Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-21

How They We're Destroyed'at Newark
Farmers and Butchers Learn From
Object Lesson.

How They We're Destroyed Mt Newark
Farmers and butchers Learn From
Object Lesson.
Special correspondence OF Gazette and Journal
NEwARK. Jan. 2n.--The farmers insti-
tute meeting on Monday Is still the absorb
ing tnpid If discussion here where il is
considered the most important and valn-
able meeting in its results Of any yet held.
rb-re We're present On Monday many
farmefs and cattlemen from around the
county who were inclined to be very in
different to the disease 0f tuberculosis and
its effects, and wheil Viewing one of the
cows, the large and healthy one, declared
their belief that the animal was as sound
as dollar, one particularly confident
farmer saving. "Nell, if that cow has
tuberculosis there isn't healthy COW in
the Staten
The two animals had been purchased for
the institute by Dir. Ewes after careful
diagnosis Of their symptoms, and he was
ready to stake his professional reputation
on the result of the post-mortem examina-
ton. But the room was full of scoffers,
who predicted the discontinue of the vet
erinarian aud the institute officers in find
ing that they had slaughtered healthy
COW. Such was not the case. the healthy
looking animal being much more diseased
than the small, sickly one, thus vindicat-
ing the veterinarians diagnosis and teach
ing the farmers howlittle external appear
ances could be relied upon in detecting the
infection. There were many butchers pres
ent, some Of whom said they had seen
plenty of cows as diseased as that one killed
and sold as meat, but no one of them
would admit that he had ever killed one
or sold its meat. However the dissection
on Monday was valuable object lesson
to farmers, butchers, doctors and all in at
tendance, and it will be strange if addi-
tional laws looking to the prevention and
eradication Of this deadly disease are not
framed and sent to the next Legislature, in
fact it is said that steps to that end have
been already taken.
After the slaughter of the cows in the
| storehouse under the college armory men
were at once put to work TO cleanse the
building and to disinfect it. The blood
| from the animals was all carefully col
| lected and with the remains of the car
casses, cut up in small pieces, were placed
on huge pyre in the middle OF a large
| field. This consisted of carefully built
| framework of logs and railroad ties piled
! to a height of eight feet into theinterstices
| of which were placed the parts of the car
cass. After burning three hours the flesh
| and blood was reduced to ashes and the
germs killed beyond all peradventure by
/ the intense heat.
|
| given the officers of the institute con-
siderable anxiety. All authorities in the
science Of bacteriology insist that it is un.
| wise and dangerous to bury a diseased
animal even at considerable depth, their
theory being that the earth worms, which
soon consume the remains with the con-
tanned diseased germs, spread the same
by means of their excreinent, which is
gradually brought to the surface and
by the action of the sun and wind
dried and blown through the atmosphere
and thus perpetuated. Another likely
theory is that there is a continued upward
or downward movement in the soil repre-
scented by moisture. In wet weather this
movement is of course downward, but in
dry weather the moisture from below j.
attracted by capillarity to the dry sol
above and in this way also the germs car
be brought to the surface and disseminated
1t was generally thought on Monday tina
the burning of the remains was an alto
gether unnecessary safeguard, but thes'
theories show how much safer is the in
cineration process.