Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-01-29


Thomas J. Ridge, secretary Of the Penn
Hylvsnia State Board Of Agriculture, and
DR.. Bridges state veterinarian OF Penn
sylvanis, with Drs. Dyer and Miller,
United States veterinarians, inspectors in
the animal bureau Of the agricultural
department, were in this city yesterday
making certain inquiries and investiga.
tiops concerning the prevalence Of oon-
tagious pleuro pneumonia In this State,
and the measures taken TO stamp ont
the dreaded infection. The visitors
were In consultation with State
Veterinary Surgeon Ward B. Rowland
yesterday afternoon and with bim in.
speoted d the infected herd Of the Lobdell
Car Wheel Company. They thoroughly
confirmed the result of DR.. Rowland's
diagnosis that the disease 10 the oonta.
gious pleuro-pneumoniR In q very malig-
naut form.
The State laws relating to the cattle
plague we're sxamipsd by the party and
| each expressed Himself TO the effect that
they covered the ground fairly well, quite
as efficiently AZ those Of other states.
The provisions directed to the stamping
out the disease are quite good enough
4
they think Il will take very lons
time to wipe It out unless every
animal exposed to the oontAgion
ia killed. Even with such preosution
as this there will be some dificuity in
banishing the disease from the Delaware
| border. With reference to enforcing the
provision OF the law prohibiting the i'm
| porthtion Of cattle from sections where
4 q hhaf fvafa utaRa
acquieseuoe In the belle! that It is i'm
practicable. The law could not be en-
forced unless the farmers all united In
aiding In the matter, as there are so
many rosdwAys which II would be neoss.
ssry to guard.
Drs. Dyer and Miller will remain In
this oonnty few days and investigate all
the herds were the infection exists. The
mission Of Mr.. Bdge and DR.. Bridges was
to try and arrange with the Delaware
authorities to cooperate In the preven.
tion Of taking cattle which Fave been
exposed to the oontsgion from the one
State into the other. The Pennsylvsnia
authorities were also given the name Of
| the purchaser Of the COWS from George
Bigger's dairy and they will set about at
| once to trace them up to th1ir present
!
State Veterinarian Rowland, after CON
sideriue all the circumstances connected
with Mr. Bisger's selling his cattle, has
decided not to prosecute him. He Is con
WINGED that Mr.. Bigger WAS in ignorance
II any law bearing upon the matter;
there WAS no one TO report the oAses too;
no proclamation had been issued, and
that he made every effort to stamp out
the disease In his dairy by killing the
infected ones before he gave up
the task and sold the remainder Of his
herd. In view Of these circumstances
and tho fact that the purchaser knew the
animals had been exposed to the disease,
DR.. Rowland believes 1t would be pecu.
liar hardship to bring Mr. Bigger to trial
an infrsosioD OF laws, the existence OF
which he was unaware Had he known
o them IL would have been greatly TO bis
advantage In 3 psounisry sense. No
cattle will be brought into the
Bigger stables for six months and the
premises, under quarantine, are being
thoroughly disinfscted and fumis Rted. II
may, however, be stated that now the
existence aud provisions of the Law relat-
iBg to the matter are thoroughly known,
| any failure to observe Its provisions in
reporting the infection, Co., will be very
promptly prosecuted.
A BennettSqusre correspondent writes:
Seven Gases of pleuro pneumonia have
made their appearance among the cattle
in this neighborhood, just across the
Delaware line. w. q. knight, veter-
mary surgeon OF this place, was called
upoD to examine the herd of Joseph
K4ster OF Kenne't township, snd found
several cattle stiiioted. State Veterinary
Surgeon Edge WAS sent for, who found
one COW dead and another suffering,
which was ordered to be killed. Two
more osses have since made their appear,
snce, which will be properly treated, and
It ia thought the disease will not spread.
The amendment to the pleuro- pneu.
monia bill, passed by the Legislature at
lsst weeks session, 10 commented upon
very unfavorably by the cattle owners
aud dairymen Of this section Of the Stat
George g Lobdell, one of the interested
| parties, ia particularly dissatisfied, and
telegraphed to Representative Moore, FRI
day, that he feared the amendment
had made bad mess Of the original law.
The principal feature Of the amend
story law is the provision that the
| assessors appointed to place valuation
upon animals dying from the plague shall
be limited to $50 for each animal. The
reason for this limit WAS the fear that
owners Of fancy stock, who generally
have their high priced cattle insured,
would realize little toe handsomely, iu
case OF disease rsvaging their stock, by
receiving the amount Of the insursnoe
and also two.thirds Of the amount
| assessed by the State ASSESSORS. Com
plaint Ia made, however, that an ASSESS
ment OF two thirds OF the full limit, which
would only be $33 33, Ia far from being
the average value Of dairy COWS IL this
State.
The amendment limiting the incidental
expenses OF the measures adopted TO
stamp out the disease to the sum Of $500
| per Annum, ia also objected to, as the
State veterinary surgeon, recently sp
pointed, will not serve for such measre
compensation, while 1t will not 60 very
far towards paying the assessors for their
labors. The advooAses Of this amendment,
however, claimed that the third ameud-
ment, authorizing and requiring the
governor to confer with the United States
commissioner OF agriculture will, under
the national law upon the subject, bring
to the aid of the State the services of the
national veterinary surgeons and the
officers employed with them for the pur-
pose Of arresting the ravages OF the
disease. The expense, therefore, Of all
proceedings, except the pay of
assessors and the remuneration
for dead animals, will come ont
Of the appropriation made by Con-
gress for the purpose, in which event II
Is held that the appropriation OF $500
will be ample for other expenses. AS no
copy Of the national law on the subject
is obtainable, the GAZETTE is unabls at
present TO give Its provisions, so IS to
show whether those who put forth this
idea are correct In their premises.
State Veterinarian Rowland with Drs.
Dyer and Miller, veterinary surgeons
attached to the agricultural department
at Washington, Thursday visited the farm
Of the Lobdell Car Wheel Company and
continued their inspection Of the pleuro-
| pneumonia stricken COWS Of the dairy.
Three snimsls affected with the disease in
its different stages were killed and post
mortem examinations made upon them.
The subjects were very carefully studied
and minuteiy examined by the doctors.
Later in the day an inspection Of the
dairy Of George White was made, and the
COWS infected with the plague were care.
fully examined.
The veterinarians have decided to re.
sort to incubation as means Of prevent
ing the spread Of the disease In its con
tagious form. This method Of treatment
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