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5. Farm animals outside the farm premises.—Under this heading animals
issued or sold out of the Khanapara and the Sylhet farms would be considered
in some detail, since these were the farms in which the incidence of the disease
had assumed a high proportion.
During the period between 1931 and 1935 a large number of improved
bulls and other animals from the Government farms at Khanapara and Sylhet
were issued and sold out to stock-breeders and the farmers in both the Surma
and the Assam Valley districts of the province. Most of the animals out of the
issued lot in which clinical symptoms suggestive of Johne's disease appeared,
were brought back to the Government farms where the diagnosis was confirmed
on the result of bowel-washing examination, and autopsy of those which died
or were destroyed. Amongst others of the same lot the incidence was deter-
mined by the avian tuberculin test on the loanees' premises. Out of 115
animals sold out of the Khanapara farm, only 22 were available for the test.
The disease was positively diagnosed by bowel-washing and rectal scraping
examination in a few positive reactors and clinical cases only, as the majority
of animals could not thus be examined through unwillingness of the owners
concerned.
In the Surma Valley districts, out of 39 animals sold out from the Sylhet
farm, only 20 were found alive and 16 subjected to the test. Table VI
contains the result of the test on farm animals loaned and sold out to different
localities in the province.
6. Private herds and the animals of village herds kept in association with
the farm animals.—The Avian Tuberculin test on the cattle of three villages and
two private herds aimed at the detection of the disease and its incidence in
indigenous stock which mixed and grazed together with the Government
farm bulls for the last few years. The breeding bulls in the three villages had,
in the course of their stay, suffered several times from diarrhoea and debility,
and had in consequence contaminated the common village pastures. In
one village the Government bull was reported to have died after showing symp-
toms of Johne's disease, and in another, the bull on showing loss of condition
was withdrawn to the Khanapara farm where the disease was positively
diagnosed on post-mortem examination. The Avian Tuberculin test conducted
on local cattle of these villages revealed a large number of reactors (as shown
in Table VII).
Two private dairy herds, one at Sylhet and the other at Gauhati, to
which milch cows purchased from Government farms were introduced, suffered
heavily on account of Johne's disease. The owner of the private herd at
Sylhet in May, 1935 had purchased three cows from the Government farm,
Sylhet, of which one died about a year after purchase. Of the two remaining
cows put to Avian Tuberculin test, one registered a positive reaction which
was later confirmed on the result of bowel-washing examination. Out of
15 local cows of this herd, which were tested with Avian Tuberculin (as shown
in Table VII), six were found positive reactors. In 1934 and 1935, the owner
of the other herd at Gauhati had purchased one pregnant Assamese cow
and two heifers from the Khanapara farm. The cow was reported to have
died about a month after calving, and the heifers had suffered from diarrhoea
and debility from time to time. In February 1936, definite evidence of