The Portland daily press., 1899-03-01
CATTLE COMMISSIONERS REPORT.
Large Number Of Cattle Condemned
the Past Year.
Reply 20 Criticism of the Tab ercaiiu
Test BY the Secretary of Agriculture

| Reply 20 Criticism of the Tab erculfn
Test BY the Secretary of Agriculture.
| Augusta, February 2s.-The report OF
thu Maine cattle commission has been
printed. 1t contains some interesting
references to the work of the board in
dealing with tuberculosis and makes
answer to statements made by Secretary
AoKeen of the Board Of Agriculture re-
gardins the tubcrculin test. The report
Gays:
A summary of the work of our commits
| sion for 1873 shows that We have attended
100 inspections from Kittery to the ARGOS
took, and from the mountains to the sea.
During the year, I07 farms have been Wis
tied, and 90 stables have been inspected,
4S cattle have been condemned and de-
stroyed at an appraisal of 81. SEQ. and ~
horses have also been condemned and de .
appruisals Of tbs year amounting to
~, WI.
In our last annual report Of 1897, the
business Of that year shows marked In
crease over that Of the present year, so
that on January 1. 1898, the business of
had attended 352 inspections, embrseing
almost every county in the state. During
the year, 2S7sfarms were visited, and 65
stables were inspeote and as result
4i6 bend Of cattle were destroyed at an
appraisal of sls,i22. and 2s horses were
also condemned. at an appraisal oil. el,0s6,
The total appraisals OF the year being
el9. s07, so that the amount OF appraisals
Of 1897 exceeded that of 1898 $40, 266,
while the total bi-nnnual exhibit for the
two years calls for net expenditure OF
Sill ,174 for horses and cattle actually
condemned ant destroyed by order OF the
catule commits on; leaving out Of the
above calculation any and nil sums ex-
pended or received by your commission
ers for salaries, expenses of travel, disin-
lection Of premises, testing of cattle,
quarantine regulations. etc Tor the two
past years The large difference In the
appraisals of 1897 and 1898, while 1t en-
pasizes the uncertainties and necessities
of our work from one year to another, also
challenges an explanation OF why such
d. Inference should exist, as would call for
q gross appraisal of $l4. ga In the months
Of January. February and March. 1897,
even before the 6sth Legislature had ad-
journed, while the total amount OF ap-
praisals reached In 1895 was but $2,e4l.
The annual Appropriation of recent years
for the use of the commission has been
$500, but IL will be seen that before the
last bi-snnual appropriation had been
reached or agreed upon,4 the net amount
due for cattle and horses DESTROYED, alone
amounted to x1.3i2. which alreaf'y ex-
ceeded the annual appropriation by s.,
Sl2. SO that to provide for the existing
emergencies, $40, 600 was appropriated for
1897 and 5000 for 1893.
In other words there had been CON-
demned and appraised, between the first
of January. 1897, and the time the 6sth
Legislature adjourned, the net sum CT
s,3l2 for eight horses and $40 head OF
cattle, to which was to te added the pay
and expenses incurred by three commits
sioners In making up to that date. loo
inspections btween kittery and Bar Har-
Dor. including cost Of testing all cattle
that proved diseased, dist Infection, etc., and
which left at the disposal OF our board.
but about 5000 to continue our work for
the next II months, up to the session OF
the present legislature.
With a gross appraisal of s22, las for the
past two years, for horses and cattle
proven by all tests to have been thor
oughly diseased, and that have been con-
demned by order of our board and many
of which now remain unpaid for, We
believe. IL would be discounting the good
business sense of the present legislature,
to make any further recon incubation for
an Increased appropriation for this work,
than is indicated by the cold facts
which are given In this report
Prominent among the causes leading
up to the excess of calls upon the com
mission in the early part of 1897, were the
and libelous statements that
were put In circulation at that time ny
Interested parties. that much larger
per cent of. our bovine population was
affected with tuberculosis than all our
annual reports had then or SINGS that
time proved to exist, and which led
many owners of large herds to request al
inspection of their cattle, and resulting
In such herds being subjected to tuber-
culin test whenever single animal was
discovered TO be diseased. The boards of
health In several cities and towns in
Maine had also issued regulations calling
for the inspection of lniloh cows that were
furnishing them with their milk supply,
so that all together much more work
was called for than for several previous
years. A majority OF the cases discovered
our state, which has always exceeded
those of the western part of Maine; large |
" accounted for probably by the greater
number of cove bred and kept upon
farms that are being utilized for the pro-
auction Of milk to supply the numerous
about 33 per cent of the entire product Of
our state. Another factor IN reaching
that result was the discovery oil tuber
culosis in large herd of Jersey COWS at
Mestbrook, where S6 head OF cattle, many
Of them registered COWS, were condemned
and destroyed at gross appraisal Of 3d.
$50.
In the annual address of the secretary of
the Maine Board of Agriculture. delivered
in january at Augusta, he said. ia part,
II am firm in my opinion that the tub
erculin test, as AZ present managed in
our state, Is u datriment to the best inter-
ests of our live stock Industry, ana am
not sure but some lfgisiat on In relation
to 1t similar to that in Massachusetts,
which prohibits its use except on the
written consent of the owner or person
having the charge of animals or upon
animals which have been condemned as
upon physical examination.
would be wise" g
II 1t is to be implied from the above that
tests have ever been ordered
by the Maine Cattle Commissioners, we
wish to promptly correct such an impress
sion,. as none other than voluntary testing
with tupercnlin has ever yet been en-
ployed. Whenever It has been possible,
In the inspection of herd, to safely con
demna single animal by ply steal examin
alton, the owner has always been advised
to have the balance of his herd tested. and
wa have naynr met with other than n