St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-03-01
Fur fire Farm.
TUBERCULOSIS IN CATTLE,

Dr. M l. Miner, formerly OF St.
Johnsbury, but now of Greenfield,
Mass, furnished the following
article for a recent issue Of the
Gazette and Courier Of that city:
Within a compare lively short
time the farmers of this and adjoin-
ing states are awakening to the fact
that they have, to a considerable
extent, that most formidable and
dangerous disease, tuberculosis, IN
many of their herds of dairy cows.
They may have previously known
that the disease existed, but did not
gaining such foothold in their i'm
mediate vicinity.
Doubtless many of you are aware
that the slaughtering of the entire
herd at the state agricultural farm
at Amherst has been ordered and
that new barns are being erected
with a view of eradicatin the
disease from that locality, milder
means having proved Intellectual.
Similar methods are being pursued
at the experimental station farm in
Vermont.
This state, some time ago, realiz-
ing the extent and danger of this
fast-sprea ding disease within it's
borders, appropriated certain sum
of money to be expended by the
cattle commissioners, they, in turn,
appointing cattle inspectors, who
have more or less thoroughly ex-
amined the herds in their respective
towns.
l would like to draw your atten-
ton to this matter Of inspection,
conducted by the present inspectors,
as compared with later and more
valuable method.
The present men chosen to in
vestigate this matter are men prob
ably we'll qualified to judge of the
merits of healthy stock, being farm
ers of experience in that line, but
when experts and qualified veterinary
surgeons find that animals which in
life do not show any symptoms of
disease whatever upon post norton
prove to have been tubercles in large
quantities in their lungs and other
viscera, you will at once see that
their labors and the expense attend
ing have been largely if not wholly
thrown away.
We are all more or less familiar
with the fact that Prof. Koch of
Berlin discovered and manufactured
a certain lymph called tuberculine,
with which he hoped, by injecting it
into the blood of persons affected
with tuberculosis, or consumption,
to get certain actions upon the
diseased tissues and produce a cure.
Although this lymph did not &C
complish what he hoped for, there
were certain symptoms produced
which have been taken advantage of
to ascertain the presence of tuber-
culosis in the lower animals, name
ly: rise of temperature in any
animal affected with the disease up
on being inoculated with the lymph.
Extensive experiments by veterin-
arians have proven this to be a posi-
tive test One of the most notable
instances of its efficiency was in the
herd of ex-Vice President Morton.
A large percentage were found to be
discretionary apparently healthy.
In animals not affected with the
disease there is no rise of temperature
upon incubation.
The state board of New York is
applying this test everywhere in the
state and of course destroying the
affected animals, wherever found. l
understand the state pays for the
animals slaughtered and it is
thought the loss will not be less than
half a million dollars, showing to
what an extent the disease has been
propagated.
1t has been generally conceded that
the germs are conveyed through the
milk of diseased cows to man, and
such being the case it should be
eradicated at any cost.
Why should not this state adopt
the same methods as New York has
done and do the work in a thorough
manner, rather than pursue the un.
satisfactory method now employed