The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-08-28
FROM THE CAPITAL.
THE SOUTHERN CATTLE FEVER.
WhAtthe Department Of AZ grlcuiturs Thinks About
It-llepertA IRON, West Virginia on The Subject.
M Dr.. nll.s taking an luterest In the Gar.
Held Clalms-StAr Route Trials.


M, Dr.. uiI,s taking an laterest Ia the Gar.
Held Clilns-StAr Route Trials.
WASHINGTON, August 2G.-The Agricul.
tural Department has under consideration
the Southern cattle fever. An interview
with the head OF the Animal division OF the
Bureau OF Agriculture discloses The follow.
ing facts: lsg
awe can do nothing" he said, "but nd.
wise, and before We can advise we must |
investigate; that We are now doing. The |
Texas cattle fever Is quite widely spread |
this year, and 1t seems 10 be more destruct.
i've tim II has been for years. Where II !
attacks the northern cattle it Is always
fatal. 1t Is imported by southern cattle,
which do not show any evidences Of the
disease when they are driven North; and
yet the native cattle, passing over the
road they have Travelled for weeks after.
ward, will become infected and their death |
follows very rapidly. 1t is one Of the most !
peculiar diseases known among stock"
ut Is claimed by those familiar withit,"
suggested, that the germ OF the disease |
Is Destroyed where the temperature is be-
low freezing, and the spread OF the disease |
thus terminated"
"ies," he replied, "that is the case; but
the linc Of latitude within which ils ELECTS |
are felt has been gradually extending north.
ward"
ut is not, then, limited to sections lying
south Of latitude 50 NJ
mo; that line il down in Virginia, and
this pest has been extending itself north Of
TINT line. We have been for some time
endeayoring to trace It. 1t has now crossed
the Blue Ridge"
"What is its character; is it clearly dc.
tined?'
awe do not know anything about it.
There nre dozen theories accounting for
its existence"
is not one Of those theories the belief
that it results from blood poisoning, caused
by the ticks that fasten themselves onthe
cattle before they leave the SouthY'
THAT is one theory, but it has been ex-
plodcd. 1t is disproved by the known
lact that cattle may pass over the same
road on which cattle have been driven, or
in cars in which they have been trans
ported, without contracting the infection
and another fact disprovine it is, that there
are innumerable Cases recorded where the
cattle on adjoining farms we're separated
only by slight board fence, one herd be-
ing injected and the other suffering no in
Jury thereirom, though they could up-
proach within six inches OF each other. l
know OF one case of this kind in Georsia,
where there WIS no protection. and yet
there was no infection from the deceased
herd. The disease runs out after the iirs:
infection; the Northern animal cannot
impart it to another; it can only pass
from the Southern 10 the Northern
cattle, and then it is lost in the one
that is killed. Its origin ana cause
we are now trying to unravel, and are ex-
perimenting to tlmt end. DR.. Salmon, OF
this department, is now conducting the
experiments, and will soon be able to fur
nish the scientific world with Il full account
OF the origin, qualities and conditions OF
this poison. lie now has the cirrus, and is
snbjec,inS it to analysis. The germ, is so
small that it has TO be subjected 10 most
powerful microscope for examination. 1t
is simply little granule, perfectly round
so small rs TO be barely perceptihle, and is
down in Texas now, where he has been
for the past four or five months, engaged
in this investigation, where the cattle are
raised that spread this infection and pro-
duce the active poison
Gould this infection espread by means
Of clothing worn by persons who had been
with these infected cattle, rs in the case OF
cattle infected with lung-piaguc?" o..
1T might; but have not found any
cases OF lha, kind, II seems, however, 10
have been more widely disseminated this
year than for Il long time past, and affects
animals much worse than heretofore for
many years. We have been requested by
citizens OF Lynchburgh, Va, to send a
veterinary surgeon there to investigate
this matter and have done 30. In
one county in that vicinity, they inform
me, they have lost $4,000 worth Of cattle.
How extensive the loss is in other localities
we have as yet no means Of knowing.
received, q few days since, a telegram from
James Mairs; OF Steubenville, Ohio, dated
August 18th, which reads: Have large
numbers Of cattle dying on my farm; they
: were brought from st. Louis We sent u
!. veterinary surgeon right down there.
= From Wheeling W. Va, l received the
: following communication from jus. L.
: Reeves Secretary OF the Board OF Health
for West Virginia: The disease made its
! appearance about the Goth OF July among
the native cattle, soon after the arrival OF
several loads shipped direct FROM Ala.
bama.' These are all the cases to which
9 our attention has been specially called,
g but We have seen many others referred to
in the public press"
"What preventive measures can be EN-
: ployed, as the question now presents itself"'
: "rhe only preventive measures are to
= keep the native cattle from the roads travel.
9 ed by the Texas cattle, and from the ears
in which they are transported; then kill
! the Southern cattle brought here"
: "The restriction upon the cattle traffic
from the South, limiting it to periods when
the temperature was below freezing, you
> think, then, would prevent injection 7"
"Yes; the frost kills the disease"
"When will You, make report OF your in.
vestgations OF this question:
"Not before the latter part OF the fall
These experiments require n great deal oi
J time"
= "This cattle disease, which prevailed
!. near Philadelphia about the first OF the
present month, was that the Texas iever?'
' ~ do not think SO. That was form ol
dnutruc. This is clearly established by the
t fact that men engaged in skinning the cat
s tie were poisoned thereby, and there is nc
j. instance OF that kind from cattle dying O.
i Texas fever"
Il -~>~-
Stnr Koute TrinI-Thc End In View.
WASHINGTON, August 26.-Attorney Gen
J eral Brewster says that he is already viii
his Star-route speech, which he will delive
l. as soon as the other gentlemen in the cast