The Dickinson press., 1884-09-06

xhs Cattle Dissass-Intsrssting Interview
With Prot. Stalker on the Cattle Disease
ct L. Mars.
Des Moines Special: Prot. M. Stalker, state
veterinarian, was found in the city the other
day, and was Immediately coralled for an ex-
PLANTATION of the cattle disease outbreak at LIE
Mars:
81 found," he said, ssthat a large number of
cattle had died; that in almost every case the
attack was fatal. In company with the resi-
dent physicians ~ ! at oaee set about o., o; asGes1a in
animation, followed by post mortem. I found
the disease was true Texas fever. The next
step was to ascertain the source of infeoh9h,
Inquiry disclosed the fact that nearly all the
cases were those of town cows, whl ar
tain range to feed through the day,
and were returned at night Knowing that
the disease could only be communicated in
one way, further inquiry showed that nearly
two months ago a herd of cattle from abroad
was fed on the range several days. Examina,
ton of the records at the Office of the railroad
company showed that several cars of cattle
shipped from the southern part of Mississippi
were unloaded at LIE Mars and fed several days,
when they were reloaded and sent to Dakota.
From the date of their feeding on this range to
the time of the outbreak of the disease among
the native cattle was fifty-two days, which 1
have found is the incubation period Of this dis
ease. How much further south those cattle
came from Icannot trace; but they were evil
IDENTIFY Southwestern cattle"
aWere any of them sick; or did any of them
die?"
sNo: it is q singular fact that such cattle
in fact, all these Texas cattle-are apparently
in perfect health. This particular herd were
Their meat is, in fact, wholesome and health.
fnI' They are never sick, and do not impart
the disease by contact The disease is not in
f%ections, but in a certain sense it is contagious.
They carry the disease in their BODY, IN their
nary discharges, on the ground where they feed,
is Transmitted the disease to Northern or
native- or unacclimated cattle, to use that term
tn EXPRESS nv idea. The virtue ends with q
single transmission. Northern or native cat.
It to the other cattle by contact. Sick and well
cattle may be stabbed together with no danger.
A herd Of other Southern cattle might have
been driven on that same range and they would
not have been affected at all. The people there
were disposed to discredit my statement of
this anamolous condition and nature of the
disease. To satisfy them one of those southern
cattle was found. He was i'll splendid con-
dition. Arrangements were made for dlspos-
ing of his carcass to a butcher, and, in
and health authorities, he was killed
and q post mortem examination made. Before
commencing, 1 described infinitely what | ex-
pected to find. The examination verified my
diagnose precisely. The spleen was quadruple
the usual size, and other organs were in the
condition found in all these Texas cattle. 1t il
the effect of the climate in which they live ane
the water and food they get" i.
els there no cure for it among native cat.
Ito? =.
1t is uniformly fatal. One or two frosts seems
to destroy the virus on ground where these
cattle havefed."
.sHow about that herd sent out to Dakota:
will they not cause the same results they die
here?"
SIT is not improbable; still going so fa1
north they may become changed i'll physical
condition., so that the virus they leave behind
may lose its destructive force. However, ]
would not be surprised to hear oftroublef from
that section"
"What have you determined as to the cause
of the recent mortality among horses in Pot
tawattamie county,"
81 have not yet arrived at q satisfactory con
clusion. After a very careful clinical examina.
ton 1 decided the fatality was the result of some
alike, and that they all had been feeding in {
certain locality on bottom land. spent severa
days searching the locality where they grazet
for some known poisonous weed, being sahs'
fed that the trouble came from something
eaten. l could find nothing to which to attri
butte it, but 1 did find a weed growing quite
luxuriantly which belongs to the family of
very poisonous weed and of which the
horses there eat quito freely and seem tc
like it l gathered q quantity of it, found
that the horses in other sections, or on the
college farm would not eat it, or ever
taste it, so I could not test its effects.
think, therefore, the taste and liking of it ii
acquired, like that for tobacco or opiates b,
man. 1t begins with frequent nibbling of it
shall further test it, asI have a useless horsV
at my intr.mary to which l propose to giye
is correctly determined, q remedy can be sug
gested. Prevention can be had by keeping
horses from grazing in that locality. Proven
ton is better than cure-in fact, the chances
of cure are very slight"