Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1912-08-13
KN0W[ESMEETS
W|THST0CKMEN
STATE VETERINARIAN COMES TO
THIS CITY TO INVESTIGATE
SCABlES SITUATION,
INSPECTION WASFARC|CAL
Injustice Done Local Owners Of Cattle
by Off-Handed Work of Burlington,
Government Inspector - Stockmen
Unanimous in Declaring That No
Infection Exists.

unanimous IN Declaring That No
Infection Exists.
Doctor M. E. Knowles. state veteri-
marian, met with large number of
stockmen of the county and others at
the Judith club rooms last Saturday
evening, for the purpose of securing
first-hand information relative to the
quarantine and dipping order issued
last May and affecting all Of Fergus
county.
Peculiar Inspection.
From the statements made by stock
men present, it was readily apparent
that the inspection made last May by
Doctor Burlington, of the government
bureau Of animal industry, was out of
the ordinary, to say the least. His
mode of procedure was to ride up in
his buggy to bunch of cattle, casual
ly look them over, and then, without
going through the usual formality Of
roping or throwing any of the animals,
pronounce them clean or scabby and
proceed to the next bunch.
In the cases of Felix Darcy and
Fred France, of Maginnis, DR.. Buffing-
ton examined the two herds from his
buggy, pronounced them infected with
scabies and ordered the stockmen to
keep their herds in a pen until his re-
turn in a few days." The "few days.
have heightened into three months,
while the government inspector has
failed to show up, although the two
stockmen have kept their part of the
bargain by keeping the cattle penned
up all Of the time, not permitting
them to mingle with any other cattle.
Right Way to Inspect.
Stock Inspector Frank Biglen stated
that, in all of his experience, he never
heard of an inspection being made in
that careless manner. 1t is the in.
variable custom to rope some of the
cattle thought to be infected and make
a close examination. Mr.. Biglen fur.
ther stated that he has not seen the
slightest case of infection among any
of the cattle in this county and is EN-.
phatically of the opinion that no scab
exists. This opinion is also held by
Stock Commissioner E. G. Abbott and
all of the other stockmen present.
Doctor Knowles Talks.
Doctor Knowles gave it as his
opinion that no infection exists among
| the cattle OF Fergus county and stated
that an unnecessary hardship has eyi
IDENTITY been worked against the stock
men here. He pledged himself to dc
everything possible to have the
dipping order rescinded, so that those
who figure on shipping this fall will
not have to suffer the loss which will
be caused by gathering their cattle
earlier than would otherwise be neces
sary and dipping them. There now
appears to be little question but that
the matter will be so adjusted as to
relieve the owners of cattle from the
necessity of dipping.
Before adjournment, the following
resolutions were adopted:
Resolutions.
| Whereas, All the cattle of Fergus
county have been quarantined as
scabies; and
Whereas, The inspection upon said
quarantine issued was made by DR.
Burlington, a federal employee, under
DR.. R. H. Tracey, of Fargo, North
Dakota; and
Whereas, Said inspection was made
in a negligent and careless manner
being made from buggy without
penning or throwing a single animal:
and
Whereas, We, the stockmen of Fer
gus county, representing $4,000 head
OF cattle, and being of long experience
In the cattle business, have had the
| cattle examined by stockmen who are
and have been familiar with scabies
and
Whereas, We are advised by them
that there is no scabies in Fergus
Wheeras, We know from our own
county; and
knowledge that there is no scabies In
Fergus county; and
Whereas, We are advised by DIR. M
=. Knowles, state veterinarian of the
state of Montana, that there is nc
scabies SO far as his investigations
have gone, and that he has examined
many herds of cattle in Fergus county:
and
Whereas, Said quarantine works a
great and irrepairable injury and dam
age to the cattlemen of Fergus county
and
Whereas, Two of the herds of cat.
tie examined by DIR. Burlington and
pronounced to be scabies have been
raised and always remained in q
closed pasture, and are still there, and
positively could not have been ex
posed to scabies owing to their iso-
lated location; and
Whereas, We believe Dr. Burlington
is mistaken as to the existence OF
scabies in Fergus county; and
Whereas, The only evidence OF
scabies is the existence of the scab