The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1884-09-04

The Cattle Observation-Disclosures Interview
with Prot. Stalker ON the Cattle Disease
at Le Mars.
Dss Moines Special: Prot. NJ Stalker, state
yeterinariap, was, found in the city the other
day, and was immediately coralled for an ex-
PLANTATION Of the cattle disease outbreak at Le
Mars:
81 found" he said, ''that large number of
cattle had died; that in almost every case the
attack was fatal In company with the resi-
dent physicians, at once set about ascertain
ing the cause We made thorough clinical o.
animation, followed BY post nAertenA. found
the disease was true Texas fever. The next
step was to ascertain the Source Of infection.
Inquiry disclosed the fact that nearly oil the
cases were those Of town cows, which
were driven every morning to i GER
tain range to feed through the day,
end were rethfned at night knowing that
the disease could only be communicated in
one way, further inquiry showed that nearly
two months ago herd of cattle from abroad
was fed on the range several days. Exapina-
ton of the records at the, eficc 1T the railroad
ehfpped 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 !
ease How much further south those cattle
game from 1cannot trace; but they were evi-
IDENTIFY Southwestern cattle"
''Were any Of them sick; Or did any Of them
dieS.s
ssNo, Il is a singular fact that such cattle
s,,f a. All
in perfect health. This particular herd were
fat, sleek and in prime order for the butcher.
Their meat is, in fact, wholesome and health
full. They are never sick, and do not impart
the disease by contact. The disease is not in
fections, but in certain sense it is contagious.
They carry the disease in their body, in their
spleen and tidca,s From the focal and uri-
Ealy discharges, On the ground where they feed,
is transmitted the disease to Northern Or
native, Or unaccliInated cattle, to use that term
to express my idea. The virtue ends with
single transmission. Northern or native cat
tie attacked with the disease will net transmit
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 discredt my statement OF
this anamolous condition and nature Of the
disease To satisfy them one of those Southern
cattle was found He was in splendid con-
dition. Arrangements were made for dispus-
ing of his carcass to butcher, and, in
the presence or the local physicians
and health authorities, he was killed
commencing, / described infinitely what ex-
pected to find The examination verified my
diagnose precisely. The spleen was quadruple
the usual size, and other organs were III the
condition found in all these Texas cattle 1t is
the effect Of the climate in which they live and
fbo TOW nd fhovr
els there no cure for it among native cat
tie?
81 have found medication of little or no avail
1t is uniformly fatal One or two frosts seems
to destroy the virus on ground where these
cattle have fed"
'sHow about that herd sent out to Dakota;
will they not cause the same results they did
here?"
':It is not improbable; still going SO far
north they may become changed in physical
condition. so that the virus they leave behind
may lose its destructive force However, !
that section"
'sWhat have you determined as to the cause
of the recent mortality among horses in Pot
tawattamie county,"
81 have not yet arrived at satisfactory con-
clusion. After very careful clinical examina-
ton decided the fatality was the result of some
toxicant; that the animals were all affected
alike, and that they all had been feeding in .
certain locality on bottom land I spent several
days searching the locality where they grazed
for some known poisonous weed, being salts
fed that the trouble came from something
eaten. I could find nothing to which to attri-
butte it. but did find weed growing quite
luxuriantly which belongs to the family Of q
very poisonous weed and Of which the
horses there cat quite freely and seem to
like it 1 gathered quantity of it, found
that the horses in other sections, or on the
college farm would not eat it, or even
taste it. so I could not test it's effects. !
think, therefore, the taste and liking of it is
acquired, like that for tobacco or opiates by
man. 1t begins with frequent nibbling of it !
shall further test it, as have useless horse
at my in6rmary to which propose to give a
decoction of that weed So soon as the nature
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"