
trouble about exporting cattle and meat. It 
was further recommended that said commit¬ 
tee be instructed to confer with the Secretary 
of the Treasury, the Commissioner of Agri¬ 
culture, aud other persons, to aid in suggesting 
such points to Congress as will accomplish the 
most good. Another recommendation was 
that all live-stock organizations in the Unite 
States be invited to co-operate in the work* 
The same invitation was extended to trans¬ 
portation and stock-yard companies, beef and 
pork-packers, exporters, and all others having 
an interest in this matter. Resolved, that 
thanks were due to Dr. Geo. B. Loring for his 
aid in this matter. 
These resolutions called forth u hot discus 
sion. Some members wanted the particular 
States named where pleuro-pneumonia ex¬ 
isted; some wanted Congress to look after all 
diseases; others thought that, unless one dis¬ 
ease w as specified. Congress would do nothing. 
It was decided to say that the disease existed 
iu parts of a few of the Atlantic States. Prof. 
Law thought inspection would do no good, as 
the disease might not be observable at the 
time of shipment, and might develop In a few 
days afterward. l*rof. Law said that a high 
official of the British Government had told 
him the restriction on the importation of cat¬ 
tle and meat into Great Britaiu or Germany 
from America would never be removed until 
inspection was instituted. - 
Dr. Detmers, of Illinois, spoke of the diffi¬ 
culty of such a broad inspection. Several 
members spoke in favor of the resolution. A 
rising vote lost the resolution to have inspec¬ 
tion. The vote was close, being 27 against and 
25 for. Prof. Law moved that sheep, swine 
and goats be omitted from the quarantine 
list, as their care would divert money from 
more important objects. Col. Sanders said 
he had draughted that resolution to allow 
authority to be gained; besides, a Treasury 
official had desired that such a resolution 
should be passed by this convention. The 
resolution to have quarantine was adopted. 
The names and post-offices of the Congres¬ 
sional Committee are; President ex officio. 
George B. Loring, Washington, D. C.; Secre¬ 
tary, J. B. Grinnell, Grinnell, Iowa. Mem¬ 
bers—Wm. B. Wilson, Colorado; D. W. Smith, 
Bates, HI.; J. B. Grinnell, Grinnell, Iowa; T. 
C. Anderson, Side View, Ky.; Levi Stock- 
bridge, Amherst, Mass.; William Ball, Ham¬ 
burg, Mich.: N. J. Hunter, New Jersey; John 
M. Robinson, Ceutreville, N. Y.; S R. Thomp¬ 
son, Lincoln, Neb.; Columbus Delano, Mt. 
Vernon, O.; Julius Le Moyne, Washington, 
Pa ; John Overton, Nashville, Tenn.; J. M. 
Kirk, Wheeling, W. Va. ; Hiram Smith, She¬ 
boygan Falls, Wis.; J. M. Carey, Cheyenne, 
Wyoming; D. E. Salmon, Washington, D. C. 
They will meet. In Washington in January, 1884. 
Mr. Chom offered a resolution urging this 
committee to try and influence also State 
action. Mr. Thompson, of Nebraska, favored 
this resolution. Judge Carey, of Wyoming, 
was not sanguine that much, if an v, legislation 
could be at once secured. He thought that 
this meeting should be called again at the 
time of the next Fat Stock Show, in Chicago, 
to hear the report of the Congressional Com¬ 
mittee, and he urged the committee to prompt 
action. His sentiments that Congress should 
protect the interests of live stock raisers and 
dealers as well as the interests of others, called 
forth a roar of applause. It was decided to 
call a meeting to consider this subject, in Chi¬ 
cago in November, 1884. The kind invitation 
cf New Orleans was “declined with thanks.” 
Mr. Smith, of Iowa, suggested that each 
State bear its own delegate’s expenses. Mr. 
Thompson, of Nebraska, wanted Congress¬ 
men beseigedby letters on this subject. Votes 
of thanks were extended to the officers of the 
convention and the press. The convention 
adjourned sine die. 
This first convention was remarkably har¬ 
monious. There was a large attendance of 
men distinguished in the anuals of stock-rais- 
ine as well as in the scientific and literary 
worlds. Dr. Loring, though unable to attend 
the convention, sent bis private secretary, 
Mr. O. D. La Dow, who “shorthanded” the 
proceedings. They will be published, proba¬ 
bly early this W inter. Copies can be had by 
application to Congressmen or Senators. 
M. W. Dunham, the noted dealer in horses, 
of Wavne, Ill., invited the convention to visit 
his castle-like home on Friday afternoon, in 
a special train. 
In the book which the Department of Agri¬ 
culture will publish, will be found the com¬ 
plete text of the papers read at this conven¬ 
tion. The most notable were those by Prof. 
Law on “Contagions Diseases among Domes¬ 
tic Animals.” by Dr, Salmon on “Prevention 
of Contagious Diseases of Animals iu Amer¬ 
ica,” by Dr. Gadsden on “Contagious Dis¬ 
eases; How they are Imported and what they 
Cost.” L. S. C’offiu, Dr. Hopkins and others 
also addressed the convention. 
Prof. Law, in speaking of tuberculosis in 
man and the lower animals, said it was con¬ 
tagious, being “ caused by the infinitesimal 
germ, bacillus tuberculosis, recently discov¬ 
ered by Koch. Experience has shown that 
this disease is propagated not only by direct 
inoculation, but by the consumption of the 
tuberculous flesh and milk, and by the inhala¬ 
tions into the lungs of the virulent particles 
diffused iu the atmosphere in watery spray. 
