The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-04-04
CATTLE INSPECTION.

CATTLE INSPECTION.
An Praise Due Our Government for Ex-
terminating Pleuro-Pneumonis.
So strict is the quarantine in the d.
tziet where the disease last appeared TINT
it is impossible for any animal to
carry the infection to other local.
ties. The quarantined district COM
No bovine which once enters tho district
Is permitted to leave it again alive. and
as there is no method of leaving except
by ferry or Brooklyn bridge it is easy to
enforce the ironclsd regulation.
A large force o. inspectors under the
auspices of both the national and state
governments is engaged in the work Of
stamping out the disease.
The moment a case of pleuropneu-
monia is discovered by an inspector the
measures resorted to are prompt and ef-
fective. The disease nanifests itself by
q cough and difficulty in breathing. 1t
is not, however, of the nature of pneu-
monia in man, though: the lungs are the
organs affected. The disease is as in
fictitious as smallpox and as distinctly
specific and poisonous. Among cattle in
districts where the disease has been more
or less prevalent it is not so fatal as in
newly infected districts. The mortality
ranges from 40 to 90 per cent. When al
inspector detects q case another expert
is sent at once to confirm the diagnosis,
and within twelve hours of it's discovery
the victim is bought by the government
and killed. The same day the entire
herd of which the animal was a member
is appraised at full market value, paid
for by Uncle Sam and promptly slaugh-
tered. Not more than t~wenty-four
hours are allowed to elapse before every
animal known to have: been exposed to
the disease is dead The stable in which
they were quarteled is then thoroughly
disinfected. and the further spread Of
the disease is rendered almost impossi-
BILE. In case the disease appears two OF
three times in the same stable, the gov
resorts to still more radical
measures. 1t buys the stable, RACES the
building, thoroughly disinfects the soil
on which it stood and then buries it be.
meath four feet or more of earth.
The infected district on Long Islands
really limited to q portion of Kings and
q very small part of Queens counties. It
includes much Of East New York, and q
narrow belt from Newtown creek along
the county line almost to G%reenpoint.
In this district the government has
bought and killed thousands of cattle
since the quarantine was established in
December, 1887. Since early last fall
the disease has rapidly disappeared.
There were 10 cases in November, and
one in December was the last on record.
The system Of inspection will be kept uE
at least six months after the last case has
been disposed of. By that time all
danger of the temperance of the dis
ease it is believed will be passed. The
distelnper cannot be propagated in any
other manner than by contagion, for 1t
is never produced spontaneously in this
country. This has been ~abundantly
proved by the experience in dealing with
the disease in Philadelphia. Baltimore,
Illinois, Missouri and other places.
The battle against the disease has been
waged Systematically and relentlessly.
Whenever it has appeared in the west
the government has ~quarantined the
county in which it has manifested itself.
Every head of cattle in a herd, where
II or more animals show symptoms Of
the malady, is taken possession of by the
government inspectors. All the infected
animals are promptly killed. The
healthy animals are sold to a butcher for
immediate slaughter after being ap.
praised, and the owner is reimbursed for
his entire herd. This system has CON.
pletely exterminated the disease in the
west.
The present system of inspecting az.
port cattle is very thorough. Cattle are
inspected by the government at the great
western cattle marts, usually Kansas
City and Chicago. They are tagged at
those points. The record is so carefully
kept that if an animal should manifest
any infectious disease after reaching Eu-
rope it would be possible by the tag In
its ear to trace it direct to the ranch
from which it came on the western
plains. 1t has also happened several
times that a ship which has suffered dis
aster at sea has been identified by the
numbers on the tags Of the cattle found
floating in the water.
The inspection of cattle before EN-.
barkation is done at the Union yards
Sixtieth street and North river, at the
Jersey City cattle yards and at the Oak
Cliff yards, Weehawken. Cattle are
usually allowed to rest two or three
days after leaving the cars, and then the
inspectors examine them.-New York
Sun.
Points Of Interest
From the LIST of May until cold weather
geese can be picked regularly every siz
weeks. Clipping is now frequently re.
sorted to instead of plucking, it being
considered a more humane way.
Let it be proclaimed to all the nations,
l. ~-A