Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-06-04
THE BUXXA 4 MENACE.

ties OF the hundreds and thousands
of germs that infGSt the air and earth
and the waters under the earth, there
to us that We can properly call clean
and hcalthful. Germs to the right
of us, germs to the left of us volley
and thunder their missiles Of dis
ease and death into humanity from
dawn till dark, and from dark till
dawn. They are by species everpres-
ent and OmnipreSent. And probably
no theme is more widely discussed
or more deeply investigated than
2hat which deals with germs.
It is within the memory Of most
of us when the buzzard was looked
upon as a thing to be reverenced for
IT'S benefactiOnS to mankind, and
time and again we have, (and many
another, we doubt not,) surrendered
desire to take pop shot at one of
these "black angels as he glided
through the ether-and then felt
that some cruel Nemesis was follow
ing us, ready to point us out to some
gigilant minion of the law as the
arch tiend who had dared to desc
crate the body of the noble vulture.
We have watched with disgust, some
years ago, the antics of this "pro-
tected germ industry" as it hoped
about THE Market" in Charleston,
zcavenging every particle of refuse
meat and devouring every piece Of
available filth. We feel sure that
now, however, the City by the Sea
has long since realized the error of
its way and provides a better means
of disposing of the market filths than
exposing them to the rapacious buz-
yards.
Speaking Of the buzzard in connec-
tion with a scavenge system, or view
ing it in the light of benefactor OF
humanity, let us consider the re-
marks Of Prof. M. Ray Powers, CT
Clemson College, who has studied
the bird" pretty thoroughly, we
doubt not:
Buzzards in feasting on car
casses literally smear the decompos-
ed material over their plumage, and
anthrax bacilli remain alive upon the
beakS and feet Of buzzards for at
Rast As hours. With these facts in
mind, it is only necessary to con-
slider the distance the buZZard flies
in As hours, and the number of pas
lures he visits (spreading the germs
OF disease and injecting pasturage
and water) to arrive at conclusions.
1t is well known that the
Duzzard has the filthy habit Of vom-
iting upon the slightest provocation,
and if, after feasting on the carcass
of a diseaSedanimal, the buzzard flies
70 another pasture and there vomits
this diseased and undigested flesh,
What better method of spreading in
lection could be desired? 1t cannot
be claimed that such food is free
from infection as a result OF previous
mixture with tho birds digestive
juices, because this food is expelled
before it has opportunity to meet
such juices.
In recent address DR.. Dalrymple,
chief OF the Louisiana experiment
station, said: "The vomited material
from buzzards, used by DR.. Morris in
his experiments, showed anthrax or
ganiSms, and that, 48 hours after a
buzzard had feastcd on a rabbit dead
or anthrax, cultures were made from
the feet and bill apd all cultures
showed anthrax organisms"
In Louisiana, where DR.. Morris
conducted his experiments, they evil
IDENTIFY do not consider it "inexcusa-
bic to wage warfare" on the buz-
zard. Note the following resolutions
adopted by the Louisiana Live Stock
Sanitary Board, Of which DR.. Dalrym-
pie is a member, at its meeting on
January 9th, 1913:
Whereas, the fact that the turkey
buzzard and the carrion crow have
been proved by actual test to be i'm
portant carriers of the infection of
contagious diseases. such as anthrax
i0r charbon) hog cholera, etc: and,
Whereas, these birds are great
menace to the live stock interests Of
the State; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the State Live
stock Sanitary Board recommends
that any law on the statDte books to
protect the turkey buzzard, or car
ron crow, be repealed, and that the
next General Assembly pass the nee
essary legislation for the destruction
OF the turkey buzzard and the carrion
crow in the State of Louisiana"
There are hundreds OF farmers In
south Carolina who have recently
suhered heavy losses as the result OF
the Duzzards' ability to spread hog
cholera, and they would heartiIv al,
dorse this resolution.
Is the buzzard still protected" in
South Carolina? If these men of
science and research know what they
are talking about (and we know that
they do), then let's have open sea-