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INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, APRIL 19,1884.
NO. 16.
LIVESTOCK COMMISSIONERS.
law. Losses to the State from Disease, and the Importance of
Sanitary Roles.
I.e live stock interest of a State is in a
|e measure a public as well as a private
This fact is recognized by the most
meed States and Nations of the world,
le public measures provided for caring
his great interest. Experience teaches
new and disastrous phases of disease
■onstantly appearing in one quarter or
hw.  In our own as well  as in other
ri no methodic provisions  have ever
a made for sanitary  rules respecting
stock.  Many of the States have rail-
commissioners, mining commission-
Bsh commissioners, etc.   So far as In-
Sj is concerned none of these interests
so great, or so important to the public
elive stock interest.   The following
-_s based on the facts  given in the
ina Bureau of Statistics report of 1882,
r illustrates the importance of this in-
-u ■ ■
.. ot hones- .*50,000,000
.f cattle 44,424,920
, ol ib«p • ••••   4,540,000
if hogs.	
_*
J
I
. -5,32_,400
/S| tl3I.--6.3_0
u losses by disease that year are also
__, and a fair valuation would be about
Hows:
.horees 11,875,900
_ cattle - J*168*680
» sheep :    3w.o«>
• hog. «.*».«»
u  „ *9,734,S80
tb sanitary rules, where there are any
1, and treatment of diseases, are left to
tard, skilled and unskilled—mostly
jlter. Herein the public interests are
red. The continued improvement of
stock makes them more susceptible to
... At any rate as this improvement
on there is more and more fatality
agst live stock,
ain, Indiana lies in the track of  the
internal commerce.     Across    our
Ohio and  Illinois sweep the live
: traffic and commerce between the
l producing and consuming sections,
points of export and  import.   The
\t%.<a of the old world are brought here
ie great   railway lines, and we have
Mutely no sanitary rules for protecting
interests, nor power to enforce them
-(fist railways.   These roads ought to be
red to cleanse and disinfect their cars
-e there is tbe least suspicion of  dis-
before permitted to ship additional
. Here and there are reported new
um, or new phases of old ones. Some-
ithey prove to be contagious, orin-
_j,but thefaetis not  known   till
interests are involved and losses en-
How may all this be  remedied?
is the important  question.   Must
Sttte not provide itself, through leg-
re authority with a State veterinarian
.ire stock commission,  qualified to
nlate sanitary rules where disease ap-
»nd empowered to enforce them at
reappearance of contagious and in-
"a disease among livestock?   This
J  i certainly solve some of the prob-
Say a commission composed  of
three competent persons, one each to be
appointed from the northern, central and
southern divisions of the State, to provide
sanitary rules, and a competent State veterinarian. To stamp out contagious and
infectious diseases such commission should
be empowered to quarantine against diseased stock, and sections, and to kill infected stock at the public expense. In
older States experience has shown this to
be both wise and economic treatment of
the whole matter. The commission and
its work would not cost a tithe of the annual losses which are now suffered by the
State. The people of the State should
make the importance of this matter palpable to the coming members of the legislature. There are other interests than a
division of the offices and emoluments for
that body to consider, and this one is not
the least by any means. As the States
grow older the subject becomes more important, and the time has fully come to
seriously consider this matter in the Central West, where the live stock interest is
still rapidly developing.
aJTDIASfA.
Randolph Co., April 12.—Wheat and
grass look fine. W. J. D.
Henry Co., April 12.—Wheat and grass
growing nicely.   Pasture short.     W. D.
Greene Co., April 12.—Farm work progressing.   Roads improving.      W. B. S.
Jennings Co., April 12.—Oats sown;
com plowing in progress. J. P. O.
Decatur Co., April 12.—Clover badly
frozen out.   No rye nor barley sown.
J. W. C:
LaPorte Co.—Peaches killed.   No grass
started.   Wheat not comingout much yet.
