The total number of diseased and exposed cattle which have been purchased and slaughtered each year since the work for the eradication of pleuro-pneumonia was commenced is shown by the following table. The figures are for the fiscal year ending June 30. These tables show a very marked decrease of the disease. There were not half as many new herds found affected in 1889-'90 as in the preceding year, and only about one-third as many affected cattle. The largest number of cattle were slaughtered in 1887-'88, as previous to this the work had not covered the whole of the infected district. Since that time the number slaughtered has been largely decreased each year. The eradication of the disease has been most rapid, however, since April, 1890, the number of new herds found affected and the cases of pleuro-pneumonia found on post-mortem examination during the quarter being as follows: This shows a gratifying improvement over the preceding months of the year, but it is only when we compare the figures for this quarter with those for the first quarter of the year 1890-'91 that we can appreciate the rapidity of our recent progress. The statement for this quarter is as follows: When we add that during the month of October, 1890, no cases of disease were found it is conclusively shown that we are rapidly nearing the time when pleuro-pneumonia can be declared exterminated from the United States. Until from four to six months have elapsed after the last case of this disease has been found it will be necessary to maintain the same inspection force and to keep up the same vigilant supervision as we now have. Otherwise neither our own people nor foreign governments will be convinced of the complete success of the work. REGULATIONS CONCERNING TEXAS FEVER. The losses from Texas fever were so much reduced by the regulations of 1889 that a similar order was issued early in 1890 to take effect March 15. By commencing the supervision at this early date it was hoped that the infection of northern pastures might be entirely prevented and the dissemination of the disease reduced to a minimum. This anticipated relief from the fever was very generally realized, but there were some outbreaks in Kansas which occurred from infection introduced before the regulations went into effect. This was no doubt due to the exceptionally warm winter and could not be foreseen. The regulations, also, differed from those of 1889 by allowing no cattle from the Indian Territory or from Texas with the exception of the northern part of the Panhandle to mingle with the uninfected cattle. While it is doubtless true that the northwestern portion of the Indian Territory and a considerably larger section of Texas are free from permanent infection, the absence of local laws preventing free driving of dangerous cattle makes it unsafe to allow cattle from such districts to go into the same cars and yards as those from farther north. The full text of the order is as follows: UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D. C., February 24, 1890. To the Managers and Agents of Railroad and Transportation Companies of the United States: In accordance with section 7 of an act of Congress approved May 29, 1884, entitled "An act for the establishment of a Bureau of Animal Industry, to prevent the exportation of diseased cattle and to provide means for the suppression and extirpation of pleuro-pneumonia and other contagious diseases among domestic animals," you are hereby notified that a contagious and infectious disease known as splenetic or Texas fever exists among cattle in the following described area of the United States: All that country lying south and east of a line commencing on the Mississippi River at latitude 36° 30′ north, thence running westward on that parallel of latitude, being the southern boundary of Missouri, to the eastern boundary of Indian Territory, thence running northward to the southern boundary of Kansas, thence westward along said boundary of Kansas to the one hundredth meridian of longitude, thence southward along said one hundredth meridian of longitude to the southern boundary in Childress County in Texas, thence westward along the southern boundary of the counties of Childress, Hall, Briscoe, Swisher, Castro, and Parmer to the eastern boundary of New Mexico. From the 15th day of March to the 1st day of December, 1890, no cattle are to be transported from said area to any portion of the United States north, east, or west of the above described line except in accordance with the following regulations: Provided, That these regulations shall not apply to any cattle taken into or through the State of Colorado for feeding purposes in accordance with the regulations of that State: First. When any cattle in course of transportation from said area are unloaded north, east, or west of this line to be fed or watered, the places where said cattle are to be so fed or watered shall be set apart and no other cattle shall be admitted thereto. Second. On unloading said cattle at their points of destination pens shall be set apart to receive them, and no other cattle shall be admitted to said pens, and the regulations relating to the movement of Texas cattle, prescribed by the cattle sanitary officers of the State where unloaded, shall be carefully observed. The cars that have carried said stock shall be cleansed and disinfected before they are again used to transport, store, or shelter animals. Third. Whenever any cattle that have come from said area shall be