The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-06-14
The Cattle Disease.
.Nsasoqs of Con Banhs TIE Di~ose in Ner
Jersey-hs Progress IN New England.

Jersey-Is Progress IN Neo Englan6.
The malady which has carried off so many
cattle in Massachusetts has made its appear-
ance, it is said in the naighborhood of New
ark, New Jersey This is very near us. and
must render the farmers and iairymen of
our own State not little anxious as to the
fate Of their stock. As the disease appears
to be contagious, or. at anv r,te, as it spreads
from herd to herd, and from locality to
locality, wherever an infected animal IS bro't
measures should be taken instantly to pre-
vent, as far as possible, its further diffusion.
Pleuro pneumonia is the name generally
given to it. but in tn report Of Mr.. Amasa
Walker and Dr. Todd. made to the Massa-
chuSetts Legislature, it is termed the Pulmo-
nary Murrain, and is said to differ from the
pneumonia IN the fact that it is Contagious,
which the latter is not
The precise origin Of this disease does not
seem to be clearly determined The first
traces of it are referred to the high noun
tainous region of the Jura in Europe. whence
it was gradually carried into Holland, Eng
land, New England and Australia It ap
peared in France about the year 1910, and
in England, Scotland and Ireland the subse-
qucnt year. It's ravages, however, have
been most extensive in Holland, and it is
supposed to have come to this country from
Holland. about one year ago. Two or three
months since, it attracted great deal of at
tention in Massachusetts, by the number of
deaths it occasioned, and the Legislature
considered il so serious in its effects as to
appoint a commissioner. in order to investi-
gate it, and to extripate it If possible. The
Commissioners were authorized ard required
to visit without delay the several places in
the Commonwealth where the disease was
known or suspected to exist, and were en-
powered to cause all cattle which had been
diseased, o. had belonged to diseased herds.
to be forthwith killed and buried, and the
premises where they were kept cleansed
and purfied-to appraise in their discretion,
the value Of the cattle killed which were
apparently we'll. and certify to the Governor
and Council he allowances made to the
owners of the cattle.
Thew have been at work ever since. and
Gov. Banks called an extra session Of the
Legislature this week, to hear report of
thar lab,r- r. apna,r, tb,t oil s,gnoofod
herds have been examined. and manv cattle
have been isolated by order of the Commits
sioners. Eight hundoe1 and forty two have
been slaughtered, for which compensation
has beer allowed bv the Commissioners to
the amount of S2O,432 80. The Commis-
sioners adopted two courses--the slaughter
ofanimals suspected of being affected, and
the isolation of others which had been ey-
posed to infection In Europe three modes
of extripating the disease have have bsen
acted upon, viz. slaughter, isolation and
incubation.
The Governor is of opinion that the Legis.
lature, instead Of assuming hereafter amounts
ordered to be paid by the Commissioners
should fix beforehand the amount to be
allowed in each class of cases. He also sug-
gcsts prohibition of the export, to other
States, of infected cattle or cattle which have
been exposed to infection, though he seems
to be in doubt Of the right ola State to enact
such prohibition.
Governor Banks says very truly that this
subject does not concern New England alone
but that all the States are deeply interested
in it; and in proof Of the fact he cites from
the census the number of cattle in the coun-
try liable to be assalled by the distemper -
The neat cattle in the United States in 1850,
he SAYS, numbered 1873. 900. Estimatinn
the number at the present time upoE this
basis, by adding 20 per cent. to the number
as the natural increase in 10 years, it will
now exceed 22,000,00O. The number of
mlch cows returned to the census bureau for
1850 was over six millions. and the number
of working oxen was nearly million and
three-quar.ers. The value of butter, cheese,
and milk not used for butter and cheese, re-
turned in 1850, as portion of the agrirultu-
raj product, according to the estimate Of Prof.
Tucker, exceeded eighty million dollars -
To this must be added an equal sum as the
valne ofcattle slaughtered for this market,
and the value of the labor of nearly million
yoke of working oxen at the present time,
estimating their labor for a year at twenty
dollars per yoke. and the aggregate value of
this yearly product exceeds one hundred and
eigety million dollars. There is but one agri-
cultural product Of equal Importance, that
oflndian corn. To the aggregate thus stated
must be added the valae of the cattle them
selves, which, estimated at twenty dollars
per head, amounts to nearly SS70.000. 900.
Upon the basis Of the census of 1850 this
interest involved value of products and
property equal to 800, o,ooo,o 600 The ave-
rage increase in ten years may be safely esti
mated at twenty per centum, and this would
make the same values equal for the present
year to $40, 100000
These are formidable figures, aud we trust
will have the effect of arrestng the attention
not only of the authorities, but of the agri-
cultural societies which may do a great deal
towards arresting the spread of the evil.
The Difference.