Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-13

LeGrand, Jan. %. 1915.-Editor T.-R.,
Marshalltown. Dear Sir: Reference the
enclosed clipping. Last fall you pub
lished a report from a farmer near
Beaman, I believe, who Gained to
have had the dread contagion and
kept still about it and cured 1t. So
did we, that is, we had mycotic
stomatis, which has about the same
relation to genuine foot and mouth
as the after effects of boys eating
green apples has to Asiatic cholera or
buhouic plague.
Doubtless you are rs we'll convinced
by this time as any one that no farmer
near Beaman or any other town IN the
United States had foot and mouth.
kept st.!l about 1t and cured It. Plenty
of them have tried it-and their at
tempts have cost the dear public bet
ter than a half million In Illinois In the
last month or two.
| Your leadership among Iowa news
papers caused this article to be quoted
in papers over the state, adding to the
general claim that foot and mouth"
animals need not be slaughtered.
o. WI JOHNSON.
| We first noticed its appearance Sun
day. Jan. 4, in heifer, yarded with
twelve others farthest removed from
the buildings, where the crows were
most likely to venture.
They were inspected by noon and
seven were pronounced infected In this
lot. All but possibly three refused to
eat during the eight days we had a
chance to observe them. All Of the
ninety seven cattle drank from the
same water tank and presumably
caught the disease from the first
twelve.
| Tuesday twenty-six yearlirgs came
down, and by Friday all that were
stabbed in this barn came down with
the disease. Cows that We MIXED,
stabbed in another barn showed no
signs Of the disease until Saturday
and Sunday. The rapidity with which
this disease spread would have made
it dangerous to have shipped them out
even had they been inspected and the
regulations permitted.
Each twenty-four hours found some
stricken that were apparently we'll the
day before. We are located one and
one -fourth miles from the Chisholm
and Rain herd, the probable source of
our infection. Mr.. Rain tells me that
he lost two cows and eight calves that
were or s weeks old, in the twelve
to fourteen days he experienced the
disease. Many Of his cows aborted.
One Of our heifers lost the entire coat
| ing OF her tongue. All Of them frothed
at the mouth like mad dogs. The pen
in which they were kept was covered
as II with soap sups.
The hogs were not stricken until
Wednesday. Thursday there were 8;
Friday. IL or IA; Saturday, 40 or so.
They seemed to suffer more agony
than the cattle. Symptoms first ap-
peared in feet and they acted like hogs
stranded on ice. When driving them
into the ditch, one of them lost its
feet. 1 examined forty sick ones after
they were killed and ten or twelve
showed hoofs that had separated from
the skin above.
1 I know that Mr.. Rain and all here
have faithfully observed the spirit and
letter of the quarantine regulations
and know that these farms have been
as rigidly quarantined as 1t is pos
sible to obtain on farm, yet twelve
or fourteen herds in this vicinity have
doubtless contracted this disease be-
fore 1t was possible to bury them
4
taken this disease II they were still
above ground? Not a herd in this
county would likely have escaped II
all that have been stricken would have
been kept alive until all recovered
Besides who could endure to be quar-
antined until q hog grew foot on OF
O COW regained coat on her tongue.
j Mr.. Rain will bear me out that nc
one can imagine the loss OF flesh and
lcondition a malignant attack produces
in an animal. No one can realize what
this disease would do to a lot Of fat
cattle or hogs Just ready to market
II one were compelled to keep then
until they recovered, all the profit ant
advantage OF having them would dis
appear, even II not q single one OF
them died. The danger Of this disease
dropping In on us would be Imminent
just as long as an infected herd re-
NAMED above ground.
believe week or ten days ex.
perience trying to live under stric
quarantine will show people the folly
OF trying to get rid OF this disease II
any other manner than by killing and
burying them. Il S
] There are people who are perfectl,