P. G.
PANDE
45
of cattle with a mixture of copper sulphate and nicotine sulphate had con¬
siderably reduced the incidence of helminthic infestation with the consequent
improvement in the general health of cattle, cases of Johne's disease, as
ascertained by the avian tuberculin test, continued to occur.
During the period between January 1930 and April 1935, 96 young bulls
having passed the avian tuberculin test, were issued to several local boards
and municipalities, private herds, Goshalas, tea estates and breeding reserves
in the Assam Valley districts. During the same period 142 animals of all kinds
were sold out to the public of the same valley in and around the town of
Gauhati. Table II contains the results of the tests of animals at this farm
which reveals that the extent of infection is fairly well distributed amongst
all classes of animals. Second testing of the positive reactors confirmed the
result of the previous tests in about 90 per cent of cases.
2. Sylhet Farm.—This farm consists of an area of 228 acres of tillas with
interspersed flat areas situated at about three miles from the town of Sylhet.
Originally the stock consisted of local cattle, Bihari and Tharparkar only.
In 1931 Sindhi animals were placed on this farm either by fresh purchase or
by transfer from the Khanapara farm, so that during the year 1932-33, the
stock consisted of 39 pure Sindhis, 13 cross-bred (Sindhi x local grades) besides
38 animals of indigenous breed and 7 Murrah buffaloes.
The main troubles of cattle at this farm were the attacks of biting flies
and infestation with ticks and lice. Intestinal parasitism, although present
amongst the animals of this farm also, had not attained the same degree of
severity as amongst those of the Khanapara farm. Theileria mutans infec-
tion of calves and infectious bovine lymphangitis of plough bullocks were also
commonly encountered, and they appeared to have caused much concern to
the management of the farm.
The presence of Johne's disease on this farm was first detected in Novem-
ber 1935 in a Sindhi cow by Avian Tuberculin test and subsequent bowel-
washing examination and, immediately after, in a local buffalo as a result
of bowel-washing examination only. Inquiries on the source of infection
on this farm had revealed the information that a Sindhi bull ' Ahom ' which
was used as a breeding bull for a few years at the Khanapara farm was trans-
ferred to this farm in 1933, where after a few months of satisfactory service
it showed an apparent loss of condition, and from time to time continued to
suffer from diarrhœa which did not improve on treatment.
The disease
in this animal was later confirmed post-mortem by finding the specific lesions
and the micro-organism associated with them. The history of this animal,
however, serves to illustrate how an infected animal, apparently in a good state
of health, when moved to a clean farm, can propagate the disease there. Table
III contains the result of tests of animals at this farm showing almost the same
incidence of the disease as seen in the case of the Khanapara farm animals.
Post-mortem evidence of the disease at this farm was obtained in about 50
per cent of reactors, and out of the non-reactors only six, some of which
were advanced clinical cases, were later confirmed as cases of Johne's disease
on the result of post-mortem examination.
3. Jorhat, Karimgunj and Titabar Farms.—These farms are primarily
concerned with arable agriculture where the stock consisted mainly of plough
G