Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1900-03-22

satisfactory way of contending with
black leg is to prevent it.
PREvENTIoN.-All kinds of rene
dies and methods have from time to
time been tried, but invaribly with
out permanent success. Among the
drugs used may be mentioned helle-
bore, assafetida, salt, saltpetre and
sulphur; and among the methods
employed may be cited setoning,
roweling, nerving, bleeding, driving,
changing pasture, etc. 1t is well
known that animals of good blood
or in good condition are more sus-
ceptible to black leg than inferior
stock or cattle in bad condition.
The idea, therefore, has been to i'm
poverish the blood or reduce the
condition. Cattle are raised and
fed for profit, not for pleasure; any
thing, therefore, that interferes with
their growth is source of loss. The
less doctoring healthy animal has,
the better; and it is essential for its
we'll being that it be allowed to Craze
TRANQUILITY and remain always on full
feed. All the above named so call
ed remedies are therefore directly
opposed to the profitable conduct of
the cattle business, as they retard
the the development and reduce the
condition of the stock. Moreover,
it is useless to resort to any means
which will not actually protect
against infection if infection should
present itself. As to change of pas
that is, removal of apparently
healthy animals from pasture in
fected with the germs of black leg
to a pasture not already infected
this is all very well in its way; but
in the case of small holdings it is
not possible, and it is useless to own
or rent pastures if they cannot be
used with absolute safety for grazing
purposes. There would be no Sc
curity in making such a change, for
the new pasture might become in
fected at once. Bleeding an infect
ed animal is certain to distribute
blackleg germs over the pasture,
thus spreading the disease, or if not
already diseased, the germs may
enter the cut or scarifed places when
traversing an infected pasture and
the animal thereby be attacked with
black leg. This method is therefore
not only useless, but doubly danger
Gus.
1t may be safely said that none Of
the remedies or methods heretofore
in use have proved of any practical
or permanent value for preventing
blackleg 1t can be done in only
one way, and that is by vaccination.
| VACCINATION. Vaccination in
general consists in introducing into
the system an attenuated virus Of
the specific disease, which confers
such immunity that the subject i:
for a certain time thoroughly pro
tected against subsequent attach
by the ordinary means of infection
or contagion. The virus used fol
this purpose is derived directly
from the germs of the disease il
question, and is called vaccine.
Many cattlemen are disposed to
wait until black leg breaks out before
they will treat their stock, although
they know that the cattle are running
on land which is infected on accoun
of deaths from black leg having oc
CURED in previous years. The dis
ease may consequently break out a
any moment, several deaths oCcu
before the vaccine can be applied
and take effect, and the value of the
stock lost in this way be severa
times greater than would have beer
the cost of vaccine for the Who'll,
: herd. In order to obtain the full
benefit of vaccination the calves
should be treated at the most con
venient moment, or just before thu
age at which local experience Show
that they are liable to be attacked
with black leg; and in the case o
range cattle, they should be vacci
mated before being turned out tt
range. And this is just what is be
ing done by the leading, most enter
prising and prudent stockowners ir
: America. By systematic work il
this line black leg may be gradually
stamped out; but in the absence O.
vaccination the disease will not only
be perpetuated, but will continue tc