The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1880-04-23
Stamping Out the Cattle Disease.

Hon Herman stump, President of the State
Senate, to inquire into the extent of pleuro-
pneumonia among the cattle in Hartford coun-
~. Mr.. Stump accordingly selected DR.. James
VI. Magraw, of this county, for the work.
DIR. Magraw is we'll qualified for the task
Hepossesses frmness and good judgment, and
besides, has devoted considerable time in
studying the symptoms of this and other
diseases of cattle. On Thursday of last week
DR.. Magraw visited the Dairy Farm, situated
about nine miles from Bel Air. He examined
nineteen head of cattle belonging to Capt. E.
b. Gallup, the farmer in charge of the proper
~. Five of them exhibited all the outward
symptoms of the disease, and post mortem
examination by DIR. Magraw of COW verified
the suspicion. Accordingly Mr. Stump telc-
graphcd the facts 10 the Governor, who
authorized DR.. Magraw to take charge of the
matter and TO proceed under the provisions
of thepleuro-pneumonia act passed nj the late
session of the Legislature
On Monday DR.. Magraw again visited the
Dairy. The subject being one in which much
interest is felt, n numbcrof farmers and others
were present including Hon. Herman Stump,
James Lee, John Moores, Alexander NJ. Full
ford, DR.. James #. Bllingslca, W. Smithson
Forwood, Joseph A. Price, f. W. Gallup
John c. Dawson, Henry Fulford. William p
Trimble, Gabriel Christy, II. Emory Taylor
&. w. IIanway, W. r. Cunningham, Thomas
~ Hays John b. Price and others. In order
10 show those present the effects of the dis
case, Dr. Magraw had one of the COWS, which
was very far gone with the plague, slaughter
ed and dissected. The lungs showed the we'll
established features of pleuro- pneumonia
Their entire structure was changed They
were hard and firm, and had grown fast to the
ribs ut some points. The air passages were fill
ed with clottcd blood, and the organs present.
ed peculiarly marbled appearance, not I'M
like that of rare roast beef \ person who
has once seen the lungs of an animal affected
with pleuro- pneumonia can not mistake it
again. 1t was the unanimous opinion of those
present, some of whom are largely engaged
in grazing cattle, that Mr. Gallups entire herd
should be slaughtered, in order to stamp out
Inc disease nj once.
For want of sufficient force to bury the
cattle, the work Of slaughter was postponed
until Wednesday, when it was completed
Two COWS belonging to William E. Cromwell,
colored man living on the place, were also
killed.
The cattle not actually diseased, but which
had been exposed to the contagion, were APP
praised by Messrs. John Moorcs and James
Lee. A full report of the matter will be sent
to the Governor by Dr. Magraw.
The introduction of the disease is traced
by Mr.. Gallup to a drove of cattle purchased
by him at the Calyerton drove yards, on the
18th of last September Shortly after getting
them home several of them became affected
Of the lung fever. Spirits of turpentine was
applied TO the affected cattle as counter
irritant, and dsinfcctants were literally used
While some of the cattle recovered and began
/" thrive, ON the 24th of November one steer
died. Mr.. Gallup then first suspected the
presence of plcuro pneumonia in his herd
On the Goth of December another steer died
and two COWS, apparently affected, were
killed. The disease, il was then thought
had abatcd, and the remainder of the steers
were sold nj The Baltimore Cattle Scales.--
The seeds Of the Cuntagiom still existed, how.
ever, and ii broke out among Il lot of COWS
some ofwhich were purchased atIcrthe disease
was thought to have subsidized Since the 18th
Of last September seventeen steers and cows
helongingt to Mr.. Gallup have died of the dis
case or were killed on account of it, without
including those slaughtered under the rrO.
visions of the law.
There is no doubt that the cattle disease
exists also on the farm of Senator George II
Williams, in the ncighborhood of the Dairy
Farm, but he plague there, rs in Mr. Galmps
case, can he traced directly Ia II steer brought
from the Calverton drove wards An inyesti-
cation will be made by Dr. Magraw Of Mr..
Williams cattle, and the process of cAlrrmi.
nation will be repeated there. il necessary.
No eases of the disease are rrporlcd in the
county, save those ON Mrssra tallup's and
Williams farms 1t is almost certain that il
has not spread To amy of the surrounding
farms Morris il likely 10 spread. The Dairy
Farm is isolated, in great measure 1t con
tains nearly one Thousand acres. and is bound
ed ON the south by Bush river, ON the cas-, bv
Church creek and on the west the farm OF
Mr.. Charles y. Mct;aw separates il from
Bush creek. There is no disease upon Mr.
Mctiaw 5 farm. Nopublic road passes through
II, and the nearest thoroughiarc is the old post
road along which, in olIrn times, four horse
stage coachcs conveyed passengers between
Baltimore and Philadelphia This road is
several miles distant from The field where Mr.
fallup's cattle We're kept and separated there
from by Il large body OF woodland. llis there
fore not at all probable that it has spread, and
now that the cattle are DESTROYED. of course
all danger is over from that quarter.
The remedy for the eradication of the dis-
ease appears Ia he n severe on,, since the
owners of cattle not actually diseased, which
il may be deemed necessary to destroy, under
the law, must wait for an appropriation from
the next Legislature, before they can receive
the amount for which their cattle have been
appraised Nevertheless, no other precantion
except absolute eXtirpation of the entire herd
in which even one affected animal is found,
will be safe The disease may to appearances
he checked by killing oil diseased animals but
where one case exists the seeds of the conta-
gion are spread through the entire herd and
may remain dormant for months, only to
break ont with greater virulence than at first,
at an unexpected moment
The prompt and decided measures adopted
hy Governor Hamilton will in n short time,
we are confident, eradicate every case of the
disease now within nnr hnrllers hnt N n an,,r