New YorkK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 39 
The tuberculin test, on the other hand, responds to the presence 
of a single active tubercular nodule as readily as to a number, but 
it unfortunately does not give any measure of the extent of the 
disease. From these facts it would seem plain that when dealing 
with the early stages of this disease the tuberculin is the more 
efficient guide. In our own case only one animal was considered 
suspicious on physical examination while a tuberculin test of the 
herd, on Dec. 5-6, 1900, gave a positive reaction with eight mature 
cows and seven of the young cattle out of a total of twenty-eight.?® 
As will be seen the subsequent results proved the reliability of the 
best 
CONSIDERING THE SITUATION. 
A sound herd was a necessity in order that the experimental work 
of the Station might be properly conducted. With more than one- 
half of our cattle diseased, the question was as to the best way to 
obtain a sound herd. The only way in which we could do this was 
either by disposing of the diseased animals and buying sound ones 
or by following the Bang method which has already been described. 
The common method of disposing of reacting animals was by 
slaughter and burial. Where this wasteful method is not followed 
but the cattle in the earlier stages of the disease are fattened and 
sold for beef, subject to Federal inspection, only the beef value of 
a part of the animals could be obtained. In this herd all of the 
animals represented good breeding and a part of them were regis- 
tered stock. By following the slaughter method all of the advan- 
tages of this breeding would be lost. Again it would be necessary 
** The stable in which these animals were kept was a large basement with 
two rows of stanchions facing each other but with a wide driveway extend- 
ing down the center. While the cattle were let out daily, in suitable weather, 
into the paddock or pasture they were returned each night regularly to their 
own stanchions. Accordingly the location of the diseased animals in the 
barn is of interest. Cow No. 8 had stood midway in a row of fifteen mature 
animals. The first four cows standing immediately to her right all reacted 
and the first three and the fifth cow standing to her left also reacted. 
These eight were the only mature cows which responded to this tuberculin 
test.. The two oldest heifers were at the extreme right of the line of cows 
and did not react. The remainder of the young cattle were at the opposite 
side of the barn and arranged according to age. The two oldest at the end 
of the line did not react but the seven younger heifers ranging in age from 
eight to seventeen months all reacted. 
