Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-04-04

although none of the animals showed
any appearance of the disease at the
time of the sale. Through this sale
of infected animals the disease was
spread to twelve herds which up to
that time had been free from the dis
ease. Had the tuberculin test not
been applied soon after the sale, all
of these twelve herds would have be
come as completely infected as was
the original one. Fortunately the first
test was made shortly after the sale
of the tuberculous herd. The dis
ease had just begun TO spread through
the other individual herds and to
strike other animals though the time
between the purchase and the test
was only three months.
Maps Show Wide Infection.
Maps Of various districts of the
state upon which are indicated in
fected herds show that the disease ia
widespread By means of the tests
carried on during the past four years
1t has been possible In many cases to
locate the centers of infection and to
show how in almost all cases the
disease has been carried from these
centers to surrounding herds by the
purchase of infected animals. Since
from six to twelve per cent Of the
animals tested have reacted and thus
shown the presence of the disease, the
average of one animal in ten tested
has tuberculosis. The buyer of un
tested cattle of any grade, therefore
runs one chance in ten, the authori
ties point out, of getting infected
cattle.
Causes Large Loss.
The loss TO the farmers and breed
ers of the state caused by tuberculosis
each year is serious. Although the
state pays two-thirds of the value Of
tubercular cattle slaughtered by the
state board the maximum indemnity
is only $37. The breeders of high
grade cattle that are very much more
valuable accordingly get a much
smaller proportion of the value of the
animals slaughtered The tests
have shown that the blooded stock is
as likely to be infected as grade cat
tie. The loss of money, time, and
effort caused by the purchase of tn
berculos animals the spread of tn.
berculosis consequent compulsory
slaughter, can not De estimated
How Tests are Made.
To make the tuberculin tests it is
not necessary that one be a vetrinar
ian. Anyone whose test is acceptabl,
to the state Board, students of the
college Of agriculture. who have beer
given the necessary instruction at the
ten days farmers course or else
wherein fact, anyone who can make
the hypedermic injection and read the
thermometer correctly, making out the
requisite reports and preserving the
conditions prescribed by the board
can test herds aoceptably. The tuber
culin test is the only effective method
yet discovered for ascertaining the
condition of the animals, and 1t is
therefore invaluable to the dairyman
and farmer in preserving the health OF
their herds.
The testing process is very simple
The tuberculin, which is product Of
the growth of the tubercule organism
in artificial cultures, is injected with
a hypodermic syringe into the shout
der OF the animal If the disease Is
present the animals temperature will
show decided rise above the nor
NAL. ascertained before the injection
within from eight to fourteen hours
after. The temperature is taken
with a veterinary thermometer every
two hours until four or five readings
have been made. If, as is usually
the case with infected cattle, the ten
pcrature rise is three to five degrees
II is crtain that the disease is pres
ent. A rise of one and five-tenths
degrees is considered suspicious, and
animals SO responding are retested six
or eight weeks afterward, when there
has been time. for the elimination OF
the first tuberculin from the system
Meanwhile suspicious animals are
strictly segregated from the rest 81
the herd. and the stables carefully
disinfected.