reshipped from any of the points at which they have been unloaded to other points of destination the car carrying said animals shall bear a placard stating that said car contains southern cattle, and each of the waybills of said shipment shall have a note upon its face with a similar statement. At whatever point these cattle are unloaded they shall be placed in separate pens, to which no other cattle shall be admitted, Fourth. The cars used to transport such animals and the pens in which they are fed and watered and the pens set apart for their reception at points of destination shall be disinfected in the following manner: (a) Remove all litter and manure. This litter and manure may be disinfected by mixing it with lime, diluted sulphuric acid, or, if not disinfected, it may be stored where no cattle can come in contact with it until after December 1. (b) Wash the cars and the feeding and watering troughs with water until clean. (c) Saturate the walls and floors of the cars and the fencing, troughs, and chutes of the pens with a solution made by dissolving 4 ounces of chloride of lime to each gallon of water, or disinfect the cars with a jet of steam under a pressure of not less than 50 pounds to the square inch. The losses resulting yearly to the owners of northern cattle by the contraction of this disease from contact with southern cattle and through infected cars, and by means of the manure carried in unclean cars from place to place, have become a matter of grave and serious concern to the cattle industry of the United States. It is necessary, therefore, that this cattle industry should be protected as far as possible by the adoption of methods of disinfection in order to prevent the dissemination of this disease. A rigid compliance with the above regulations will insure comparative safety to northern cattle and render it unnecessary to adopt a more stringent regulation, such as the absolute prohibition of the movement of southern cattle except for slaughter during the time of year that this disease is fatal. Inspectors will be instructed to see that disinfection is properly done, and it is hoped that transportation companies will promptly put in operation the above methods. Very respectfully, J. M. RUSK, It has been found that the regulation requiring a placard to be placed upon the car in which southern cattle are shipped is of little practical benefit, as shippers and others remove these marks in so many instances that this method of distinguishing infected cars cannot be relied upon. Railroad companies have, however, in nearly all cases, stamped their waybills in accordance with the regulations and this has proved sufficient for the identification of cars and cattle. It will be noticed that the regulations thus far made have not extended east of the Mississippi River. There is no doubt, however, that the Gulf and south Altantic States are infected with this disease to the same degree as Texas, and there should be the same regulation of cattle coming from them. The traffic has been so light and the difficulties of regulating it have been such that up to the present the attempt has not been made. Before the disease can be entirely prevented it will be necessary that the line of infection shall be drawn to the Atlantic seaboard and that the same rules be enforced east of the Mississippi as were enforced west of it during the last two years. This will prevent the infection of a number of stock yards that during the present year have been centers from which the dissemination of the disease has taken place with cattle bought both for home and for export markets. On the whole the effect of these regulations has been extremely beneficial. As compared with former years but a small amount of the disease has been reported either in the United States or among cattle shipped abroad. The losses during the ocean voyage, have been so much less than usual that insurance is said by shippers to have been reduced over 50 per cent. If this statement is correct it means a saving of over a million dollars to our shippers by this reduction of insurance alone. Since the danger of shipping export cattle infected with pleuropneumonia has been removed a number of English writers have expressed great fear of the permanent introduction of Texas fever into Great Britain by cattle from the United States. This fear certainly must be groundless and one that could arise only through ignorance of the characters of the disease. In the first place, cattle that are sick from this disease do not transmit it to other animals, and consequently affected animals which are landed on the other side may be left out of consideration as carriers of the infection. In the AG 90-6 second place, cattle which are shipped by cars or boat lose the infection in about three weeks after leaving their native pastures. If, therefore, the time should come when Texas cattle shall be exported to Great Britain, there would be little danger from them, as it would require fully three weeks, if not longer, to transport them. In the third place, this disease never occurs in our Northern States until the middle of summer after there has been a protracted period of intense heat, the temperature of our spring and early summer being generally insufficient to develop the disease. The summer temperature in Great Britain is probably neither high enough nor is the high temperature continued a sufficient time to allow the development of this fever. Leaving these facts out of consideration, we