Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1908-12-11
State Quarantine to be Lifted Next
Week,


antine BY order of Secretary Wilson, of the
Agricultural Department at Washington,
which has been in force since the 9th of
November last, prohibiting cattle, sheep and
other ruminsnts and swine and hay and
straw from passing outside of the lines OF
the State to prevent the spread Of the foot.
and-mouth disease. A delegation of farm.
ers of Poolesville district, this county, head
cd by County Commissioner Charles Viii.
liams, visited the department on Tuesday
last and secured an audience with Score
tary Wilson, through the courtesy of Rep.
resentative George A Pearre, who accom-.
panied the party, upon the length of time
the State is to remain under quarantine
The delegation was informed that the quar-.
antine would be lifted throughout the State,
excepting Carroll county, not later than the
middle of next week, provided no more
cases OF the foot-snd mouth disease break
out within the State.
The visitors to the department have a
large lot of fat cattle ready for the market
and they were much pleased with the de-
termination Of the Secretary to raise the
quarantine at an early day.
Another herd OF cattle infected with foot
and-mouth disease was discovered last Fri
day by State Veterinarian F. H. Mackie
within q short distance of the Kneller farm,
in Carroll county, where the first outbreak
occurred. The new outbreak was on the
g. II w T az in IN
the Pennsylvania State line. Mr.. Wentz
had seven cows, and six of them were in
fected with the disease. The cattle were
killed on Saturday afternoon last.
The Secretary Of Agriculture at Wash
ington issued an order last Friday directing
that hay, straw or similar fodder not orig
mating In State quarantined for foot. and
mouth disease and shipped into such State,
there to be used for packing purposes, may
be moved interstate from the area quaran-
tined without disinfection. 1t must, how.
ever, be proved that the hay, straw or SINH.
lar fodder is used for packing purposes and
has had no opportunity to have come in.
fected.
ORIGIN OF THE DISkASE.
The New York Tribune says that "Scien-
tflc investigation has not as yet determined
under what conditions the germ or virus
may develop. In fact, 1t is not as yet known
whether 1t is a microbe or poison or virus
which develops in certain soils. In the win
ter Of 1908 04 there was an outbreak of it in
Massachusetts and Vermont. In one case
1t was thought TO have been brought to a
section of Massachusetts by foreign hides.
An investigation In Vermont discovered no
evidence Of the infection coming from any
source at all. In 1888 there was an out.
break in the State of New York on farm
where no strange cattle had been brought
in for several months. 1t was duly stamp
ed out Thus there is liability of an out.
break anywhere and at any time, and the
thing for farmers to do is to be on the alert
and to waste no time in seeking veterinary
aid. While 1t has been known for over
two centuries In Holland and other countries
of Europe, 1t was as late as 1889 before
Great Britain suffered severely from the
scourge, for scourge it is when farm once
becomes injected with it. All cloven hoofed
animals are more susceptible to the con-
tagion than the horse or several toe looted
animals. This is no doubt due to the germ
or virus being conveyed by moist soil or filth
containing 1t up between the sections of the
bifurcated foot 10 the skin just above the
foot, which is the point Of incubation when
1t is moist or perhaps little sore or tender
A pustule is soon formed which produces
violent Itching. The animal ticks 1t to get
relief and then the mouth becomes affected
and blistered and pustues soon appear.
The whole system becomes more or less
fevered. The animal is unable to eat any
solid food, and unless 1t is furnished nour.
ishment 10 liquid form will likely starve
before the disease will run Its course as an
eruptve fever, which lasts from ten to fifteen
days. If the animal survives, II is practi.
caily immune from disease ever afterward.
In extremely bad cases where nothing is
done to alleviate the disease the hoofs some.
times drop off.
The milk Of oil cows suffering from the
disease is wholly unfit to use for either hui
man or animal food; also, the flesh is unfit
for human food yet the danger OF convey.
ing the disease TO the human by the use OF
either milk or flesh is extremely doubtful.
There are on record few cases where it
was thought to have been thus conveyed
but the chief source Of human infection is
direct incubation of the poison or germ en-
tering the system through abrasions of the
skin or sores on the hands.
1t is not very fatal disease in animals,
the loss being largely from dairy herds be-
coming worthless, the loss of hoofs Of other
animals, and, worse than all, the soil where
the animals run becoming lnoculated to the
extent of making it source of continual
danger. Therefore, all cattle, sheep or
swine owners on the first appearance of the
disease OF the nature described. should do
their utmost TO stamp it out. Our federal
government has been very alert and gener-
Gus with the livestock owners of this coun.
try, and has thus far. deemed 1t better and
safer for the country'S good TO buy all all.
ing animals and pay for them; also TO dis.
Injecting their premises; and IL becomes all
livestock owners to aid the State and ma.
tional governments all they can in their
work Of preventing this disease from ever
getting foothold In this country, even II
for . short time rigid quarantine has to be
enforced. The germs or virus-whichever
It may be-can be conveyed in mems boots,
by dogs, cats and fowls. Therefore, don't
hesitate TO keep the animals shut up when,
ever there is an outbreak, and usually q
weeks time will stamp 1t out when properly
managed"
The Hartford Times has the following TO
say upon the same subject 1.-THE foot-and-
mouth disease, OF which we are just now
hearing too much that is disagreeabe, has
been a malsdy with history OF not less
than 200 years, and, indeed, is identified by
some writers as the ancient "murrain" In