The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1902-05-03
INSPECTION OF 1a1poRrEp ANIMALS

INSPECTION OF IMPORTED ANIMALS
The secretary Of agriculture says:
In order to prevent the Introduction
OF animal plaques an inspection SER
vice is maintained at our principal
seaports and along or frontier. Quar-
'antine stations have been established
for animals coming from countries
where contagious disease exists. There
were quarantined at these stations
during last year $50 cattle, 525 sheep,
81 swine and 11S animals for menag-
cries and geological parks. There
were also admitted, after inspection
and in some cases quarantine, over
$4,000 animals from Canada and about
100000 from Mexico. The examina-
ton OF this vast aggregate Of imported
ANIMALS, amounting in all to over a
thlrd OF a million, is most RESPONSE
Die task, but so far it has been sue
cesstully conducted, and none OF the
exotic plaques Of the domesticated an
lmals has been allowed to reach our
territory. With our enormous invest
ment in animals that are susceptible
to such plaques, it is clearly duty
which the government owes to our
STOCK ralsers to maintain this inspec-
ton and quarantine with the utmost
rigidity. The ravages OF the rindcr-
pest as it is sweeping over the African
continent should be an object lesson
indicating the terrible destruction
which such disease would cause
among our immense herds of valuable
stock.
The tremendous possibilities of loss
from imported contagion suggest that
possibly the time has come when it
might be well for us to consider,
whether it would not be best for US to
follow the example Of Great Britain
and exclude entirely live stock from
other countries. Inspection and quar-
antine, however, carefully and con-
scientiously performed, are acknowl-
edged by most countries to be only a
relative and not an absolute guaranty
OF protection. Should not our animal
industry have the most complete safe
guards thrown around it which the
experience Of the world has shown to
be required for the most absolute and
perfect protection? In this connection
we are reminded that some of the ter
ritory which has recently come under
our flag is believed to be infected with
animal plaques and parasites unknown
to the United States, and that may
work great injury if they are trans
ported to our soil. It would appear to
be wise for such legislation to be en-
acted as would provide against ami
mails from this territory being allowed
to enter our ports, whether these an
imals are brought by individuals or
returning troops.
Loss of Moisture in Incubator.
Bulletin 70, West Virginia Station:
The chick sbsorbs oxygen and mois
ture and certain gases are thrown of
through the shell. Under normal con-
ditions the total amount OF moisture
and gases which have been thrown off
at any particular time corresponds to
that particular stage in the develop
ment of the chick, or in other words,
when an egg is incubated under per-
fectly normal conditions the total loss
in the weight of the egg corresponds,
within certain limits, to the stage Of
development Of the embryo. If the
operator of an incubator knows how
much certain number of eggs have
lost in weight since the beginning Of
the incubating period and compares
this loss with the normal loss of the
same number of eggs for the same
length of time he will know definitely
whether the eggs have decreased prop
erly in weight. If they have lost too
much, providing of course that the
temperature has been normal they
are drying up too rapidly, and either
more moisture should be supplied, or
the amount Of ventilation should be
reduced, but in reducing the circula-
ton of air through the incubating
chamber it must be remembered that
pure air surrounding the eggs is Just
as important as a proper temperature:
on the other hand, if the eggs are not
losing weight as rapidly as they should
they are either kept too moist, or they
are not receiving the proper amount
of ventilation, or perhaps they may be
kept too moist and insuficiently ven
tilated also.
Why Danisl, Eutter Is Superior.
One reason why the Danes turn out
such uniformly fine butter is that they
pasteurize almost entirely. In that
country they have a number of in
spectors who go around to the dairles
and creameries to see that things nre
all right. When the butter is found
to be faulty, the buttermaker is told
to change his starter. The buttermak-
ers work by rule and can scarcely give
a reason for what they do. In this
they contrast strongly, with our but
termakers. I think on general princi-
pies that the American buttermakers
are better than the Danish. The point
l want to make is that if a Dane is