Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-02-21
How Destroy Tuberculosis.

At an agricultural meeting in New
York city last week DIR. c. f. Mord-
niger, " S., said:
The fatality among cattle from this
disease is not so great as to create
demand for legal measures to protect
breeders and dairymen against losses.
1.-THE demand is made as public
health measured The demand which
is constantly being made upon the
governments, both national and state,
to eradicate tuberculosis, is very great;
but the demand which is made upon
the stock-owners and stock breeders
by the public, through journals and
societies, is comparatively small as
that upon the government is large, and
this is great mistake. The stock
owners, breeders and dairymen can if
they will follow certain preventive
measures extirpate this destructive
disease from their herds and keep them
pure from contamination. The most
important preventive measure is
the stabling of animals, and
1 am sorry to say that the
present system used generally is very
defective. Each animal should be
kept separate, so that they do not come
in contact while in the stable or eat
from the same manager. They should
have plenty of room in each stall,
about 600 cubic feet air space, plenty
of pure air, ventilation from above and
below, the drainage should be perfect,
and disinfectants used freely, and
daily, especially during the winter
months when animals are housed, in
fact the strictest sanitary measures
should be carried out. Again no ami
mails should be allowed to calve in the
stables with the rest of the herd; they
should be isolated until the calf is
weaned. The water supply should be the
best that can be procured, water away
from the stable or outer buildings used
and not from wells in the center of the
stable (which have often SEEM, where
the drainage from the stable Is con-
stantly emptying into it, and polluting
it, thereby predisposing the animal to
disease if not producing it. The attend
ants and mixers should be month"; ber-
culous individuals; and should be
| ClCdu. Lively 0VoSh
owner should have his herd undergo
most critical examination, (using the
tuberculin tests and special examina-
ton of the udders made, (also the
milk, animal by animal, the suspicious
cases to be Immediately isolated, and
only those considered as safe to mingle
together; and their products accepted
when no longer shadow of suspicion
remains The suspicious cases should
be kept as far as possible from the
healthy animals, and when they yield
to the most critical tests they should
be destroyed. Fresh animals should
be thoroughly tested before entering
a non tuberculous herd; the dairyman
should ascertain the history of the ami
NAL; and should not purchase from
herds in which tuberculosis has ap-
| peared; or in which cattle have died
from the disease, or been slaughtered
within year without isolating and
resorting to thorough test. They
| should also have their herds
examined periodically, thereby
keeping their animals free from in
ISCUlOn. ne SUCK supp
the great evil, in-and-in breeding; or
in other words, disease breeding dis
easel. The breeding of animals for
fine points, and large milk supply has
been proven that it is the greatest
diathesis to disease. Probably this &C
counts for the scarcity of the disease
in the west, where the coarse mixed
breeds are found. These animals are
used for year or two, then fattened
and slaughtered, while they are young
and desirable beef animals. In order
that the publication of herd take
place, the foregoing suggestions must
be carried out to the letter; and moth
ing short of this can be trusted to act
satisfactorily, in putting a check upon
the present fearful mortality from this
disease; and when such steps have been
taken by the stock owners and dairy
men, then is it time for the govern
ment to give assistance to extirpate or
eradicate this disease.