CONTAGIOUS DISEASES IN KANSAS. 
261 
I have watched intelligent and prosperous farmers in out¬ 
breaks of equine distemper, for instance, employing a veterinar¬ 
ian in whom they had the utmost confidence, and that veterinar¬ 
ian would explain the great necessity of isolating the sick from 
the well, and placing the sick under the best sanitary surround¬ 
ings, all of which would be listened to with profound respect 
and apparent interest; but upon the next visit the same condi¬ 
tions would prevail, with perhaps the difference in favor of the 
unhygienic. But all of you are more or less familiar with these 
conditions, and it is needless for me to take up our valuable time 
respecting them here. I wish in particular to speak of hog 
cholera and swine plague, because I am satisfied that the State 
of Kansas has lost more money through the different forms of hog 
cholera than from all the other contagious and infectious diseases 
of animals combined ; and yet, how vastly different are the laws 
of Kansas, in dealing with the infection of hog cholera, when 
compared with those of Texas fever. For instance, with a small 
outbreak of Texas fever, in any community in the State, the 
greatest excitement will prevail; all the farmers in a radius of 
ten miles will come flocking in to make an investigation (which 
by the way is all right they should). The investigation will 
probably develop the fact, that the infection was brought in by 
some innocent party, who had purchased the cattle from some 
parties living outside the State. Perhaps the fever is in a mild 
form and there is not the least danger of its spreading ; no matter, 
every farmer in that community would have that man’s property 
confiscated; they want not only the cattle placed in quarantine, 
but the most of them want a job taking care of them ; they 
would have, if possible, a man to every head of cattle to guard 
them, and no matter what the costs are, the poor owner has no 
sympathy. 
I have in my mind an object lesson : two years ago the Gil¬ 
lespie Commission Co., of the Kansas City stock yards, purchased 
120 head of cattle from a bunch shipped in from California, and 
as California at that time was generally supposed to be free 
from the infection of Texas fever, no precautions were taken 
