HEREDITARY INFLUENCE. 
559 
further is done than destroying affected animals and adopting 
sanitary measures. What is the practical use of destroying the 
animals now affected in a given state if we are at the same time 
breeding and raising young cattle, which when they are devel¬ 
oped and forced to their full milking capacity will not be able 
to resist the dreaded micro-organism ? 
In the eradication of bovine tuberculosis the question of 
property, animal and human life are all at stake, and if the de¬ 
sired result can be accomplished more readily and more com¬ 
pletely b} a practical application of the laws governing the 
transmission of hereditary qualities and characteristics, we are 
certainly taking an important step in advance. The work of 
extermination in various localities and states has been well 
done, and the sanitary regulations adopted effective, but I 
would go still farther and breed dairy cattle that would inherit 
such constitution, stamina and vigor as to have a practical im¬ 
munity from an invasion of the bacilli of tuberculosis when ex¬ 
posed to the germs. If some steps are not taken in this direc¬ 
tion we will find that in the course of a few y r ears another cru¬ 
sade against the disease will have to be waged at great cost to 
dairymen, farmers and the State. The remedy is in our hands 
if we only apply it. In the first place it will be necessary for 
the breeders of dairy cattle to understand the importance and 
value of this phase of the subject, and that the remedy is at 
hand, if they will recollect that “ like begets like,” and breed 
only from the class of animals already ajluded to. 
I have made this subject a matter of close observation and 
study among native and imported cattle for several years. 
During the two administrations that I had the honor of re¬ 
presenting the United States Government as the veterinary of¬ 
ficer of this great port of New York I had an opportunity of 
seeing and watching almost every known breed of cattle now 
extant m the civilized world. All importations from foreign 
lands were held in quarantine under our Federal law for a pe¬ 
riod of ninety days, during which time they were under close 
observation. Change of climate affected some breeds more than 