Mbs. B. A. D. '
Washington Co., April 12.—A sharp
freeze set back the flowers. Wheat not
hurt. W.W. M.
Spencer Co., April 12.—No improvement in wheat. Frost on Ilth is reported to have killed some tobacco plants.
J. A.
Howard CQ^^April 12.—Wheat looks
well. Farmers are ditching and • plowing.
But little maple syrup was made.
J.M.
Crawpobd Co., April 12.—Farmers about
done sowing oats. Wheat and grass growing tolerably well.   Spring backward.
J. M. J.
Vanderburg Co., April 12.—Cold weather has retarded opening of leaves.   Wheat
not in flood region is doing pretty well.
W. McK. B.
Kosciusko Co., April 12.—Not much
plowing done on account of rain. Grass
looks green. Wheat not promising. No
oats sown yet. E. M. I.
Rush Co., April 12.—Wheat looks well
but cold weather during past week has
checked its growth. Farmers busy plowing.   Oats sown. E. K.
Gibson Co., April 12.—Most of wheat
looks well. Farmers busy. Fruit aU right
excepting peaches; peach buds killed and
blackberries damaged. B. J. ,
Warrick Co., April 12.—Wheat, clover
and grass doing well. Oats most all sown.
Young peach tre^s alive but all old ones
dead.   Stock in good condition.
J. P. W.
Clinton Co., April 12.—Wheat that was
late sown on corn ground is not coming
out as well fas expected. Oats all sown,
and farmers plowing for corn. Season
backward. E. H, S.
Shelby Co.—Wheat looks spendid
where it was not frozen out too badly. Not
much breaking done yet. Some damage
done by the wind throughout this county
on the 25th ult. A. C
Pike Co.—The weather unfavorable for
wheat and grass. Oats nearly all sown.
Stock in good condition; nearly all the
cattle bunched for the season. Hogs are
plenty.   No fruit of any consequence.
A. A. L.
Switzerland Co., April 12.—Wheat
thrif iy. Plowing progressing on hills and
slopes. Tobacco beds appearing in all directions. Tobacco bids fair to become our
staple crop, with onions next in rank.
Meadows look green. C. G, B.
Clinton Co., April 16.—We have beautiful weather here; meadows are getting
green. A good many oats sown. Farm
hands are busy putting in tile and digging
open ditches. Health good. Good horses
in demand at high prices. Fat hogs
scarce. I. M.
Clinton Co.—Wheat looks well; pasture
fields begin to look green; farmers are
breaking sod for corn; some sowing oats,
while others busy themselves building
fences, putting in tile ditches, etc. I have
never seen as many tile ditches put in the
ground in one season as in this neighborhood this spring. C. P.
Ripley Co., April 14.—Large breadth of
oats sown. Ground in fine condition.
Wheat rather poor; some good pieces.
Stock looks fine; plenty of rough feed on
hand; corn scarce; cherries and peaches
all killed; will be plenty of apples if nothing happens. Farmers busy preparing for
a large crop of corn. J. W. N.
Sullivan Co., April 13.—Feed plenty
,and stock in good condition. Wheat and
clover badly damaged by freezing. Oats
mostly sown. But little plowing for corn
done yet. There will be a larger acreage
of corn planted this spring than usual.
More clover sown on sand land this season
than ever before. Ground covered with
snow. Health good. Some mumps in
the neighborhood. W. D. I*.
Johnson Co.—Farmers well along with
their work. Wheat looks tolerably well
in this county. Clover is very badly
frozen out, will be some plowed up. Prospect for fruit is very good. Stock of all
kinds has been well wintered. Cattle are
rather scarce and high. A good many
hogs, and are very healthy; less complaint
of cholera now than for many years. There
are many more sheep in this county now
tban a few years ago, and would be more
if it wasn't for the dogs. J. Y. D.
Posey Co., April 15.—All are at work
with a will, and if the weather remains
seasonable Posey county will make her
usual good crop record. Tne hard.winter
has done little" damage beyond killing
some of the tender fruits and shrubs.
