Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-10-08
Incurable Desease
WILDE Eradicated
If Possible
FOREST RANGERS ASSIST
Instructions Telling How to
Combat The Trouble
Being Circulated

The fight against black leg, the
{ dread disease which is causing so
much havoc among cattle in various
parts of New Mexico. is on in real
earnest. The cattle sanitary board
of New Mexico is doing all in its pow
er to send out information regarding
| the disease and the manner in which
! it should be fought. Inspectors of
the board are making trips TO the
! places where cattle are found to be
infected and are aiding the owners
| in stamping it out.
Territorial Cattle Inspector f. E.
! Van Horn has just returned from the
: Pecos reserve where he found the
! Closson Arnold and other herds of
cattle to be infected with black leg.
| He killed quite a number of the ami
mails and destroyed their carcasses by
J burning. AS soon as he receives
| shipment of vaccine from the depart
ment at Washington he will return
! to the range and vaccinate all cattle.
| Forest rangers have been sent in
structions from the forest bureau tell
/ ing them to inform all cattle men
regarding the danger of the disease
and assist in stamping it out.
Black leg is incurable and the only
! recourse which the cattle men have
| is to vaccinate the cattle uninfected
and thus prevent the disease from
spreading. Once an animal becomes
| IN, th Iuf
multiplies into the millions. Once it
is found that an animal is affected the
only safe method to prevent the dis
ease from spreading is to kill the
animal and burn the carcass, hide and
ALL on the spot where killed.
The disease this year has become
so prevalent owing TO the richness
of the range, the rich feeding causing
the cattle to get overly fat, thus in
viting the black leg germ The fol-
lowing information regarding black
, leg will be found of great value to
, cattle owners. 1t is taken from a cir
cular bulletin, issued by the secretary
of the Cattle Growers Association Of
New Mexico.
What is Black Leg?
Black leg is disease affecting
: young cattle, not over per cent be-
ing found in animals over three years
of age, and fully so per cent from
eight to twelve months old. Under
eight months, the cases are very rare.
The disease is in practically all cases,
absolutely fatal.
The symptoms are few, the animal
= showing little sign of sickness until
it is far developed. On the ranges
;, a lameness in the forefeet and legs
. is generally the first symptom noticed.
The animal will probably be dead in
q twenty-four hours, 1t is easy to tell
y an a limal that has died of black leg
= for. owing to the immense amount of
o gas found in the body, both before
e and after death, the body is distended
r to remarkable degree, the legs be-
|. ing widely distended, and sicking out
s. from the body very differently from a
n death by any other disease.
It On pressing the skin on the fore
e shoulder, sharp cracking sound will
n be heard, due to the pressure of gas
y underneath the skin, while if a knife
n is driven into it dark frothy liquid
will fow very slowly.
What Causes Black Leg.
small member of the bacilli fam
:. ily These bacilli are in the soil. left
81, nv he nf
le animal. How long they will live in
the soil is not known, but it is Ger.
81 81 tainly for many years.
The disease is not contagious, that
- is, carried by contact from one ami
:. NAL to another. but is infectious which
~ means that one single animal in q
II thousand may have it and not an
a other animal die from it.
10 The gentleman who gives his dis
ID covery to the world quotes the fac
Ie that in Texas of two herds on oppo
ell site sides of wire fence, one los
many animals by the disease, while
the other lost none. Easily explain
able by the fact that one pasture wa:
r. injected Win Dlack leg Wnlle lnt
d. other was not.
A How Do Cattle Get Black Leg.
CHI Only in one way-through the ski
i'd and into the blood A calf lies dowl
rt- in a spot infected with the bacilli o
o black leg left there possibly years ag'
ho by some animal that died of the dis
an ease. A cut made by wire, or a gor'
EN- from a horn offers place for thu
IN disease to enter the system. The dir
at affected with the minute bacilli get.