Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-04-06
To Stop Spread of Bovine tuberculosis.

been introduced into 1.-The legislature
providing for the testing of all cattle
before they are sold. The existing laws,
which make necessary the inspection
of cattleEbefore they are brought into
the state, protect dairymen and breed
prs against infection from outside the
state. The proposed law is designed
to afford Esimilar protection by pre-
venting the spread Of the disease from
one herd to another within the state
throughf the buying and selling of
tubercular cattle.E The provision of
the law on this point is as follows:
"No cattle shall be sold within this
state which have Dot been tested for
tuberculosis within. one year previous
TO the SALE"
Certified copies of the results of the
test, which must be made by disinter-
ested persons, are to be filed with the
Sanitary Live Stock Board, and no
transfer is to be regarded as legal until
the certificate has been approved by
the board and returned to the seller
The person who sells cattle. the law
further provides, shall deliver to the
purchaser an affidavit stating whether
tuberculosis has been found to exist
| in his herd within twelve months prior
TO the sale; and if so, how many cattle
we're affected, and whether any of the
cattle sold have been exposed to the
tubercular animals or infected stables
within three months of the time when
the cattle to be sold have been tested
| for tuberculosis.
The bill is part of a vigorous cam
paign which has been carried against
bovine tuberculosis during the past
two gears by the University of Wis
consin Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton in cooperation with the Wiscon-
sin Live Stock Sanitary Board. By
means of demonstrations to hundreds
of farmers at the ten days farmers
course, and by full explanations of the
! tuberculin test given to all the stud
ents of the college of agriculture, DR..
H. IL. Russell of the department of
bacteriology of the university, who is
also member of the Live Stock SAM
tary Board, has explained the dangers
of permitting valuable dairy herds to
90 INFESTED. Bulletins have been
issued from time to time by the Uni
versity Agricultural Experiment Sta
ton explaining the methods of test
hing, and showing the diSasterous re-
suits of permitting the dread disease
to get hold on valuable live stock.
The University of Wisconsin Agri-
cultural Experiment Association. con-
sisting of 1900 young farmers all over
the state who have attended the col
lege of agriculture, have also taken up
the work this year, and over half of
them have already tested their own
herds, and are now doing similar
service for their neighbors. Thussthe
campaign eff education is being pushed
all over the state with view TO protect
iEg che thousands of valuable dairy
herds for which Wisconsin is famous.
In working out the results of these
tests as they have been sent to the
meteorological laboratory of the col
lege of agriculture, the most frequent
cause of the development OF tuber
culosis in herds that have been free
| from the disease, has been the pur
chase of animals at public auction or
at private sale Since, except in the
last stages of the disease, there is do
effective means of determining the
presence of tuberculosis, neither seller
nor purchaser is aware of the fact that
the animal is infected. Many times
the animals purchased are of the high
est grade of full blooded stock TO J e
used for breeding purposes. with view
to developing the best class of dairy
cattle. By thus purchasing cattle
which, though of the best breeds, are
infected with tuberculosis, the breeder
is unwittingly taking the first step to-
wardathe destruction rather than the
improvement of the STOCK. By requir-
ing that all animals be subjected to
the tuberculin test before the sale,
and by demanding that an affidavit be
furnished of the healthy condition
both of the particular animal and of
the whole herd, the law seeks to pro-
tect the innocent purchaser against
loss of money, time, and effort.
The records of the college of agri-
culture furnish many strikingexamples
of the way int which the disease is
spread broad cast by the wide disper-
sion of animals through purchase
from a single infected herd. In one
/ instance forty-six, cattle from one herd
were, sold to twelve different persons.
| Of these forty-six, thirty-two res
pended to the tuberculin.test, although
none of the animals showed any ap-
pearance Of the disease at the time OF
the sale. Fortunately the first test
was made shortly after the sale OF the
tuberculous herd. The disease 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 of various districts of the state
upOn which are indicated infected
herds. show that the disease is wide
spread. By means of the tests carried
/ no c