Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1907-01-08
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPEED THE PLow."

"sPEED THE PLow."
Correspondence on practical agricultural topics
fs solicited. Address all communications In.
tended for this department to HENRY D.
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
ocrat. Paris, Ne.
Some Facts about tuberculosis.
(John NJ. Deering, secretary of Maine Cattle
Commissioners, in Buletin)
SOME CATTLE MIGHT RECOVER.
"Tuberculous cattle are not all sick,
and it should not be understood that
way, and there is no doubt but that a
certain per cent will recover. This fact
was practically demonstrated in our
work last year. There were 30 fine and
healthy looking COWS out of several
different herds that showed character
istic reaction in the spring, that were
quarantined and dried off and turned to
pasture, and after running out in the
open air for two or three months, were
all taken up and retested by different
veterinarians, and out of the 80, five
stood the test and were released.
"We hear it said occasionally that the
commissioners are not getting ahead in
the work, and that tuberculosis is in
creasing instead of growing less. And
it seemed that way to the commissioners
until within the last year. We wish to
call attention to few facts We have up
on record, and we will take the Solon
creamery section for example. Within
the last few years the commissioners
have had considerable trouble in Somer-
set county, especially around Solon,
Embden, Bingham and North Anson,
and have destroyed several large herds,
and when the commissioners were noti-
fed that the patrons of Solon creamery
were to test their herds, we felt fearful
that there would be large per cent
diseased; but after the work was finish
ed, it was very gratifying to find, out of
over 500 cows tested, only 2 IL per cent
diseased. Still another section where
the commissioners have been doing quite
a large amount of work within the last
few years, is located in Oxford County
in the vicinity of the Oxford creamery
at South Paris. By the work that has
been done in the past, it would seem to
be badly infected section, and yet out
of 500 cows tested, only 20 were found
to be diseased, or about 3 per cent. So
these two cases and others we might
mention seem to be fairly good evidence
that wherever we have worked we have
made the disease much less. There are
sections where there is practically no
disease.
TEST DOES NOT INJURE CATTLE.
''The idea still prevails among some
farmers that have never had any expert
ence with tuberculosis, that the test in
lures all animals injected. This Is
entirely wrong. 1t should be under
stood that tuberculin has no effect ex
cept upon tuberculous animals. For
instance, if an animal is injected with
tuberculin and after II or IA hours her
rises from three to five de-
grees, then the animal is affected by the
test, but if the temperature does not
rise then it has no effect whatever and
the animal stands as sound and healthy
in every respect as before injection. 1t
is settled question by the best author
ity that the test does not injure sound
animals.
"The most important question for the
Maine dairymen to consider is whether
they will continue to destroy animals by
the tuberculin test when it is practical
or whether they will condemn in the
future only by physical examination.
The disinfeeting of premises is an i'm
portant factor in our work and requires
quite an expense and quite proportion
of the commissioners time in looking
after it.
ACTUAL WORK DONE.
"The summary of the business for the
last two years is as follows: 1905, cat
tie condemned 6S4; horses condemned
10; costs per animal including all ex-
penses S35; cost to condemn each ami
NAL including all expenses SIP; 1905,
cattle condemned S44; horses condemn
ed 81; costs per animal including all ex-
peuses S35; cost to condemn each ami
NAL including all expenses S.; 1905,
number of cattle tested in Portland in
5000; number condemned
80: per cent diseased six; 1866, num-
ber of pure blood tested S55; number
in Maine herds 1856; foreign
pure blood condemned 80; per cent
diseased 20; 1906, number of sheep con-
demned 40. Total number of cattle and
horses condemned 1905-6, 1888; total
expenses for the two years S56, $50; ap- |
for the two years 3O,OO0;
extra work done by new law cost nearly |
$4,000; Portland investigation, extra
work done cost nearly $4,000.
"The commissioners are aware that
they have expended large amount OF
money the last two years, nearly $780,
900 more than the legislature appro- |
priated for this department, and are
responsible for many things, but did
not take the responsibility OF expending
81 over the appropriation until they had
consulted with the governor and council
to the business. And while
they are servants of the state, II they
have performed their duties honestly and
and in accordance with the
law, treating all parties fairly, without
fear or favor, then the commissioners
are clear, and the responsibility falls up
ON the people, simply because the peo-
ple have demanded every dollars worth |
of work that has been done by them.
"And it will make no difference
whether there is cattle commissioner
or not, or whether the state appropri-
ates money to pay for diseased animals
or not, the producers of dairy products
will find in the future that it will be OF
great financial advantage to them to
guarantee to the consumers of their
products that they are produced from
healthy herds. And those who do not
look after this end of the business will
be obliged to accept the low price for
their products. And in order to bring |
about still stronger sentiment among
the consumers of dairy products, that
the producers are doing all in their
power to satisfy them that their prod
ucts are pure and healthy, we appeal to
all educational and scientific sources
and especially the agricultural press to
inform the people of all the preventions
and practical experiments and up-to- |
date methods in order that they may be
educated up to the latest and most i'm |
portant issues relative to tuberculosis
among our herds"
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