The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-01-22

making little or no progress in their campaign. The outbreak, for ex- ample, which appeared in Germany in 1888 increased steadily until 1892 when it diminished gradually 6or a few years but again reached great proportions in 1899 Thereafter 1t continued to exist to greater or less extent until in 1911 it attained a viru1ence unequa1led before. In that year 3,366s36s cattle, 1,602s927 sheep. 2,555.371 hogs, and 53,674 goats were affected. At that time the total number of cattle, sheep, swine and goats in Germany was only 61,- SIS, 1000, while there were in the United States 172s572,0 900, or between three and four times as many. It can readily be imagined, therefore. what it would mean to the United States if the disease was to gain the foothoId here that it had in Germany where, as these figures show, approx imateIy one out of seven of the anil malls susceptible to the disease was affected.
 Since the mortality in the disease is comparatively low, ranging from only 3 per cent. in mild forms to 30 or 40 per cent. in malignant cases. the havoc caused by the pestilence is sometimes underestimated. From the work of various scientists, how. ever. who have endeavored to ascer- VQ0CISaSG nal which recovers from an attack, it may be said that on an average this amounts in Germany to $7-0O and Tn Holland to $1O.0O. In this country with it's higher prices. the loss is correspondingly greater. If these figures be accepted, it is obvious that the amount of money spent in erad- ieating the disease becomes insignif- icant in comparison with the loss it causes when left to itself
 The German government, of course, has not left the disease to itself. The more recent outbreaks it attempted to control by the Ameri- can method of slaughter, but the pestiIence had gained too much headway and was too firmly estab- 1ished in too many portions of the country for this method to succeed, and the slaughter of the infected herds had to be abandoned. It now appears that there is no hope of get ting rid of it until the virus has worn itself out. At present it seems that as soon as the animals period of acquired immunity is over and fa- Vorable conditions present them selves, the contagion breaks out with renewed virulence so that the all- thorities have practically abandoned all hope of controlling it by means of quarantines. One scientist indeed has asserted that unless all the, in fected farms were absolutely iSOlat- ed and the movement not only of live stock but of persons absolutely pro- hibited, the disease could not be stamped out. Such a quarantine is5 of course. utterly impossible to en- force. In certain portions of Ger many indeed, the farmers realizing that the disease is inevitable make haste to be done with it. by expos ing their stock deliberatS1ys to mild cases in the hope that this will re- suit in an immediate mild attack and immunity for several years .thereafter
 Great Britain and Norway and sweden, on account. of their conpar- more successful in keeping out the disease The outbreaks in these countries have beene more sparodic and by resortihg to immediate Slaughter the authorities have been able to stamp them out In the out break near Dublin in 1912, indeed. measures were adopted which were more stringent than any used in this country. As soon as the existence of the disease became definitely known so-called 'sstand-stilP re- restrictions were imposed on the af- fected district Not only was the
 movement of live stock into or out of the district absolutely forbidden, but no cattle, sheep, goats or swine could move along or even cross any highway or thoroughfare.
 Moreover, within each of the af- fected districts, known as scheduled districts were two smaller areas in which there were even closer re- the premises on which the actual
 f