The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1901-05-30

A report of the Bureau of Animal In
dustry says. When it is known that
biackleg occurs with more or less reg
ularity in a pasture, feed lot or stable
it is due to the presence of the black
leg germ, either in the ground of these
places or in materials coarse feed,
etc-) brought there regularly When
ever an animal becomes affected. the
germs multiply by the million in its
system. and their liberation through
natural or artificial means. tends to
preserve, increase, or spread the infec-
ton In the large pastures of the West
and Southwest an affected animal is
rarely noticed until after death, when
the swarms of buzzards or other birds
OF prey indicate that there is some
thing dead" and an investigation is.
made 1t is then frequently too late
10 attempt to prevent the spread of in
fectIon, for wolves and other vermin
usually attack the carcass in short or
der, without even waiting for the ami
NAL to die, and only the bones and
pieces OF the hide are found scattered
over an acre or more of ground
In more densely populated districts.
where a sick animal is readily discov-
cred, there is often inclination to
doctor" the animal. usually by means
or Jackknife, and the result is the
same as in the other case-the infec-
ton is scattered broadcast from in
cisions made in the affected part.
In some districts the cattle that die
from black1eg are skinned in order at
least to save the hide and the re-
naming parts of the carcass left
to take care of themselves. This pro-
cess naturally assists in scattering the
infection It is therefore of the utmost
Importance that cattle owners in the in
fected districts be made to realize that
an animal affected with blackleg may
be the cause of large subsequent losses
from the same disease, maybe not i'm
mediately, but within period of years
| to follow, and it can not be recon-
mended too urgently that they make
| every effort to reduce the danger by
| taking adequate measures to destroy
! the germs and remove the danger
| of renewed infection.
/ For this purpose the French scien-
| fists recommend various methods,
| some of which, however. are imprac-
| ticable under the conditions which OBJ
| tain in the infected districts of this
country They propose, for instance,
to place the dead animals in a tank
of Sulphuric acid until completely dis
solved. Where wood is plentiful the
! best method is to cremate the carcass
| In order to insure its complete destruc-
ton, the dead animal should be placed
| on a couple of logs and plenty of dry
| wood heaped around it. couple of
quarts of kerosene oil should then be
poured and fire set to it. 1t is nee
eSSdfy lnaC the carcass De enIlrely oe-
stroyed; if any part of it remains, an
| other fire should be built over it.
In a pasture where wood is scarce,
| the carcass may be buried. This meth
cd is always more or less unSatisfac-
tory, the infection is not destroyed
but merely removed to a few feet be
low the surface, whence it may return
i through various means of egress-for
| instance, demonstrated by Pasteur.
| through the agency of the earthworms.
| 1t is therefore of Importance that the
| hole in the ground be made at least 6
feet deep and the carcass well covered
with lime before the earth is filled in
The lime has special germicidaI eff
feet the black1eg bacillus but may
| present the infection from being car
ried to the surface. The place where
the animal was lying before being bur
| led, as well as the top of the grave.
should be freely sprinl1led with 2 per
cent solution of creolin, any of the
| carbolic sheep dips or disinfectants
which are guaranteed to contain thy
| mol or eucalyptol- The two latter sub
| stances are especially recommended by
the French scientists because of their
| destructive action the bIack1es
germs.