National Republican., 1883-04-24

under the present orany probable future cir
cumstances the price of producing beef can be
reduced On the contrary,we may readily inler
that. with circumscribed facilities for grazing,
the reverse may reasonably be anticipated
Notwithstanding the facilities heretofore un.
surpassed afforded by boundless extent OF
the richest grazing country in the world,
unoccupicd except by the spontaneous growth
of countless herds of buffalo and antelope
which breed and multiply by millions, un-
cared for and unattended only by the hordes
OF savages who swarm upon their outskirts
and subsist upon the precarious results OF
hunting. Since the first occupation OF this
country by the white race the production OF
mcatas an article ofsubsistenceh has hardly been
considered. Until the few last decades, since the
wonderful development Of an unprecedented
system of internal improvements, together
with rapid increase of population, these
haunts of the Indians and Buffalo remained
in the uudisturbed possession Of their original
occupicrs Later years have forced the white
race to utilize these vast facilities for the pro-
duCtion OF meats and their occupation for
these purposes have gone on with such ra-
pidity that We are already met with the fact
that almost every acre of these vast plains
east Of the Rocky mountains is occupied and
utilized in the production of the necessarios
of life and with facilities which have enabled
them o successfully compete with every ma
tioh. and in the most remote markets OF the
world.
With the present rapid absorption of these
facilities and their utilization for other pur-
poses, it would he difficult to imagine under
what system the production of meats could
be rendered more economical and their adop-
tion as a means of subsistence more general
throughout the manufacturing districts.
The charge that these interests have here
tofore been neglected will become apparent
when IL is considered that since the year 1858,
just thirty years ago, no adequate means nave
been adopted for the control of the cattle
fever and plcuro. pneumonia, which have CON
tinued to exist as a constant menace TO this
important enterprise.
The interest that has recently been mani
tested in this connection, and the measures
adopted and recommended by the Hon. q. B.
Ioring, commissioner of agriculture, for the
suppression of these destructive plaques gives
promise of effective results which will render
the cattle traffic much less exposed to its
rayages, with a consequent reduction in the
risk and profit to both producer and con-
sumer.
DIR. Loring being a scientist and prac-
tical agriculturst, at once saw the i'm
portance of protecting this great Ameri-
can interest, and accordingly organized
a board of skilled medical gentlemen in
veterinary medicine to investigate and find
out, if possible, tho cause of these epidemic
diseases which prevail so alarmingly among
the cattle of tho United States, and recon-
mend such means rs will eradicate this
terrible plague of the bovine race
The board has been at work for several
months past making investigations of this
class of diseases, and their labors have been
fraught with scientific success.
There is TO be permanently established in
Washington under the direction of the agri-
cultural department hospital to experiment
on the epidemic diseases Of domesticated ami
mails, which will add greatly to the interest
and efficiency of this scientific branch Of the
agricultural bureau.