The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1884-09-04
me- Cattle disease Interesting Interview
4 with PROT. STALKER on the Cattle Disease

Rxof. 6tal1or on the Cattle Disease
81 Is Mars. ,.s .5,
Des Moines Special: Prot. M. Stalker, state
veterinarian, was found in the city the other
\ day, and was mediately coralled for an ex-
\ PLANTATION Of the cattle disease outbreak at Ee
Y Mars Y 5ss
II found !. he said, s'that large number Of
cattle had died that IN almost every case the;
attack was fatal. s$ In company with the resi-
dent,p hysic clans, Lat once set about ascertain
: ing the. cause: made thorough clinical ex-
animation, followed by post mortan. Il I found
the disease was true Texas fever. The next
step was TO ascertain the source Of Infection
Inquiry disclosed the fact that nearly all the
4 cases were those Of town COWS, which
d were driven N every morning to ais.cer-
Il tain range to st feed Y, through the day:
Y and were returned at night Knowing that
4 the disease could only be communicated in
two months ago herd Of cattle from abroad
was fed on the range several days Exami ma
4 ton Of the records at the Office Of the railroad
4 company showed that several cars Of cattle
shipped from the southern part Of Mississsippl
i were unloaded at Le Mars and fed several days.
when they were reload led and sent to Dakota.
From the date of theft feeding on this range to
= the imeof the outbreak Of the disease among
! the native cattle was fifty two days, which !
have found Is the incubation period q TINS ais
came from cannot trace; but they were eyi-
IDENTIFY southwestern cattle. ost3 S8g 4. s5
\. Were any Of them sick; or did any Of them mem
i II is q singular fact that such eattleI
4 in fact, all these Texas cattl are apparently
y in perfect health. This particular herd were
II fat sleek and in prime order for the butcher
!. Their meat is, in fact Who'll some and health
Il ful. They are never sick, and do not impart
4 the disease BY contact The disease Y not n
They carry the. disease in their body, IN their
4 spleen aud kidneys, From, the focal and uri-
q nary charge on the ground where they feed,
i Is transmitted the disease to Northern or
n naive, or cclirnated cattle, to use that term
I to express my idea. The virtue ends with q
y single transmission Northern or native cat
Fl tie attacked with the disease viii not transmit
it to the other cattle by contact Sick and well
cattle may be stabbed toge ther with no danger.
"a herd Of other. Southern cattle might have
Il been driven on that same range and they would
Il not have been fected ct all Tho people there
were disposed to sdiscredit my statement of
this anamolous #condi ton and nature of the
4 disease To satisfy them one Of those Southern
4 cattle was found g He was in splendid con-
Z. dition. Arrangements were made for dispos-
ing Of his carcass to- q butcher, n and, in;
y the presence q or rs the local physicians
and health author ties, he was killed
I andSa post norton examinat ton made. Before
4 commencing. lescribed -ninutely what 7 ex-
pected to find. The examination verified my
/, diagnose precisely The spleen was quadruple
the usual size, and other organs were In the
conditio found in all these Texas cattle. II is
the; effect Of the climate in which they live and
als there no curs for it among native cat
Hep u 81
81 have found med LEGATION Of little Or no avail.
\ It is uniformly fatal One or two frosts seems
aafSstrey hs virus ground where these
How about that herd sent out to Dakota;
I VIII they not cause the same results they did
ut = not impro bable; still going soi far
asah hss SsSd
Y may lose its destructive force However, I
! would not be surprised to hear Of trouble from
that section. 81; n
hat have you determined as to the cause
y q the recent mortality among horses in Pot.
tawattamie county ~ i@ $5 ~ tsAS @
5tI have not yet arrived at . sstisfactor con.
clusion After very careful clinical examine
ton decided the fatality was the result Of some
toaicant; that the animals we're all affected
y alike, and that they all had been feeding in q
!; days rching the slocalit where they grazed
for some known poisonous weed, being satis-
fled that the trouble came from something
eaten. could find nothing TO which to attri-
u luxuriantly which belongs to the family Of q
very poisonous weed and ~ Of which the
horses there cat quite freely and Eseem to
8 like it gathered q quantity OF il, found
that the horses il other sections, Or on the
college farm would + not eat Il, or even
4 taste, it 80 I could not test its effects 81
4 think, therefore, the haste and liking Of it is
& acquired, like that for tobacco or opiates by
II man. rs begins with frequent nibbling Of it
II shall further test it as 1have q useless horse
4 ct my Urinary to- which ! propose to give q
decoction Of that weed Sd. soon as the nature
I isscorrectlyI determined, areInedy can be sug-
gested Prevention can be had BY keeping
Z horses from grazing in that locality. Proven
Il ton sis better than cure in fact, the chances
4 OF cure are very slight h M 81