The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-15
STATES DAIRY MEN
Board of Education Con-
sideTs Their Interests at
Yesterdays Meet
ing.
TUBERCULOSIS COMMISSIONS REPORT
Law Needed Against Inscriptions
Milk Dealers-Cows MIXED
Mechanically.
TUBERCULOSIS COMMISSIONS REPORT
Specaal to the Jcrscu Ctr Nsscs.

iNiIfSION, JAM ID, 1S97.-At yester-
days session of the State Board of Agri-
cultures annual meeting an important
report was submitted by the Tubercu-
losfs Commission. This commission was
created by the Legislature for the pur-
pose OF devising some means for the
eradication Of tuberculosis from the
State. New Jersey being the fifth in the
list of States having valuable milk cows,
and supplying as it does milk to New
York. Philadelphia and large cities with
In the State, makes the subject one Of
great interest.
The report contained some facts and
fgtres that indicated that the disease
hao k a fr.ner hold on the cattle of
the State than had been suspected, and
that the commission had been equal to
the emergency and did good work as far
as the appropriation allowed them to do.
The report calls attention to the fact
that there are dairies supplying milk pro-
ducts for the market which are seriously
if not dangerously affected with the dis
ease, and it has led to the demand for
some system of legalizing investigation
of dairy animals whose product is in
tended for market, in order to protect
the consumers against the use Of con-
terminated milk.
So far as the consumers are concerned,
they ave the right to demand these pro-
ducts reasonably free from suspicion Of
disease germs.
The vast population Of our large cities,
aggregating thousands upon thousands to
the square mile. becomes an easy prey to
epidemic diseases, and city health Off
GERS do well to guard against any out
break of such a character. Although
tuberculosis, either bovine or human, is
not considered contagious, yet the pos
sibility of its communication and living
organism from the animal product to the
susceptible victim seems to be sufficient
grounds for daily inspection.
This demand has its strongest claim for
the protection of milk from impurities and
disease germs exterior to the COW. Sources
of contamination, whether of dread or
diseases over which the ~dairyman has en-
tire control, if he is intelligent and will
ing. The vast majority of our dairymen
are of this character. With the usual
intelligence possessed by them, they are
willing to be enlightened further as to
the possible dangers to an impure milk
supply riiQ dIc Icduy tO.CO-OpCld Will
State officials in their efforts to main
tain the health of the dairy business of
the State.
The farmers of the State, however hon
est their intentions, are not so situated
as to be able to know the ~insipient be-
gilnings of every disease, nor the best
representatives. or cures. They do not
Know the best system of stable construc-
ten so as to SECURE needed health, giving
Ventilation Whf1n coaJ1rinO tho orao focf
comfort to the animal. They are not yet
generally posted as to the effect of GER
ain foods and drink on the product of the
animal.
1t is along the lines intimated that this
commission, in cooperation with the
State Board of Health and State Dairy
Commissions is directing its effort to the
work; While removing all herds that are
called upon to be inspected and all ami
mails that are believed to be dangerous
to foods, suitable directions are circulated
cleanliness of dairy utensils, etc.
The Commission has carried on its work
in a conservative way. 1t has never be-
heved it necessary In order to have a
healthy milk supply, so far as tuber-
culosis is concerned, to test all animals
with tuberculine and destroy all that can
respond. Especially in herds where but
The contention of injection of properly
prepared lymph into a healthy animal is
conducive to disease. In one herd of
about eighty head. in one of our northern
counties where the disease has had a
foothold for a number of years, the COM
mission has made three examinations,
the second one including the test with the
lymph of all the animals at the owners
expense. Later the highest responding
animals were again tested and only one
condemned. This herd has been again
tested by the owner under the super
vision of the commission and none have
shown sufficient reaction to condemn.
In most fnsipient eases of the disease
named, temporary isolation and careful
attention to the feeding and sanitary
matters will be a great aid IN stopping its
further progress.
AS to the use of the lymph, the owners
desire to have this done for their own
satisfaction as a guarantee of exemption
from the disease, the commission grant
irg such request, but at the owners ex-
pense of veterinarians and loss of the
animals condemned.
One owner of about ninety cows request
ed the lymph test for all his herd, chiefly
to satisfy the consumers of his milk.
The law constituting the commission re-
StrictS its action; in fact, 1T is not permit
ted of it's own volation to inspect any cat
tie Whatever, no matter how positive the
evidence may be of the need of an inves-
tigatiou- The application must come from
the owner of the cows to be examined or
from the State Board of Health or the
State Dairy Commissioner Even under
this arrangement there is no dearth of
application.
lIlO SOilitthpSfotOn III " WOOl4 DG d
better system of inspection If it was re-
quested tic make a periodical examination
of all herds from which milk is reported
and sold in the general market. This
would insure a degree of watchfulness
that would be a preventive of danger from
contaminated milk and a guaranty to con-
Sufners.
The Commission states that the 5000
given it by the State is not sufficient for
IT'S needs: hat, it has already expended
81, 100 of the appropriation for tlhe current
year. A number of cases examined in
the State, in round Numbers, since the last
report, is about 1900 heads; those tested
with tuberculine, I'D; condemned by the
test and by physical examination, 1853; to-
tai sum paid for the condemned animals,
$4,195, an average of $685. per head.
The tabulated report of the cattle ex-
amined, tested and condemned Indicates
where tuberculosis has prevailed the most
during the current year. In Mercer County
153 cattle were examined, 10 condemned;
in Morris, 1855 examined, only Q condemned;
Salem, 45 examined, IL condemned; Somer-
set, 239 examined, q condemned, in Sus-
sex, 1893 examined, 10 condemned,
Major Henry e. Alvord, Chief of the
Dairy Division, United States Department
OF Agriculture. read a p ON the Pres
emit Aspects of Dairying." There are prob
row I'm use in this country. Transports
ton facilities nave also very greatly inn
proved. All dairy products are better pro-
Vided for locally, when moved I'M quantity
--and butter can be carried 1900 miles or
more and delivered in good condition at
considerably less than cent q pound.
The magnitude Of the dairy interests In
the United States is not generally appre-
ciated. The annual value of what may bio
called our dairy crops approxi1nates $780,