The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-16

sd in a strenuous effort to stamp out the foot and mouth disease, which IS working havoc among the cattle, sheep and swine of at least four great States The milk and meat supply of the na- ton Is threatened and, unless the cpl demic is stopped 1t would be impossible to estimate the amount of damage done. due to the destruction of Danimals and to the interruption of interstate, intr4- atate and foreign commerce. Every eI- fort Is being made to keep the disease conAnedS within the States of New York, Pennsyivaniass, Maryland and Michigan. which arc under the strictest quarantine. If the epidemic once gets into the Western cattle country 1t VIII be practically impossible to stop It ana, according to the Agricultural Depart fnent. the great Anierican trade in live stock and beef will be. destroyed.
 Already hundreds if not thousapds, | of cattle have been slaughtered. snip" Imsrits of cattle, hides. hay. fodder. etc, finto and from infected States. are only possible under the most radical regula- 1 ti0as stern1y enforced by agents or the lAgricultura1 Department. who are 1 backed by the strong arm of the Feder- ] al government. The infected States are in endeavoring to stamp out the dis ease. The state authorities have stopped the movement of cattle be- tween the counties where the epidemic Is known to be raging and other parts iof, the States Municipal health officials near the infected territory are keeping "a close eye on their milk supply, And none too soon, for already four or hve Ischlldren at Danville, Pa. are reported to have fallen victims to the dread cat tie disease. and seven dairy herds sup. plying Detroit were found infected
 The presence of the disease was first discovered in Danviile. Pa. There 1t was found that some infected cattle had recently been received from Buff faIo, \. r. Secretary of Agriculture
 Wileon, exercising the authority vest cd, In him by law, promptly issued an order Quarantining the States of Penn found that the disease had spread into one of the Maryland border counties and some infected cattle were traced back from Buffalo to Michigan. These last two States were immediately guar antined. Judging from the. reports of the disease ih various localities. it ,waS feared by the goverhment that the en- tire country east of the Mississippi River might become infected.
 The Secretary of Agriculture himself took the field. as did also pr. A. D. Mel He
 dustry. Under them small army of veterina riars. chennists, disinfecttqn ey- perts and iAbDrers has been at work As the milk, supply Of Washington, New York and other large cities was threat ened, the health of the nation endan- gered, and an enormous trade loss was in prospect. nothing has been left ur~ done. The movement of cattle, sheep. other run1inants and swine, hides skins AraaaaA nnaafG hay. straw and fodder, was absolutely pro- hibited into or from the quaranrined States. unless the articles shipped had first been inspected or disinfected, and certified by government experts to be free from contagion. Shipments of cat tie are permitted to, pass through the danger zones in sdnted ears, or the cae- tie may be uhlohded to obtain food and rest in yards specially cleaned and dis' infected for the purpose So as not tO stop' shipnAnts of deer and moose, which are said to be copsiderabie, the term ''other rufninants'' was construed as not applying to these wild animals. when shipped in crates.
 The quarantine order against hay and straw at first threw condensation into the ranks of merchants and holiday shoppers They foresaw that. as many Christmas gifts are packed in such naf LeEIAl TOT, 6HARtAtCANg tAtAc WOAA4 gloomy holiday Season. Secretary Will son. however, has done his best 10 SiIH- pei this feeling by calling attention te the fact that there are. still forty two States firm which, or into which. straw and hay csn be. sent without restrictIon. StiiI the quarantiiie might have serious ly intertefed with the holiday trade of the suarantlned States if it were not for the fact that most merchants had pre- T.Ea IA A-tA sr.Nafu goods.
 Following the Department of Agri-- culture.b qharantine orders, Great Rrit-' ain and Canada prohibited the import alton of live stock from this country to their ports, The British government appears to have confidence in the American quarantine because the Britt ish quarantine only extends to the ports of New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore; and the neighhoring States of Delaware and New Jersey. Canada has quarahtined even against horses and poultry If other foreign countries follow the example of our English cousins and Canadian neighbors, 1t wilt be seen that it will not take long to absolutely destroy foreign commerce in Amefican livestock. meat and by-pro' ducts.
 Where the foot and mouth disease In
 
 l Experts say that 1t must have been l imported. As the disease has been l traced back to Michigan. 1t might be supposed that 1t had gone there from l Canada but there Is said to be none | of 1t in the Dominion. One story Is ! thatS the germs were imported from \ France in some packing straw, but this has not been proved. It is fact that
 the disease exists in Argentina and is l constantly present on the. European
 continent. It is said to be so common in, continental Europe that to slaugh- ter the infected animals would nearly wine out the supply of live stock. So the foreign authorities resort to local 1 or general quarantine. This does not stop the epidemic's spread, which is al | most inconeetvably rapid. The dis ease is both infectious and contagious, Its virus may be carried long distances on any of the things covered by the l quarantine regulations. There are re- corded cases of the contagion being spread by pigeons. It is known to have been transmitted from Denmark l to England in packing around eggs. l The icuriosity of farmers is said to be
 responsible for the spread of the dis
 ease in some localities Everywhere
 the Agricultural Departments agents have worked they have been the cen- ter of attraction for the neighboring
 farmers. who wanted to be shown ' The result may have been that these farmers have transmitted the germs
 to their own cattle.
 It seems probable just now that the
 disease has been gotten under control
 The quarantine will continue for sew {