Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-09-05

! xhe Cattle UiEeAxo-1u Interview
With riot. Stalker on ths Csttle uissass5
Sc n MARS. &.
Dos Moines Special: Prot. n. Stalker, state
veterinarian, gas found in the atty the other
day, and WAS Immediately coralled for an ex-.
PLANTATION of the cattle disease outbreak at 70
Mars. .E S3s
81 found = he said, that Large number Of
cattle had died; that in almost every case the
sttack was fatal In company with the resi-
dent ply siciana, Il at once set about ascertain
ing the cause. We made thorough clinical ex-
animation, followed by post morton. found
the disease was true Texas feYeE The next
step was to ascertain the source of Infection
Inquiry disclosed the fact that nearly all the
cases were those Of town cows, which
tain range to feed through the day,
and were returned at night. Knowing that
the disease could only DO communicated in
one way, further inquiry showed that nearly
two months ago herd OF cattle fr3m abroad
was fed on the range several days E1amina-
ton of the records at the Office Of the railroad
company showed that several ears 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
she time Of the outbreak Of the disease among
VIC udtAfo Cdttit Wtto Ia Gy-tWO udSs, WAiSl =
have found is the incubation period OF this dis
ease. How much further south those cattle
came from cannot trace; but they were EVIL
IDENTITY Southwestern cattle"
dies" =s3ss 2.s..5Z. @fzs.s 7z,
EsNo; it is . singular fact that such cattle
in fact, all these Texas eattle-are apparently
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, ant, 90 not ampart
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
I spleen and kidneys. From the focal and url-
nary discharges on the ground where they feed,
is transmitted the disease to Northern or
native or unacclimated cattle, to use that term
to express my idea. The virtue ends with a
| tie attacked with the disease will not 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
! 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 dlspos-
ing of his carcass to butcher, and, N
| the presence z or the local physicians
|
and post 1nortem examination made. Before
| commencing, described infinitely what ex-
| peeted 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. It is
the water and food they get"
| Sis there no cure for it among native cat
lie? = i.
81 have found medication oflittle or no avail.
! 1t is uniformly fatal. One or two frosts seems
! to destroy the virus on ground whore these
cattle havefed"
'sHow about that herd sent out to Dakota
will they not cause the same results they die
here?"
! cit is not improbable; still going so far
norti, they may become changed in physlca.
| condition, so that the virus they leave behind
may lose its destructive force. However,,
would not be surprised to hear oftrouble from
| that section"
'sWhat have you determined as to the cause
Of the recent mortality among horses IN Pot
! tawattamie county,"
| II have not yet arrived at Il satisfactory coz
| 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 6
| certain locality on bottom land spent several
| for some known poisonous weed, being salts.
| fed that the trouble came from something
eaten + could find nothing to which to attri.
butte it, but / did find weed growing quite
luxuriantly which belongs to the family Of a
very poisonous weed and Of which the
horses there eat quite freely and seem to
like it, I gathered q 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. Ii begins with frequent nibbling of it
shall further test it, as have useless horse
at my in1irmary to which Ipropose to give 8
is correctly aaternined, q remedy can be sng
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"