Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-04-02
tuberculosis in New England.

The treatment of this matter by the
two neighboriDg States of Massachusetts
and Vermont says the Ohio Farmer, is
an object lesson for the whole county. It
is not unlikely that the scare which has
been raised about the disease has done
more harm in some sections than the dis
ease itself will ever do. Yet there is
reason for degree of alarm, if it takes a
practical form, and leads to better care
of COWS.
When tuberculosis was fourd in the
Vermont experimental herd about a
year ago, good deal of alarm was felt
in the State, and many of the State pa
pers have done all they could to increase
the alarm. A few herds have'been found
to be infected, and some animals have
been killed. When the biennial session
of the Legislature assembled last fall, ef-
forts were made to stampede the mem
bers, and get Radical bill passed
against tuberculosis. But there were too
many farmers and dairymen sitting as
members to permit this, and very mod
crate measure was made a law. The
whole matter was put into the hands of
the State Board of Agriculture. They
have full power to quarantine infected
animals, to examine animals suspected
to have the disease, but cannot use the
tubercolin test without the owners con-
sent except in case of cattle imported
from without the State. In case an ami
NAL is slaughtered and found diseased,
the owuer is to have one-half the esti-
mated value, but if the animal is sound
he is to have the full value and the
slaughtered animal.
The Board of Agriculture gives one
lecture on tuberculosis at each institute,
with plenty of time for questions and dis
cussion. They seek to impress upon the
roomy, we'll. ventilated stables for their
cows, give information as to the disease
and how to guard against it. The board
shows its wisdom and sound sense in
seeking to impress upon men the need of
healthful surroundings for their stock
and while they seek to allay the farmers
fears they also use this fear of disease as
an incentive to giving COWS the best of
sanitary conditions. Vermont is very
free from disease, and the main object of
the law is to keep it out of the State.
Massachusetts, is dealing with the dis
ease in a most radical way. They have
undertaken to stamp it out. Every cow
in the Stote is to be subjected to the tu-
bercolin test, and all diseased cows arc
to be killed. This test is one that re-
quires great care good skill and judg-
ment. In one instance, which came un-
der the observation of one of the Yer
mont cattle commissioners, out of seven
cows which the test showed to be dis
eased, five we're found to be sound.
Such animals are paid for in full by the
State, while for diseased animals the own
er receives half the value. The test was
not to blame; it was the carelessness of
those who applied it, Think of such men
going into herd of COWS and testing and
slaughtering at will while the farmer
must submit or be fined and imprisoned.
After the State has been gone over tu-
berculosis will no more be stamped out
than will consumption in human beings.
Cows may become infected from con-
sumptive people and may infect herds.
Massachusetts, is using the tuberculosis
scare to nag and harass and ruin her
dairymen. Vermont is using it
to stir them up to greater care
for the health of their cattle. In Massa-
chusetts the cities rule; in Vermont the
farmers. Farmers of other States should
give good heed to the laws which are
proposed in re yard to dealing with cattle
diseases, lest they be caught in the same
plight as the farmers of Massachusetts,