Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-17
Livestock Quarantine.

Perhaps no industry Of our state has been
subjected TO more depression and hardship
than the livestock industry by reason Of
the quarantine laws of ueighbor states and
OF the Federal government. 1t is alleged
that in some portions of Texas what is
known as splenetic fever is incubated, and
that when cattle from these sections are
shipped or driven at certain seasons of the
year into the Northern markets for slaugh-
ter or into the higher attitudes for grazing
or feeding purposes they communicate that
fatal disease TO all other cattle thrown in
contact with them.
The suspicion exists abroad that cattle in
every portion of this state are contaminated
with that plague. 1t has led 70 rigorous
quarantine laws by different states against
Texas cattle and has resulted in restrictive
federal laws on the same line. Recently
the commissioner of agriculture of the
United States, by consent of the state au-
thorities, placed federal quarantine hue
across the state from the Indian Territory
to the line of New Mexico, admitting all
stock within the prescribed limits to the
utmost freedom without any restrictions
whatever, but those south of the line ara
subjected TO the rigor of the law. Under
these laws no cattle can be shipped from
February s. to December l across this line,
except for immediate slaughter. This pre-
cludes the possibility of sending beef cattle
north for fattening purposes. None but fat
cattle, therefore, will do for shipment and
the restrictions placed upon thers are equiv
alent almost to prohibition. Though they
may be perfectly fat and healthy they can
not be watered or fed at common places nor
placed in the common StockyardS at the
yoint of destination. They must be shipped
in separate cars and watered and fed
in separate pens and delivered into separ-
ate stoclSyards, and then must be immedi-
ately slaughtered. Cars in which they are
shipped and pens in which they are fed and
yards into which they are delivered cannot
be used for other stock until after they
have been thoroughly fumigated and dis
infected.
All the expenses growing out Of these
complications and impediments must be
paid by the stock raiser. After the cattle
have reached their destination and the ex-
traord;nary expenses of their shipment
have been paid, they can not be held at the
option of the shipper for good market or
better prices, nor can they be moved from
the stockyards to any neighboring pasture
or feeding place where they Gun be held,
fattened or otherwise disposed of. They
must be Immediately slaughtered.
1t is now generally known that quite all ha
impediments in the way of the cattle indus
try Just described will soon be thrown in tha
way ofshipment and sale of Texas mules
and horses for the reason or upon the pre-
text or excuse that they are subject to
CHAMBERS; and it may be expected that this
will lead to distractions placed in the way
of shipment Of sheep, by claiming that they
are subject to scab.
These restrictictions, so vitality affecting
one of the prominent industries of Texas,
are Ediscouraging and revolving. There lis
but little hope of relief from the situation
except throug local transportation facilities
now growing so cheap in this state, which
makes it possible for TIE marketable stock
of Texas TO be concentrated upon the coast
at deep water points. where the ships OF
the world may seek them. This, it is
trusted, may either solve the trouble or
tend to modify the unnec-
essary restrictive measures now
in existence and threatened to be in
creased by the people of those states who
are wiling enough to have Texas products,
but who are now so thoughtless and irdif-
fereut as to lay insuperaole distractions
in their way.
For the present it might be well to adopt
a law creating a quarantine board, to be
composed of experienced stockmen or to
hrve stock quarantine officer selected to
enforce such rules as the legislature may
authorize 10 be adopted for the protection
of the stock interests. This board, or OIL
Ger, acting under suitable quarantine laws,
can cooperate with the secretary of agri-
culture OF the United States in establish
ing quarantine lines through the state and
agreeing on such rules and regulations as
may be safe to the stock interests of other
sections and Just TO her own.