Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-15
The Cattle Disease In Washington
County, Pa.
fFrom the Examiner of yesterday.

Mr.. james Morrison, of CHARTERS town
ship, informed us on Friday last that the
disease which has been so disastrous to
cattle in the Eastern Ssates had broken
out among nis sheep, and had carried off
II large number. On Thursday he lost
about forty, and others were in dying
| condition when lie left home on Friday
He brought to town small quantity of
gravelly-sor of substance taken from the
stomach of one of the dead sheep, and
submitted it to several of our physicians
for nnalyzation; but, after thorough ex-
animation, nothing could be made out of
it. He states that the disease is very sim
liar TO cholera in its operations, carrying
of the sheep in short time after being
attacked. 1t behooves our farmers TO be
on their guard, and take every precaution
| to prevent the spread of the malady.
The disease has been doing sad havoc
among the cattle in the enstern part of
this State, and in order that our readers
may be thoroughly posted as to the symp-
toms and the best mode of preventing and
treating it, we give place, to an outline of
the discussion on the subject before the
Philadelphia Society for the Promotion of
Agriculture, on Wednesday morning of last
week.
DR.. Emerson read paper giving his
tory of the disease, and of the legislation
concerning it. He said a similar murrain
had ravagcd England, Holland and Switz-
crland, and like all diseases of the kind, it
travels from east to west, as the cholera
did in 1892. Much of the ravnges of the
disease are attributed to close and un-
healthy quarters. Free ventilation y4H4
ss1RQsrt0Sifp cs6GnttaGation. sG The animal should
not be subjected to strong draughts of air,
but rather TO n free circulation OF the at
mosphere An old English lexicngrapher
defines murrain as disease engendered
nv dry weather. AS we have bad copious
rains, whlc in New England the season
has been unusually wet, we may escape
the disease mensurably.
Dr.. Elwyn said that the disease, or
something similar, had broken out here in
1856.
Mr.. John Ford said that about three
mouths ago his attention had been called
to a milk dairy in his ncighborhood,
where the disease had broken out in u
head of fifty COWS, and some fifteen or
seventeen bad died. Subsequently his
farmer had been requested to go to dairy
a short distance from Frankfort, where
there were twenty five or thirty head
The disease had been raging for some time,
and some six or seven had died. They
were all grain-fcd cattle, and supplied
milk for our citizens. Upon going into
the stable, although it WAS cold weather,
tho odor was so horrible and offensive MS
to produce nausea in a few minutes.
MIR. John Lardner remarked that SINH
lar case had occurred in his nci-hborhood.
DR.. Emerson thought the disease was all
epidemic progressing from cast to west.
| DR.. R. S. Jennings, stated that he had
been corresponding with member of the
committee appointed by the Legislature OF
Massachusetts. The disease commenced
principally with cattle imported from Hol-
| land. The treatment of the disc sc Ind
fuiled, and the committee thought it their
duty to recommend the course pursued in
Europe, but that never stayed the rHlidity
of the disease. DR.. Jennings thought that
much depended upon atmospheric lnliu-
| cnces. The disease was said to be con-
tAgious aud infectious. If strictly conta-
gions, it would not make spontaneous
appearance in different parts of the coun-
try. Gases had occurred in this vicinity,
within year, which had been treated by
the veterinary surgeons. They had proved
that it was not infectious. If taken in its
! incipency, there was no trouble in the
treatment. In the vicinity of Camden q
farmer lost twenty-eight head, and others
had heen successfully treated. Down in
the "Neck" one party had lost twenty-five
COWS; another twelve, and others smaller
numbers. In Chester county twenty had
died, and in Bucks county nearly wholc
herd.
There is no necessity for destroying the
cattle i'll wholesale manner. The sPcH-
ker believed forty-6ve out of fifty could be
saved The premonitory symptoms ap-.
pear two weeks before the bre"king out OF
the disease This is the time to take them,
and he believed that by aiding in the pro-
Lection of farmers, the spread of the dis
ease can be prevented. AS sanitary
measure he recommended that all stables
and cow-sheds should be whitewashed and
well ventilated, so that the air may not
become contaminated. Chloride of lime
or quick lime should he freely used, and
above all things, cleanliness Observed
These precautions are necessary TO pre-
vent the spread of the disease, which is
now all around us.
Mr., Ford was of the opinion that the
disease is around us, and it is principally
among cows furnishing milk TO our cltl-
zens.'
In New England and New York the dis
case is called pleuro- ro-pne"monia, and
writer in one of the eastern cities gives Tux
following as an antfdotc:
ssBurn tar freely in the barn or shed two
or three times in day, and let the cattle
inhale it, out not too closei let them ial
freely OF salt every other day; dissolve
chlorate of potassa in water, wash thel
nostrIIs and mouth. and rub them all owe
with coarse brush wet in the same
sprinkle chloride of lime in and about IN,
stables; give the cattle few onions II the!