10O STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
TUBERCULOUS COWS, AND THE USE OF THEITe 
MILK IN FEEDING CALVES. 
By GCoaS PHEERES. 
In October, 1896, arrangements were made with the Con- 
necticut State Cattle Commission by which four condemned 
Devon cows were placed at the disposal of the Station for the 
purpose of making some observations and experiments on 
tuberculosis. The herd from which the animals came was 
officially tested with tuberculin by the Cattle Commissioners 
in March, 1896, and several of the animals in the herd were 
condemned and slaughtered. At that time the four animals, 
which were later taken for experiment, failed to respond (see 
page iol.) These were officially tagged as free from the 
disease, and were numbered 1337, 1341, 1343, and 1344. 
In October, 1896, the herd was again tested with tubercu- 
lin by the same commissioners, and the four cows just referred 
to responded to the test (see page 101), and were shortly after- 
ward placed at the disposal of the Station, and have been kept 
in quarantine since that time. 
The appearance of the disease in animals which seven 
months before were pronounced sound may, perhaps, be ac- 
counted for in one of three ways. First: The disease may 
have been present at the time of the first test, and, through 
failure on the part of the tuberculin to react, its presence was 
not revealed. Second: At the time of the first test the germs 
may have but recently found lodgment in the animals. In 
this case the disease might have been so little developed as not 
to cause a response to the test. Third: The disease germs 
may have been acquired by these cows after the first test was 
made, owing to insufficient care having been used in disinfect- 
ing the stables. | 
These particular animals were chosen for experiment, be- 
cause there was good reason to believe that the disease was 
present in its earlier stages. One object in view was to study 
the effect of the milk of slightly diseased cows when fed to 
healthy calves, and also the relative danger from the spread of 
the disease by association with diseased animals. 
