Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-26
HOOP AND MOUTH
DISEASE WIPED OUT
FEDERAL BUREAU REPORTS
THAT CATTLE EPIDEMIC NO
LONGER EXISTS.

THAT CATTLE EPIDEMIC NO
LONGER EXISTS.
Especial correspondence
Washing ton, D. c., Dec. 26-The last
of the foot-and-mouth disease remain
| ing in the country from the outbreak of
/! the fail of 1914 was stamped out dur
! ing the fiscal year ending June 80
| last. and the books show that this out
break cost the federal government and
! the states about s9,0oO,0o0, according
ito the annual report of the Bureau of
/ Animal Industry, Department of Az
rfculture, which has just appeared.
Large as this amount is says the
report, it is trivial compared with the
colossal damage that would have been
inflicted if the disease had escaped
control and had become permanently
established in the United States as it
has in some other countries. Perhaps
the most important step needed to
complete the preparation of the whole
country against future outbreaks Of
this or other contagious diseases, is
for all the states that have already
done so to pass laws, create or i'm
prove organizations. and make ap-
preparations for dealing effectively
with contagious diseases of animals
The fight against hog cholera has
been carried steadily forward by the
bureau during the year. One success
has been the devising of new pro-
cess for producing clear. sterifzed
anti hog cholera serum.
observations throughout the year.
the report continues, convinced spe-
cialists of the bureau of the great
economic importance of the losses
among animals due to tuberculosis,
and plans have been developed for
the undertaking OF campaign against
the malady.'
During the year the cattle quaran-
tine was raised from $1,000 square
miles of territory which had been
freed Of cattle ticks while the activi
ties of the bureau in these tick freed
areas, particularly in the south, re-
suited in the introduction of pure bred
beef and dairy cattle to the number of
several hundreds.
Through the organization Of COW
testing associations, bull associations
and the extension of assistance in the
establishment of dairy manufacturing
enterprises, the dairying business was
in many sections Of the country placed
on more profitable basis. Field
demonstrators from the bureau went
into the mountain regions of the
south, and into the Rocky mountain
and Pacific coast hill country, to en-
courage the manufacture of cheese in
the small. valleys from which ship
1~,;1l SO ofiNo1 (Nitu
authorities were at the same time as
sisted by the bureau in making sur
veys of their sources of milk supply,
and better sanitary conditions in dairy
farms were secured.
Sheep range and sheep farm condi
lions were studied, with a view to
working out more pruhtale methods.
An experimental sheep ranch was set
apart from the public domain in idaho,
and will be occupied next summer by
government focks. During the year
more than $4,000 square miles Of ter
ritory was freed from quarantine for
sheep scabies.
The movement to organize pig clubs
and poultry clubs has been popular,
so that last July there were $1,000
farm boys and girls belonging to pig
raising clubs, and $500 children en-
rolled in poultry clubs in the United
States. This is double the member
ship for the previous year.
Some indication of the real value OF
the work of the buresu in these var
ious lines may be seen from the fact
that in spite Of the trend offthe coun-
try toward manufacturing, and away
from its agricultural character, more
animals were slaughtered under feder-
al inspection last year than In any
previous year since inspection was
established. The whole number Of
meat animals SO slaughtered was g.
go. 522 for the year. Meat and meat
food products amounting to nearly
1, 500 900 600 pounds were prepared
and put through various processes,
under inspection.
Certificates were issued for the ex-
mort of over 510,0OO,000 pounds of
beef and beef products, more than
1878. 900 900 pounds of pork and pork
products. and about 12,344,000 pounds
Of mutton. The total of beef, pork
and mutton and their products, Ger.
tificated for export, was 1895, 1886
pounds. That is, one-fourth of the
federally inspected meat output of the
country was to be sent abroad.
HURT ON PAVED ROAD.