The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-02-12
Three Menaces
to Live Stock
invasion Of Foreign Diseases
and Pests Met With
n. Great Vigor.
prepared by the United States Department
Of Agriculture.)

prepared by the United States Department
Of Agriculture.)
Three emergencies, each CONSTITUTE
ing a national menace to the live
stock industry, we're successfully met
during the last fiscal year, according
TO the annual report Of John r. Mob
Ter, chief of the bureau of animal in
dustry. Two of them were outbreaks
Of foot-and-mouth disease, in Cali
fornia and Texas, while the third was
the invasion of the United States by
the European fowl pest, new dis
ease which, though extending to nine
states, was successfully eradicated.
While emergencies of the kind men
toned are sometimes regarded as oc-
currences affecting only the livestock
Industry, information received from
many sources show clearly the seri-
Gus effect on industry and commerce.
These effects extend to unemploy-
ment, transportation difficulties, re-
duced market prices of products, and
public unrest. Realizing such conse-
quences, the bureau has met the in
vasion of foreign diseases and pests
with the greatest vigOr.
Graduating tuberculosis.
In graduating tuberculosis Of live
stock the combined state and federal
forces tested about 80 per cent more
cattle than during the preceding year.
Altogether more than 100000 head
were officially tested. of which 81 per
cent were condemned as diseased.
This proportion of reactors is slight
decline compared with former years.
A waiting list of 100000 cattle at
the end Of the fiscal year shows the
strong desire among cattle owners to
have their herds tested.
The prevalence of hog cholera dur
ing the year was unusually low, due
apparently to the practice of US
ing the preventive-serum treatment.
Though the seeming conquest Of this
disease, which at one time caused
enormous losses, is gratifying, the
bureau calls attention to it's treacher-
Gus nature and urges extreme watch
fulness in bringing under control
promptly any new outbreak that may
occur. 10y
OF special interest to livestock
growers. on farms and ranches
throughout the country are the in
vestigations conducted on the gov
ernment's experiment farms. These
are maintained to solve practical
problems confronting stock owners in
various regions.
Prevent Soft Pork.
One important investigation deals
with definite methods of preventing
softness and oiliness of pork, a con-
dition due largely to feeding peanuts,
soy beans, and other oil-bearing feeds.
Numerous state experiment stations,
particularly in the South where the
problem is most serious, are CO.
operating with the bureau in this
work which Is now In it's seventh
year.
Studies of interest to sheepmen
deal with the rate of wool growth.
Practical knowledge on this important
question is extremely limited, though
preliminary work shows that the
growth of wool and hair varies con-
siderably during the different months
and seasons Of the year.
Extensive investigations concern
ing the quality. palatability, and food
value of meat were planned during
the year covered by the report, in CO.
operation with state experiment sta
tons, producers, and the meat trade.
This branch Of research Is expected
to have an important bearing on the
future of livestock production and
public knowledge concerning the food
value of meats. In order to provide
a means of measuring the quality of
meat a machine has been designed
for testing the tensile strength Of
meat fibers and another for measur-
ing the force required to shear or break
the fibers.