Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1908-02-18
soa Cattle Condemned in 1907.

So2 Cattle Condemned In 1907.
The annual report of the Maine Cattle
Commissioners, Hon. +. o. Beal of Ban
gor, Hon. Frank S. Adams of Bowdoin,
ham,. and Hon. John NJ. Deeripg ol
Saco, on the contagious diseases of ami
mails, which was recently filed, states
that during the past year there have
been condemned and destroyed by the
commissioners S02 cattle, 6S horses and
So sheep, making a total of 926. The
average cost of cattle and horses, includ-
ing cost Of condemnation, disinfection,
testing pure bloods and all other ex
penses was S37. 7.33; the owner received
S25.02 per animal and the average cost
of condemnation and disinfection was
Sl231.
A summary Of the reports shows that
the amount paid for cattle, horses and
expenses during the year 1907, was
go, ,346 95.
The report further says:
"The report of 1905 and 1906 showed
out of the number of grade cattle tested
with tuberculin, six per cent were
diseased; out of the number of pure
bloods, tested with tuberculin, 20 per
cent were diseased. During the year
1907, there were tested with tuber-
culiu (including both grades and pure
bloods,) 10000 head, and S02 were con-
demned, or four per cent diseased
This shows a large reduction from the
last report, which is gratifying to the
commissioner, and no doubt will be TO
the dairymen of the state.
There were over 1900 cattle sold in
Brighton during the year 1907, and
Massachusetts, demands that all cows
offered for sale for milking purposes
shall be submitted to the tuberculin
test, and only forty were reported back
to the Maine commissioners.
sour law does not give the cattle
commissioners any control over sanitary
conditions, except where contagious
disease is found. We wish TO draw
your attention 10 the item in the report
as TO the average cost of condemning
cattle, Sl2 81 each. This means the
testing of bluebloods, whether diseased
or not, grade cattle that were found
diseased, suspicious cases attended to
and found not to be diseased, disinfect-
ing premises where disease was found,
travelling expenses, office expenses, cat
tie commissioners salaries, and expenses
of every name and nature except the
actual money paid to the owner of the
animal Ii is the average expense upon
each animal.
at was hard to separate the expenses
of disinfection from other expenses but
it is safe to say that one-third of the
total expense was for that purpose, as
where the tie-up was found unsuitable
for disin fectiop, the commissioners
would recommend the removal of the
old and dilapidated and the building OF
new and smooth work, and allow the
party from S5 to S25 to encourage him
to do the work and have a more modern
and better ventilated tie-up and in
adopting this new rule We have increas-
ed our expense per animal II cents each
from the last report.
"Maine is expending large amount
of money yearly to foster and protect its
dairy interests, and il is we'll equipped
with different departments to carry on
the different lines of work. First, We
have a commissioner Of agriculture,
then We have dairy instructor, board
of cattle commissioners and all working
along different lines, but in harmony
with one another. Then We have a
dairy association with a large member
ship consisting of the leading dairymen
of the state, and the heads of different
departments are ready and willing at all
times to carry out the suggestions and
the sentiments of the associations as far
as the law will permit, and We think we
voice the sentiments of the dairy asso-
citation when we say: They want better
herds, better sanitary conditions, better
cream, better butter and healthy herds.
The demand for our products and the
prices that they command indicate that
conditions are growing better all along
the line"
The financial statement accompanying
the report is as follows: Cash on hand,
Dec 1, 1906, SIT SO; received from the
state treasurer Q9O6 deticiency) S2S.-
Sl4 IS; received from the state treasurer
(19O7 business s25, 900 90, making
total of S53, ,999 81; paid on cattle on
account of 1906 deficiency, S22,6Il 10;
paid on expenses on account of 1906 de-
ficiency, $500 20; paid on cattle on
account of 1907 business, Sl6 $40 go; paid
on expenses of 1907 business, SS,991 80.
During the past year there were con-
demned and destroyed at Brighton,
Mass, 40 cattle for which the COM
missioners paid 1895 00.-Turf, Farm
and Home.