The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-11-23

reaction the animal should be slaughtered,
or quarantine and hospital stations be es-
tablished In different parts OF the State
the treatment Of valuable animals slightly
affected. This Is a fair question, and should
receive careful consideration at the hands
OF your committee.
OF course, every one in the State wants to
be rid OF tuberculosis. No one wants TO use
the milk, cream, butter or meat OF tuber-
culous animal. No fact is better established
than that it is highly infectious, and full OF
danger, not only to other animals but to
man. Perhaps no better instance OF this
can be found than the discovery OF tubercu-
losis in the herd of Mr.. Gibson OF Ryegate.
DIR. Ward, one OF the most intelligent and
conscientious veterinarians in the State,
discovered tuberculous bacilli In some pork
on the market for sale in St. Johnsbury,
and found 1t came from Gibson's farm In
Ryegate where he straightway went and
found in the lungs and liver from the hogs
Slaughtered, which had been saved for the
hens, still further proof that the hogs were
diseased He told Mr.. Gibson that he be-
lieved his heard Of COWS, from the milk Of
which the swine had been fed, were diseas.
ed. This was all new TO Gibson, who
straightw ay had DIR. Ward test the heard,
and the tuberculin said they were diseased.
They were afterwards slaughtered in the
presence of nearly the whole town, as the
result OF further test by the secretary of
the Board OF Agriculture, Hon Victor I.
Spear, whose Intelligent judgment was
much questioned in this case, though after
wards fully acquiesced in by all, for the au-
topsy showed them to be in very bad con-
dition. This led to the testing of every
herd in town, with the result that only q
few other animals were found diseased.
Now, who doubts that hereafter, unless
the whole State is cleaned up as,completely
as Ryegate has been, whoever in the neigh
boring towns may want dairy or other
animals, will be likely to go to Ryegate for
them instead OF into some town where no
inspection has taken placer And who
doubts also, If the whole State were as
clean as Ryegate now is, that those from
other States looking for neat stock wou Id
be likely to come to Vermont and pay a
little more for animals here than in New
Hampshire, where the whole policy OF the
cattle commission has been a temporizing
one, well calculated to nurse and keep
along tuberculosis instead OF stamping it
out, which expect, Mr.. Chairman, you and
your committee will finally conclude is the
only way to successfully deal with il.
The work is already largely done in this
State, and very few years, with no more
expense than already incurred, will see the
State free from il, something no other State
can say, and with proper quarantine ar
rangements 1t can be kept so. And who
doubts when this is done that the cattle in
the State will be enough more valuable to
many times pay the cost of bringing it about,
which cannot be great as only about three
per cent of the cattle thus far tested have
been found diseased,
Vermont is small State, but always at
the front. 1t will not only be to her credit
but to her great pecuniary advantage to be
at the front in this matter. What a standing
in market Vermont dairy products will have
when it can be truthfully said there is no
tuberculosis in the State. What value
would also be added to her dairy herds?
Let Vermont farmers look to their own in
terests and see that no backward step is
taken, but that the work so well begun is
carried to a successful conclusion.