should be able to prevent the exportation of any cattle that are infected, or any that are capable of disseminating the infection, by properly enforced regulations which will prevent the mingling of southern and northern cattle in our cars and stock yards. The disease is one of the easiest to prevent of any which affects our domesticated animals, and for that reason we should be able to guard against all danger from it either to our own cattle or those of other countries to which our animals are sent. The success of the regulations during the past two years has been all that was anticipated. It has not been found difficult to identify cattle from south of the line of infection in Texas by their brands, and railroad companies have, as a rule, been prompt to clean and disinfect their cars. The principal stock-yard companies have also furnished separate pens, which have been maintained with great regard to cleanliness and the proper handling of cattle, and from every point of view it has been demonstrated that the prevention of this disease is practicable without any hardship to those engaged in the cattle traffic. Indeed, it is now asserted that southern cattle bring better prices when sold from the quarantine yards than when indiscriminately mixed with other stock, and for this reason many lots of cattle from just north of the line are sent by choice of the owners to the quarantine yards for sale. INSPECTION OF AMERICAN CATTLE IN GREAT BRITAIN. The rapid progress and practically complete success of the work for the eradication of contagious pleuro-pneumonia from the United States removes the cause alleged by foreign governments for the exclusion of American cattle from their countries. Great Britain for a number of years has maintained an absolute prohibition against the introduction of American cattle into that country, and only permits their reception at the foreign animal wharves, where they are to be slaughtered within ten days after their arrival. The several governments of the continent of Europe have also enforced a quarantine of from two to four weeks on all American cattle, which has almost entirely prevented shipments from this country. For a number of years the British authorities have reported the arrival at their ports of American cattle affected with contagious pleuro-pneumonia, and it became, therefore, absolutely necessary that this Bureau should be represented by its own officials at the post-mortem examinations made on American cattle at the foreign animal wharves in order that we should determine, to our own satisfaction, whether the lung disease found there was, as they claimed, contagious; and if it were found to be contagious, the affected animal should be traced back to the farm in this country from whence it came. With this object in view the aid of the State Department was solicited in opening negotiations through Minister Lincoln with the British Government looking to such an arrangement. Through the active coöperation of the State Department and the intelligent efforts of Minister Lincoln the privilege was obtained from the British Government of stationing three veterinary inspectors, one at each of the principal animal wharves where American cattle are slaughtered, and who would be allowed every facility in participating with the local officers in the work of inspecting and making post-mortem examination on American cattle landed in British ports. As soon as this privilege was secured three competent veterinary officers of the Bureau were dispatched to Great Britain in charge of the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, who remained with them until their duties were clearly defined and the best means decided upon to enable them to carry on their work effectually and in harmony with the British authorities. This work was commenced on August 16 of the present year, and from that date to November 8, inclusive, there were inspected and post-mortem examinations made on 104,296 head of cattle arriving in Great Britain from the United States at the several ports, as follows: London. 43,488 50,342 10,466 No indications of contagious pleuro-pneumonia were found in any of these animals, and on account of the eradication of the disease in this country it is believed that none will be found in the future. INSPECTION OF EXPORT CATTLE BEFORE SHIPMENT. The act of August 30, 1890, providing for the inspection of all export cattle, sheep, and swine, has enabled this Bureau to introduce a system of tagging export cattle by means of which it will be possible to determine the section of the country from which any animal has come that may be found at a foreign port affected with any disThis act also prevents the exportation of any diseased animals. The amount of work required to carry out this inspection may be comprehended by the fact that during the year ending June 30, 1890, the number of animals exported was as follows: ease. Cattle 394,836 The following rules and regulations under the tenth section of the above named act were prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture on October 20, 1890: Order and Regulations for the Inspection of Cattle and Sheep for Export. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D. C., October 20, 1890. The following order and regulations are hereby made for the inspection of neat cattle and sheep for export from the United States to Great Britain and Ireland and the continent of Europe by virtue of the authority conferred upon me by section |