The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-24

mediately localized and quickly eradi-
Gated, it threatens untold losses
among live stock
$50 contagious IS the disease that
in past outbreaks where but one AMI
NAL in a herd was infected the entire
herd in almost all cases later con-
tracted the sickness. While the NOR
tality is not high. the effects of the
disease even on animals that recover
are such as to make them practl- |
cally useless. They lose flesh rapidly, |
in the case of cows, the milk dries up
or is made dangerous for human con-
sumption; in the caSe of breeding
| animals, the animal once infected be-
comes valueless for breeding, a. it
may continue to be a constant carrier
of c%ontagion.
1T is possible to cure the external
| symptoms. but during the process of
attempting TO cure one sick animal
the chances are that hundreds of
others may be infected. The treat
ment or killing Of a single animal in
a herd was tried in an outbreak and
did not prove effective, for the reason
thai the remainder Of the herd soon
became affected and had to be killed.
LAS a result Of the five outbreaks
in this ountry and other disastrous
epidemics Of the disease in Europe
and Great Britain, veterinary authori-
ties of the United tates are agreed
hat the only method of combating
the disease is to stop all movement
of stock and material which have
been subjected to any danger Of in
lection, and to kill off tho delay
all herds in which the disease has
gained any foothold. This enables
the authorities to eradicate affected
herds and to isolate and hold under
observation all suspected herds.
For these reasons, the Department
Of Agriculture has. already quaran-
tined fourteen States for the foot and
mouth disease. The Federal uuaran-
tine prevents all interstate movement
of stocks and materials likely to carry
the infection. At the same time, the
State authorities are imposing local
guarantees, which prevent the pass
age Of animals from iarmS or lOcaIi-
ties known to be infected to other 10
caliiies in the same State in which
the disease has not appeared. Each
infected herd, as rapidly as the dis
ease is discovered, is killed and the
dead animals buried in a covering of
lime. The skins of the animals are
SlaShed SO as to permit the rapid &C
= ton Of the lime.
Expense Divided.
: The owner of the slaughtered ami
2 mails is reimbursed on basis of the
: appraised value of the herd, the ap-
: fpraiser being appointed by the State.
The expense Of the whole process OF
condemnation and disinfection is di-
vided equally between the Federal
. INC State governments.
r Until the entire premises nave beer
: thoroughly disinfected and all danger
y Of spreading the disease removed the
farm is quarantined by the local au
thOrities in the same way in which il
t would be for a contagious human dis
ease. This local quarantine prevents
S the visit of individuals or the transfer
e Of any produce or animals from thu
farm to other farms. In some cases
n because human beings can carry The
e disease to other herds, the State au-
y thorities have prevented children or
i finfected farms from attending chool
y In other cases. as in Illinois an(
) Ohio, the State authorities 4avt
'e closed the s~tockyards until they Cal
l. be cleaned and disinfected.
Is 1.-The first effort of the department
N is to discover and segregate all ami
sc mails sick with the disease or tina
s. have teen exposed. TIC this end tn
L Federal and State inspectors are nov
r tracing up, through bills Of lading ant
IT railroad records, all shipments of liv,
es cattle which have been made dur
j. ing the last sixty days out of an,
&c Of the infected or suspected districts
lg The herds of animals SO shipped ar
lg located and Immediately examined b
of veterinarians. In this way the pres
ence of foot and mouth disease ha
eS been discovered in various places i
n the present wild area now under Fed
ry eral quarantine, which includes Mas
nd sachusetts, New York, Ohio. Pennsyl
&c ~vania,l Indiana, Illinois. Maryland
&c Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. SINH
IS larly. the numbers of all cars in whic
ch animals have been transported fror
these districts have been obtained
or and these are located and thor
US oughly cleaned and disinfected.
Following the imposition Of a ger
o. eral Federal quarantine and the Kill
ii ing Of actually infected herds, come
les a farm-to-farm inspection of the Ell
of tire ~quarantined area Later, whe
nd it becomes clear that the disease ha
to been localized, it will be possible ft
set the Federal and State authorities I
of free from quarantine all but the &C
he ,1a1lu infected counties or Districts q.