Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-21
THE CATTLE SCOURGE.
What "rhe Tribuuc's" Investigations
Have Revealed Extent off,
Infection,
Doubts rs 10 The Existence VI Foot and
Mouth Disease In Illinois.
The Malady In Kansas, However. Of a
Much horc Pronounced Character.
fchicago Tribune.

tChicago Trtbunea
Bingham, H., March l5.--Tho in
vestigation by the Trihunein the mat
ter OF the disease which has for some
weeks affected herds of cattle In If
tinghsm, Cumberland and Jasper
counties has brought to light the tact
that the diseased herds are scattered
AT short Intervals from Newton, the
county seat OF Jasper county, along
the dividing highland beween the
tributaries of the Little Wabash and
the Embarras rivers, northward TO
the neighborhood of Sigel, In
the extreme southeastern corner OF
Shelby county; thence the line Turns
southwest to SUBWAY, in Bingham
county, near which villagcat least two
herds are seriously afflicted Due
south of Eringham Is n case reported
in the Tribune of Sunday. In the dis
trlcts mentioned the herds In which
appears the disorder which Is CAUSING
the loss of hoofs and legs are scattered
at points ranging from half mile 81
eight miles apart. The land upon
which this line lies Is generally high,
and much of it is slightly rolling. The
stock along the line il ~ well kept ut
least rs stock is usually kept by far
mers in this state.
THE SEVERAL THEORIES
in regard 10 the origin and nature OF
the trouble are: First, hat the feet and
legs OF the animals were frozen some
time about the middle of February;
second. that the disease is the ordinn-
ny foul foot, or foot-rot; third, that IL
Is Identical with the outbreak in Kan
sas which has been declared officially
~ iJf t5liDpnAt ~ th0 ihltcn S'atpa
amy, MD uY several surgeons. so ho
Nli2out slhthC Those WIN Mold
tlt ar.I theory ndu.lt innt there ia
4 SuDethWg Wat0h Jhcy are Notable io
a,eouu iurn me Mct 5, Int ciue az
the animals showing ,na e.ltnt-rf the
disease most severely have
been well housed and fully fed with
good hay during the whole winter
On the farm of Charles Dubrock, near
Sigel, seven calves nre affected yet
these calves had at all times free uc-
cess to II warm room In an old farm
house. In this room there Il not les
less than two feet in depth OF hay on
which tn ese calves could lie or stand.
No rain could reach this bedding, and
as the old house stands upon knoll
from which the ground slopes away on
every side. ailording free drainage, II
Is impossible 10 believe that the bed
ding In The house or the ground out
side have been wet NJ any time during
the winter. A few days ngo the ground
around this old house WAS cut up, but
very little, and could not he described
as being muddy. Mr.. Dubrock de-
clares that the ground there never has
been muddy, and the almost entirely
unbroken condition of the sod verifies
his assertion. Il. II. Heating fed his
| stock ON the high ground beside a
creek which Is not less than fifteen
feet lower than the feed-lot, from
which the Drainage 10 the stream il
entirely unrestricted. John Mason
kept several of his young cattle In u
small Enclosure In which were four
ricks OF hay and straw. They were
sheltered by the ricks, and lay upon
the straw. As may be guessed from
the fact that Mr.. Mason selected the
spot 10 stack his hay upon, the ground
is not wet, nor has IL been muddy at
any time during the winter. Cattle
kept in stables throughout the winter
have, the Tribune correspondent was
assured, shown SYMPTOMS exactly like
those appearing In stock wintered in
the open fields On the other hand,
stock which have been more exposed
and less literally fed in the near
ueighborhood of afflicted herds are
sound and free from all SYMPTOMS OF
disc ise.
As no FouL-FooT, OR COMMON FOOT
ROT,
men who have for many years in sue
cession fed lots of from 100 TO 300 |
steers in this vicinity, aud under all
the changes Of weather which nave oc.
CURED In those years, say they have |
had experience enough with ordinary |
foul.io0t, or foot-rot, but have never
seen anything like the disease which
In these counties last mouth.
tOOt-rot they cured readily; this dis.
ense refuses 10 yield TO the remedies
which have heretofore been found ef-
rec,ive. They add, what Is generally
Known 10 be true, that the winter has
Jeen remarkable Tor Its steady cold
There has been no time dur
ng the winter when there was deep
mud, and only one thaw worthy OF
lote preceding that which came e lit
lie more than u week ago. They as
ert that they have rarely seen ~ win
er when their stock Vas 20 free
rom dirt and mud as
hey have been during the last
ear. For these reasons obscTyant
tock-owners aud farmers fear TINT
hey must give up the'hOpe that the
resent outbreak Is OF the simpi. ORR
In and character ascribed TO IL by
hose who have made no thorough OK