Evening journal., 1906-09-05
VACCINATE
FARM STOCK
State Board of Agriculture
Thinks Anthrax Can Be
Stamped Out
COMPEL ACTION BY LAW
Special to The Evening Journal.

vaccination is being proposed as the
only safeguard of the State of Della
ware from another outbreak that will
mean wide destruction Of farm ami
mails
The state of Delaware has under
gone a number ofssiegess with anthrax,
which at times threatened the utter
destruction of her most valuable farm
animals and the accompanying paraly-
sis Of her great Industry of agriculture
None were so bad as the one in Kent
county from which she is now prac-
tically II not altogether out of danger.
The State Board Of Agriculture,
with the assistance of scientific men
of the State, including DR.. A. T. Neale,
chief of the Delaware College Experi-
mental Station, and Prof. f. d. Ches-
ter, bacteriologist at Delaware Col
lege, and by employing slSilful and
rapid veterinary surgeons, chief
among whom were DR. j. r. Kuhns,
of Dover Dr. Frank Gardner of
Smyrna, and Dr. Harris B. Mcdowell,
OF Middletcwn. has succeeded finally
in getting the disease which broke out
in the Leipsle district and spread to
the Little Creek and thence to the
Cowgilrs Corner neghborhood, con-
fined to one spot
The further spread Of the disease is
believed to be impossible because the
board has surrounded the infected
zone with inoculated cattle.
Under the supervision Of the board,
and in the face sometimes Of bitter
denunciations from Independent farm
ers with Wills Of their own and ideas
likewise, there have been $500 inocu-
| lations. While unvaccinated cattle
have been dropping dead all around
the infected neighborhood, only one in
200 of the inoculated cattle has died
This IS considered by the specialists
and by veterinarians generally most
remarkable. when it is remembered
| that frequently virus will spoil unless
made fresh every day, that sometimes
cattle have picked up an anthrax
germ before they are reached by the
veterinarian, and that, unfortunately
in very rare cases, the incubation
itself viii give a COW the anthrax
where it had no symptoms before.
The latter fact is perhaps the very
reason that rebellious farmers stub
bornly insist that the blooded cattle
and horses which they have raised
from birth and which they love next
70 the members Of their own families.
shall not be inoculated with the an
thrax virus
Their argument and position, how
ever. are untenable If the facts are
| fully reviewed-that one in six cattle
in infected districts contract anthrax
and die, while only one in 200 cattle
that have been inoculated, even
though in the very centre Of the an
thrax zone, perish.
Anthrax is more to be dreaded by
the farmers along the Delaware river
and bay than is the bubonic plague
among mankind. Both are extreme
ly and absolutely fatal-in fact the
patient or sufferer from either can
only be treated by the barrel
led shotgun or rifle. and then by kerr
osene and the torch. Once seized
with anthrax, COW or horse is SO sure
to die within the allotted ffty-four
hours (some die much sooner). that a
Sensible farmer never waits TO ad-
minister lotions or drenches. He kills
the animal on sight and burns it in
a pit as quickly as a fire can be built
iunder Il. Unless Immediately burned
the vultures or buzzards light upon
the carcass and with feet bill and
otherwise take up for wide distribu-
tion hundreds Of anthrax bacteria. as
deadly as poison TO horses or cattle
The anthrax bacilli will not pass
Through a buzzard alive, for they can
fnot survive a temperature Of 1O4. while
the buzzard's intestinal temperature
is JOG. The anthrax spore, however, is
different. The spore win stand boil
ing and win pass through the system
Of a buzzard TO be eaten up in the
grass or be crushed upon the body OF
healthy grazing animal.
IF an animal, dying Of anthrax. be
buried, the germs will work VI
through the ground, or win be laid
bare by burrowing dogs, rats OF
noles.
Specialists assign the cause of an.
thrax TO the morocco and other factor.
les OF Wilmington and Philadelphia
r which dump their refuse from i'm.
norted skins or germ-infested hide.
into the Delaware channel. The ebl
tide carries the germs for seven hour,
down the river, then comes the food
tide flooding the shores OF the rive
and bay with the floating spores ant
germs.
The Delaware authorities have beer
driven to great extremes In savini
their farm animals of the state when
lever the disease has appeared al
though they have not yet thrown Z
!. quarantine over the districts. sucl
an action would not only have close,
up all the creameries. shut out tn,
/, sale Of Delaware beef and cattle an,
sheep, estopped the side sale Of marsl
hay. an important industry, put al
end to the consumption OF countr,
butter and cheese. but would hav
otherwise paralyzed the agriculture
industry Of the State
Under the existing law, the Cover
s nor has the right to go in and throw
Z quarantine when he shall so deem
e proper and his decisions or action
{ cannot be enjoined by State authority
= But the State Board, made up o
g faithful and energetic men who serv
: On little or no pay. has been so sue
e cessful that no rigid quarantine wa
necessary. Only the action OF stub
born farmers who refuse to allow tn
veterinarians safeguarding knife Il
be applied to their stock endanger tn
! exercising Of the governors extrem,
authority
a Inoculation in all the anthrax dis
, tricts Of Delaware since 1900, whei
the State Board first came into exist