Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-08-08
P. cARUTHERs, EDITOR Z PROPRIETOR,
fhs Texas Fever Scare. .


Caldwell. The Chicago Breeders Ga
zetteef the 3lst, ult., takes the same
; view of the case the INDEX did, and
says:
"The commission men at the Chicago
stock yards who succeeded in having
the Animal Industry act, which passed
5 congress last spring, declare that the
s Texas fever was not a contagious or in
Z fectious disease within the meaning of
the act, are now seeing the fruits of
! their labor in the absence of any law
. whatever, state or national, by which a
quarantine can be enforced against
this fatal cattle scourge in the state of
5 Illinois; and the railroad companies
5 can dump their infected and dying cat
Z tie into our stock yards, and reload with
) others without even so much as an at
tempt at disinfecting a single car.
Storrs, Allerton, Morris s. Co. have
5 done their work well, and the cattle
men at our stock yards and to the
southwest of us are reaping the fruits
: of the labor Of these men at Washing
ton last spring. Wehave the old stero-
s typed cry that it is not Texas fever,
3 and not contagious and infectious
nothing but the effects of drinking
too much alkali water, )" or 'eating ticks
8 from Texas CATTLE" or .'bloOdy muir
S rian," etc. And we shall probably
/, soon hear the old sterotyped lie that
S there are no infectious diseases among
S cattle of this country" that "our cat
tie are the healthiest in the world" etc.
! But that it is the Texas fever, and that
1T is infectious and deadly, all old stock
! men and all experienced veterinarians
: know only too well. The Livestock
Exchange and the Stock Yards COM
: pany are doing all they can do in the
absence of any law upon the subject
tO'enforee a'Quafantine against the IN
fected cattle and to prevent further
danger; but the seeds of infection have
falready been extensively sown, which
will continue to do their deadly work
5 until the frosts of next November or
s December shall have destroyed their
vitality"
In Kansas the greatest excitement
over the disease appeared at Manhat-
5 tan, where a number of cattle died
5 DIR. HOlcOmbe, state veterinarian Wis
. tied the diseased herd and after exam
5 ing thoroughly all the symptoms, gives
: : his idea Of the probable origin Of the
disease as follows:
AT what time and in what place
3 fhaca oniuaolo laoar,a ,.,4a,
S these germs Of the fever are not known
to me, but if the information 4 have
5 received bearing on this point is cor
5 rect, they must have come in contact
& with the poison before they were ship
ped from Caldwell, for am told that
they went direct from the point of load
8 ing TO Kansas City and that they were
S In he ysrds there less than tTehtyfour
!. hours, and that the cattle began to- die
with this disease IN less tliari 4S hours
z after arriving in Kansas City. If these
$ statements are true and the true period
8 OF. incubation not less than seven days
X as rule then these cattle were not
!. infected afters leavingE. Caldwell but
were diseased at that time. g. There is
3 much apprehension felt by the people
|, in the neighborhood regarding the liza.
8 bility of the disease spreading to other
S herds and the probability or possibility
2 of permanently injecting for the season
@ the grounds over which the ..animals
. have passed or shall pass. In the light
of the past experience it would seem tc
At be that there is but one question to bt
4 answered regarding these cattle and
& that upon this answer must be based
81 all future measures for the control oi
= = the disease. If there is any Texas wild
l9 or untamed or through cattle in The
81 herd then surely they are .daAgeron,
I;aa q lot, but if they are all grades, or nativ,
70 cattle, or ii they have been wintereC
y north of the line of permanent Texa!
g fever infection there is no danger to b,
aII apprehended from their presence.
. 9 confess that my opinion in judging o.
ss the nativity of these animals might b,
& yalueless were to be confined from tn,
. external form OF Che animal alone, bu
$ there are other evidences think, tha
. these cattle are not capable of spread
% ing the disease. In the first place they
10 all seem to be of the same grade, &C
. customed to each other. From appear
IS ances they have at least been winteret
q together. If they have been togethe
g for that length of time, then the fac
g that the disease has not appeared be
. fore this date in a latitude so far soutl
8 IS the territory would seem to prov
- - that none OF these animals were Texa
Is cattle or capable of conveying Texa
So fever, Another point is tha
y: these cattle are all brauded with tn
'i same brand, and judging from the i'm
mense size Of the scar, they must hav
been branded when quite young-a
- least two years ago. If these cattl
as have al been branded but one year
.s9 g even with the same brand, they have n
.s0 doubt been together that length Q
70 time, and consequently cannot be daI
20 gerous to each other. Lastly, no san
.s man would send Texas and native eat
q tie to market in the same bunch at thi
20 season of the year, unless perhaps b
- knew they would be butchered insid
Is of week. To send stock cattle I
IS market in such way would simply il
20 vite an inevitable disaster. The onl
conclusion to which we can come
IA that thereis no danger TO be appr'
q hended from this outbreak furtht
a than the losses which viii be sustaine
"a g in the effected herd How gneat the.
.S losses may be cannot now be dete
q q mined, but Judging from the appea
Is ance OF the cattle last evening. it,
rs probable majority of the infected ca
Inc tie have died. About sixty-six hs