The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-11-10
$4,000 TO FIGHT
TUBERCULOSIS
New Hampshire's Commits
siOner Asks That Sum to
Eradicate Disease
POINTS TO VERMONT
AS AN EXAMPLE
This State Leads New England In
Fighting Bovine tuberculosis - New
Hampshire Requires Improvement of
Barns i'm Fighting the Disease.

d. III TIE DISe8Se.
CONCORD, n. H., Nov. 1O.-Com-
missioner of Agriculture Andrew l.. Eel
ker will ask the next legislature for an
appropriation of $4,000 a year for car
rying on the work of eradicating bo-
vine tuberculosis. Il am satisfied that
the farmers viii come in force before the
legislature and approve of the determined
effort being made by the state and fed
eral department of agriculture in stamp
ing out this scOurge, said Commissioner
Fclker IN discussing the needs of his de-
partment as regards combating the
most serious problem which confronts
the dairymen and the breeders of dairy
cattle IN New Hampshire
Referring to the attempts made by
| other states to eradicate bovine tubercu-
losis, the commissioner said Vermont
rs to ask of its legislators S250,000 a
year for the next two years. MasSachu-
sets will ask for 100000 year for
five-year period; Names department of
agriculture wants a yearly appropria-
ton of S112,3O0; Connecticut is asking
for an appropriation of $4,000 year
Pennsylvania wants S3J0000 a year and
lndiana's department of agriculture will
ask for $1,00G,00O a year for bovine tu-
berculosis eradication work. ia
In 1918 there was available for this
work in New Hampshire an appropria-
tion of $4,000 and last years appropria-
ton was $4,000, the latter covering the
year ending Sept. l of this year. These
appropriations are exclusively for the
purpose of indemnifying cattle owners
for cattle condemned by state inspectors
following tuberculin tests. In this con-
nection Vermont leads in the effort be-
ing made to stamp out bovine tubercu-
loSis. the state and federal departments
of agriculture cooperating.
Accepting the offer of the bureau of
animal husbandry to cooperate in the
work. Commissioner Felker, on Oct 20
secured DR.. l.. II. Haubrick of Clare
mont, veterinarian, for special work and
the federal government assigned ]. G..
Clark, veterinarian, to assist in testing
herds under what is known as the 'ac-
credited herd plan adopted by the fed
eral government. whereby a portion of
the indemnity for pmebred animals CON
demned is paid by the United States de-
partment of agriculture.
There are now eight accredited herds
in New Hampshire, % herds in the pro-
cess of accreditatiOn and II herds wait
ing to undergo the first of the three tests
required by the federal government in
order to place such cattle in the "accred-
ted class. So rapidly are dairy cattle
owners accepting the plan of the federal
government it is impossible for the linn
tied number of veterinarians under the
jurisdiction of Commissioner Felker to
the tubercurfn tests.
The state in case of condemnation of
an animal, pays from 80 TO 20 per cent
of the appraised value and the owner has
the salvage, hide and carcass where the
latter is permitted to be sold for food
or tankage, in case the condemned ami
NAL is registered as pure bred.
Commissioner Felker at the coming Ses-
sion of the legislature in presenting the |
needs of his department as regards the |
demand for an increased appropriation |
for bovine tuberculosis work will tell /
the legislators that the state of Vermont |
is leading in this work in New England. |
and that the commissioner of agricul- |
ture in the Green Mountain state has /
eight veterinarians at work all of the |
time. Commissioner Felker will call at !
tention TO the efficient work being done |
in Massachusetts and Connecticut. and
explain that New Hampshire, until two
years ago, was left in the rear in the
march of progress in this work because
of insufficient appropriations.
The report of the New Hampshire
tax commission for 1919, the last avail
able for the purpose. shows that there
were approximately 10000 dairy cattle
in the state. OF this number about $500
are in the process of testing under the
accredited herd system required by the
federal bureau of animal husbandry. The
state department of agriculture has I
worked out a system of scoring" barns
in which dairy cattle are housed to the
end that proper methods of ventilation
sanitation and disinfection may be fol-
lowed after a herd has been tested in
order to avail of every means of pre-
venting the spread of bovine tuberculo-
sis. An inspection is to be made of the 1
barns in every case where a herd is
tested and the deficiencies are to be noted 4
on a blank filed out by the state veter-
marian making the test, such deficiencies
to be pointed out to the cattle owner and
required to be corrected. This scheme II
is said to be the first of it's kind adopted
by any state department of agriculture. II