Peach buds are all killed, but the trees are
little injured.   Blackberries and raspber
ries are generally much injured, but in
favored localities there will be some fruit.
This is about the amount of damage we
have sustained by the winter.
J. B. E.
Adams Co.—Weather has been very wet
here since the snow left. Roads are very
bad. Wheat looks bad on most of the
fields; some pieces very promising. On -
an average I do not think it will make a
half crop. Feed is getting scarce here;
corn is scarce and high and of a poor quality. Stock is doing well, except winter
pigs. No hog cholera in this part of the •
State, Underdraining is the order of the
day. Most every man that has land is
putting in tile or timber and making
preparations to raise a big corn crop.
  L. H. B.
iixi-rora.
Fulton Co., April 13.—We have rain;
mud and rata plenty.   We have more hogs
than corn; no cholera.   Wheat looks well.,
Poor piaspect for fruit. W. W. S.
Missouri.
Worth Co.—Wheat looks well in this
section.   So far no hog cholera.   Hogs are
doing well.   Seed corn is scarce here on
account of early frost.   Health good.   The .
Farmer is a welcome paper here.
H. W.
NEBRASKA.
Lancaster Co., April 4.—We have had
very mild winter, and pleasant spring '
with the exception ot an unusual amount
of rain for the last 10 days. Farmers have
sown their spring wheat and oats, and are
plowing some for corn. Health is good
generally; has bteen.but very little sickness this spring; several cases of scarlet
fever in our neighborhood, three deaths
from the same- Stock looks well in this
country; have plenty of hay and corn, '
which is dealt to the stock by the ton and
the bushel instead of by the ear and forkful as they do in Indiana, which accounts
for their good condition. This seems to
be a land of prosperity. Everybody works
with a will; have no idlers here.
  B. F. K.
condition of thk weather in the statu
of indiana, for the week ending friday night, april 11.
Indiana.
Temperature.
No.
do'
a
_-
B>
*s
I
3
3
3
3
0
2
clear*
dy days
Bain
Oonntleo.
s
K
tr
1
46
54
58
60
65
51
'ST
w
65
65
55
50
GO
58
30
80
56
49
54
5.
62
41
58
-tt
52
62
67
54
g
s
!•
31
26
29
31
34
31
<
n
3
et
?
33.(1
3J.t
41.0
41.0
13.7
19.7
*_
S.
2
1
2
1
1
1
9
o
c
a.
•<
B
n
tr
<fi
OB
o
k
a
f
20.10
1
3
2
3
•
4
0.25
0.15
0.03
0.30
0.12
2
1
Fayette-....™ .....
FranKlln.....,„	
1
2
2
9"
32
31
33
30
■Ai
3*
30
2-
3C
29
32
3.'
3
25
j*.
31
-Ll
32
33
at
31
12.7
12.4
12.0
11.6
39.3
12.6
11.3
10.4
11.7
15.0
i2.C
;i.o
to.U
11.1
18.6
14.1
14.7
14.3
11.2
10.0
1
2
0
1
2
2
2
0
1
1
3
1
•I
2
2
1
2
1
2
8
4
2
1
4
4
2
1
3
3
3
0
1
1
0
1
I
2
2
1
2
1
■-■a
3
4
3
2
3
4
4
>
3
4
I
0.01
0.20
0.04
0.00
0.21
0.05
0.12
0.00,
0.50
0.67
0.10
0
Greene ........	
Hamilton 	
3
2
0
Jay  —
Kosciasjco.... —
t
_' •
1
3
0
2
2
Montgomery-	
1
5
9.84
1
Bush 	
4
5
3
4
4
0
2
3
0.27
o.ia
0.05
0.12
o.ao
0.11
0.00
0.24
2
3
2
Vanderourg 	
2
2    .
Warrick...™	
Washington— .««..
Way ob~* ••«.••—	
1
»
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