Putnam patriot., 1915-03-26

! prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
Because of the prevalence sof foot
and-mouth disease in Europe and
South America, importations of live
stock are now limited practically to
shipments from Great Britain, Ire
| land and the Channel Isles. Even
| with these countries trade has been
| interrupted several times in recent
years, for the government does not
| permit the importation of animals
| from countries where the disease ex-
| lists, and there have been several out
breaks in Great Britain lately.
Up to November, 1906, American
| ports were open to Belgium and Hol-
| land. In that month, however, some
| sheep were taken into Belgium from
| France, where the disease was quite
| prevalent, and brought the pestilence
with them. By the end of the year
every province in Belgium was affect
| ed, and Holland as we'll Since that
| time both of these countries have
been fighting the disease, but have
not yet succeeded in eradicating it.
In Italy, France, Switzerland, Ger
! many and Russia the plague has ex-
| listed SO long and has gained such q
foothold that it is economically impos-
| sible to fight it with the American
| methods of slaughter and disinfection,
20 20, do =, - I'll To-
! percentage of the live stock in these
| countries. In consequence, the au-
| thorities appear to be making little or
| no progress in their campaign. The
outbreak, for example, which ap-
| peared in Germany in 1883 increased
steadily until 1892, when it dimin-
| ished gradually for a few years, but
again reached great proportions in
1899. Thereafter it continued to exist
| to a greater or less extent until in
1911 it attained virulence un-
| equaled before. In that year 1885,
369 cattle, 1.602,927 sheep, 2,555,371
hogs, and 1854 goats were affected.
! At that time the total number of cat
tie, sheep, swine and goats in Ger
many was only 51,319,000, while there
| were in the United States 172, 572 900,
| or between three and four times as
many 1t can readily be imagined,
! therefore, what it would mean to the
United States if the disease were to
| gain the foothold here that it had in
| Germany where, as these figures
show, approximately one out of seven
! of the animals susceptible to the dis
ease was affected.
Since the mortality in the disease
is comparatively low, ranging from
only three per cent in mild form to
/ thirty or forty per cent in malignant
cases, the havoc caused by the pesti-
lence is sometimes underestimated.
| From the work of various scientists,
however, who have endeavored to as
certain the decrease in value of an
| animal which RECEIVERS from an at
! tack, it may be said that on an aver
age this amounts in Germany to 81
and in Holland to So In this coun-
try, with its higher prices, the loss is
eorrespondingly greater. If these fig
ures be accepted, it is obvious that the
amount of money spent in eradicat-
| 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 American method of
slaughter, but the pestilence had
! gained too much Roadway and was too
! firmly established in too many por-
! lions of the country for this method
to succeed, and the slaughter OF the
infected herds had to be abandoned.
| 1t now appears that there is no hope
! of getting rid of 1t until the virus has
worn itself out. At present it seems
that as soon as the animals period
of acquired immunity is over and far
vorable conditions present them
selves, the contagion breaks out with
! renewed virulence 50 that the author
tiles have practically abandoned all
hope of controlling it by means Of
/ guarantees. One scientist indeed has
asserted that unless all the infected
farms were absolutely isolated and
the movement not only OF live stock
but of persons absolutely prohibited,
| the disease could not be stamped out
Such quarantine is, of course, ut
terly impossible to enforce. In GER
! tain portions of Germany, indeed, the
farmers, realizing that the disease is
inevitable, make haste to be done
with it by exposing their stock DELHI
erately to mild cases In the hope that
! this viii result in an immediate mild
attack and immunity for several years
| thereafter.
| Great Britain and Norway and
| Sweden, on account of their compare