New-York tribune., 1880-02-22
STAMPING OUT7HE CATTLE PLAGUE.
LETTER FROM pRoFEssoRLAw OF CORNELL

LETTER FROM PROFESSORLAW OF CORNELL
THE Nrw-JERsEY LEGISLATURE INDIGNANT AT THE
COST OF THE CATTLE INsPECTION-PREYALENCE
OF THE PLAGUE IL THE LARGE EASTERN CIT les
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO PROTECT THE
WEST AND CURE THE EVIL IN THE EAST.
TO the EdftOr OF The Tribune
STR In recent report Of the New-Jersey
Legislature It Is mentioned that the statement OF the
expenses OF the Cattle Inspection Bureau" had reused
what may honestly Dc called righteous indignation"
While unacquaiued with the private history OF the New
jersey " Cattle Inspection Bureau" and while have
had no opportunity to confer with any member of that
Bureau on tie subject causes Of this Indignation
and therefore to be considered the champion
Of that body yet in vcw Of the great importance o. the
subject, 10 the entire Union and primarily ana espe-
caiy to NcwYork. beg TO call The attention Of the
Legislature i'll question 20 ono or two considerations
which they seem to have overlooked.
FSt-With regard to the cost OF professional ser.
vices" was Informed some time ago by a NcSJersey
official that up January the inspectors had
ued and passed upon 10000 head Of cattle At the full
outlay $l4 600 this represents pay 80 pr
capita. Suppose the professional man had been called
in by the individual owner. the charge would probably
have been $2 per head or $4,000 in ALL
As things have been and still are, where there arc
suppressle measures the milk Of these infected
is sold long Il can be drawn, ard when this fails
tie market. Now is quite true that the milk Will not
produce lung plague the fant the beef the
adult yet both are largely lacking in nutritye qualities
and fail 10 maintain vigorous health In the cOHsumcr9
and must prcdipOsc TO indgestIOns ana wastiug dis
Wien matters have been brought 70 this pass,
will the physician be grudged 80 cents per head for
attending on suffering humanity
Second-But again the inspectors work does not end
with the examination of animals Theyhavc TO travel 70
,llr oft tho IN he Al hey
the slaughter OF the sick and to the proper
disposal Of their carcasses to the quarantine OF the
Infected hcrd to the disposal OF infected fodder and
ster 10 the disnfcctlon OF infected buildings cars.
etc; The guarding Of the frontier against tho intro
ductOn OF Infection from other States to the disrlbu
ton OF sound animals required In sound herds III
infected districts % the movement Of animals by per
mlts within the Infected districts, and OutT't from
them. and to the proper supervision Of pasurage 10
prevent the propagation 0 the disease by the contact Of
different herds The who thinks that the stamp
ing ont Of pestencc simply the killing Of the
sick has formed most inadequate idea of the multi
farious details ssary a successful result.
TRird-I shall take but Of thcse icmehat OF pas
turagc-to Illustrate the imperative necessity OF special
supervision.
In all countries the mngl ug OF different herds on the
same pasture has been main cause 0! maintaining the
Infection. From time immemorIal this has prevailed
with the other animal plaques on the endless open aud
of Russia. From these Las constantly sicat on the
occasion of every great wer in Central or Eastern
Europe. the cattle OF The stcpnes beng then drawn
uuou for the supply of the belgerent armies. Slni
larlv the mfenccd mountains of Central Europe belig
theatres OF such wars ana the inc OF cdtte
traffic. have infected during great part o. the I'M
warlke intervals though the adjacent feuced plains
and the Highlands Of Scotland out of the region OF
watts and tradel tls plague pas never been known Dc
cause these breeding districts INTO which no strange
(uiected) animals have ever been brought In Irc-
,.fat npep hat
spread over ts entire surface aud continues 20 prevail
10 TIE prescut day So1th Africa and Australia urnsh
additional instances OF the Infection OF cattle by COM
pssturage. In Australia SICK aud suspected cattle
arrest the scourGe. which extended from colony TO
colony aud oyorT.n the entire country .o,,
tanned for the past thrtysix years mainly ly the same
condition o. pc 'ulaec IN common. Around BROOKLYN,
New-Yors. Jerscy city, Newark. Elzlbeth, Trenton.
Buriucton. camden, philadelphia, NOrIIstOwn, Will
mington Baltimore. Annapolis. Washington and Alex
land on which the cows OF different owners pasture
promiscuUusy, that herd niects herd and the dis
case invariably increases duling the summer season
and atan- It's greatest prevalence late in the Autumn.
our cxuerience in NcWYOrk Cy supplies crucial test
ofthis By july l. 1873 Obtained the assistance OF
the city police IN preventing the exposure Of catie on
the streets unfenced lots, thar We were enabled
to prevent the muG.ing of herds end by October the
Infection fingered IN only six eight herds I'm the city
In BrOoklyn ON the other hand, wnere the tadvlsed
Aldermen passed an ordinance authorizing the paotur
age OF frreut herds in common unTanced lois ard
abolished city pound. that such cattle might not be
the charges against persons violating the state
this respect the plague Is still very widely preVa
lent.
From history like this New-Jersey may learn, may
lSo Brooklyn and own legislators at Albany thht
IN order to exurpate this plague they must empower
their officials maintain the most careful control over
the movements Of cattle, and above all 10 shut up all
omen common paSturages and 10 allow no cOmmunCa
ou bet,eeu nerds Of which there s the least shadow
of suspicion. The safe disposal OF the sick l. atmpor
ant but states lavish their means upon THIS 10 no
purpose uule.s tIcy supplement 1t by other equally
essential measur Of prrcauii0n.
IN CONCLUSION would offer one remark concerning our
certain future il arrest the present work OF sXtet
nnnalng this plague IL anY day reach our great
cattle riugcs west OF the Mississippi single thorough
bred bnl or Cattlcateudaut with Injected clothes,
may De the easy medium. The Injection would speedily
cxtcnl Over the whole Of the plans and Territories ana
wOuii flow eastward through All the channt Is OF the Co
tra ic and lay the Nation under tax that would dwarf
onr agriculture and sap National prosperity. Eng
land with 900 mead Of cai tie, has IoSt annually IN
The last thirty velrg nom This plague SlOO0O,Ooo m
cratbs alone thoug the great catlcraisng Highlands
lnyc nm now escaped. We with our 81 OOoO0O head.
world therefore lose at least $O5,0OOOOO per aDnuu
To tho4. ignorant OF the subject II may row ren wase
iul pend money on the extinction of this dseasr
buf n ~. ~tdt.s and Federal Government agree 10
neglect IT, the day distnut when their tuderd
economy will result in terrible calamity Yours re-
spcctIully, JAMES LAW.
Iuhaca Feb 81 1850.