Nor are these the only channels of its infec¬ 
tion.” for the Professor had witnessed experi¬ 
ments in Europe with sterilized bread, fruits 
and gelatinous preparations, in which animals 
took the disease by iuoculation with those 
substances. The Professor continued; “ Great 
and ubiquitous as is the evil of animal tuber¬ 
culosis, I would advise that, for the present, 
no veterinary sanitary legislation for its sup¬ 
pression he sought from the National Con¬ 
gress; but that the subject be, for a time, left 
in the hands of municipal health officers, phy¬ 
sicians, and hygienists. 
With regard to hog cholera or swine 
plague, the Professor said that it was domi¬ 
ciled in all our great, pork-raising districts. 
“A few years ago the annual losses were $20, 
000,000. Though there is a presumption tba 
this disease once extirpated would be rooted 
out for good, still we are uot yet certain that 
it does not arise indigenously iu our own laud, 
aud that, after all our labor and outlay, we 
would not still be confronted by new centers 
of infectionTdeveloped^ by unhealthy condi¬ 
tions among badly managed herds.” The Pro¬ 
fessor thought that of all cattle diseases lung 
disease presented the most feasible and im¬ 
portant one to be considered by Congress. 
Texas Fever was almost equal in importance 
to the lung-disease. He avowed that no repu¬ 
table and self-respecting veterinarian would 
rely on inspection to guarantee exported cat¬ 
tle being free from disease, for the disease 
might not be perceivable at the time of in¬ 
spection, and quarantine would be too costly 
and vexatious. T. a. a. s. o. 
* • ♦ 
THE CHICAGO FAT STOCK SHOW. 
[Rural Special Report.) 
The Chicago Fat Stock Shows since their 
inception in 1878, have grown so steadily in 
public favor, and in the numbers and ripeness 
of the stock exhibited as now to have become 
truly national—nay. Continental—in their 
character. The Board of Agriculture of Il¬ 
linois certainly deserves the thanks of the 
stock feeders of the United States and Can¬ 
ada for the truly cosmopolitan manner in 
which it has made from year to year—and 
until last year to the depletion of its treasury 
—the liberal outlay for annual exhibitions, 
after the manner of the Smithfield, Eng., 
Shows, where the butcher’s block is the cru¬ 
cial test of excellence and practical value; 
that is, superiority of flesh carried in the 
prime parts of the animal. 
In the exhibition, the first half of which ends 
with this Saturday evening while I am writ¬ 
ing, all the prominent breeds of beef cattle, 
sheep and swine of England and America are 
represented—Short-horns, Herefords, Aber- 
deen-Angus, Galloways, Devons. Holsteins 
(the latter are beef as well as favorite dairy 
cattle) and the grades and crosses of the vari¬ 
ous breeds. 
The principal foreign countries exhibiting 
at the present show are Scotland, Canada and 
Germany, if we include those shown as im¬ 
ported cattle. The cattle from Canada in¬ 
clude Short-horns, Herefords and Polls. The 
exhibits from Germany are pure Negretti 
sheep, not shown for their carcasses, but for 
their wool. The principal States represented 
are New York. Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, 
Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Mis¬ 
souri. The animals, since the inception of the 
Fat Stock Shows, have yearly been better and 
better in ripeness, and it is perhaps not too 
much to say that the world has never seen a 
better scale of beeves together, showing 
earlier maturity, heavier weights and a more 
perfect ripeness of flesh. 
The show of sheep is hardly what ought to 
have been expected; there is plenty of chance 
here for extension. The Americans are not 
yet a mutton-eating community. The omni¬ 
present porker and the lordly bullock are 
American meat. It is hardly probable that 
the average citizen of the United States would 
go a mile out of his way (like the great John 
Randolph) to kick a sheep; but he does not 
take kindly to its flesh. With the more gene¬ 
ral distribution of the strictly mutton breeds, 
the taste will improve in this direction, and it 
is only a question of time when the Downs in 
their several varieties, will be eagerly sought 
after at the stalls of our city butchers. If 
every farmer would rear a few for his own 
table service in Summer to take the place of 
the everlasting pork and bacon, it would be 
better for his health and, of course, for his 
pocket. 
The principal fat sheep on exhibition are 
Leicesters Cotewolds. South Downs, Shrop¬ 
shire Downs, Hampshire Downs, and their 
crosses and grades. To my mind, the Hamp- 
shires, for quality of wool, excellence of meat 
and goodness of constitution, will leave little 
to be desired, in the case of those who must 
combine several excellencies. Those breeding 
for one specific purpose will find no difficulty 
in the selection of a breed. In Germany both 
the Hampshires and Shropshires have crossed 
most kindly on the ftne-wooled breeds, as they 
undoubtedly will also do here, judging from 
the limited number experimented with. 
The Swine Depart ment showed notable exam 
pies of the favorite breeds of the country. Po- 
land-Chinas, Jersey Reds, and Chester-Whites 
among the large breeds; Berkshires among 
the middle weights, and Essexes and Suffolks 
among the small breeds were particularly 
noticeable. In the West the Poland-China 
among large hogs and the Essex among small 
hogs are rather general favorites with feed¬ 
ers. There is room for improvement in the 
exhibits of swine, especially of light-weight 
porkers that will furnish fleshy (not fat) 
hams, shoulders and bacon for the breakfast 
table. 
The Poultry Department was well repre¬ 
sented by all the favorite breeds—iu feather. 
In this show there has always been a lack of 
dressed fowls, especially of capons. These 
are rare iu our markets, even in cities like 
New York, Philadelphia aud Boston. The 
farther we go West the fewer of them we see. 
Would it not be a good plan for the breeder 
