REPORT

OF WILLIAM H. CARMALT, M. D., COMMISSIONER FOR THE INVES TIGATION OF ABORTION IN COWS.

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Society:

On June 2, 1869, the commissioner had the honor to address a letter to your Secretary, containing a proposition to continue the investigation of the subject of abortions among cows for another year, as follows:

Mr. T. L. HARISON:

NEW YORK, 69 WEST 45TH STREET,
June 2d, 1869.

DEAR SIR.-As you are aware, the investigation into the subject of abortions among cows was not considered closed at the time of handing in my report, in February last; and, although certain views were therein expressed as probably exerting a strongly unfavorable influence against the healthful performance of the process of gestation, it was still held that the information in the possession of the commissioner did not warrant an expression that these views had been established, however probable they might appear.

In order that, if possible, a more decided expression may be allowed and those views confirmed, if correct, as also that measures calculated to arrest the disease may be advised; or, what is, perhaps, more important, in order that no false impressions may be promulgated in a semi-official form, even in the guarded manner there given, if further inquiry should throw doubt upon their probability, I would respectfully suggest, through you, to the Agricultural Society, that the investigation be continued during the coming season, in certain dairy and cattle-raising districts in the western States (where inquiries, in 1867, showed that the disease had not appeared), to a sufficient extent to determine whether the same practices in breeding and milking, during pregnancy, prevail there to the degree found to exist in Herkimer county, where the disease is so extensive.

I make this suggestion with more freedom, as the whole amount of the appropriation made by the Legislature last year was not exhausted by the commission, but a sufficient sum was then left unexpended to allow the investigation, here referred to, to be made; and I beg leave to state, in addition, that I shall make no charge for my own services, but that all the available funds will be applied to gathering information, or used in the necessary expenses incident to

the getting out of the report, so that as large a number of reports (of farms) shall be obtained as is possible. Very respectfully yours,

W. H. CARMALT.

In reply, the following letter was received, June 25, 1869: ALBANY, June 24th, 1869.

W. H. CARMALT, M. D., Commissioner, &c.

DEAR SIR.-I have to inform you, that at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the New York State Agricultural Society, held this day, upon reading your letter of the 2d instant, it was

Ordered, That the commissioner in charge of the abortion investigation, have authority to expend such a sum, not exceeding $500 (five hundred dollars), as he may see fit, in the supplementary investigations proposed by him in his communication, dated the second of June instant.

Yours respectfully,

T. L. HARISON,

Secretary.

In order to carry out the especial object above given, and to make the comparisons instituted perfectly fair, two points were necessary. 1st. That the dairy products of the districts compared, should be the same; and if prepared by the same methods, the comparison would be still more accurate. 2d. That the treatment of the cows, in all points relating to their care or breeding, should be thoroughly inquired into, and, whatever differences found, be fully considered.

The selection of a locality which would hold a fair comparison with the investigation last year, was the subject of much care, and after as thorough an examination, from the means at the disposal of the commission, as possible, Geauga county, Ohio, was chosen as bearing the closest comparison, in the matter of dairy products, with Herkimer county, New York. For, in the investigation of 1867, under Dr. Dalton's direction, the farmers' reports from the States of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa, indicated that the so-called Western Reserve district in Ohio, was the most important dairy district in the west; and from an examination of the reports received from twenty-three (23) counties in that State, together with the Report of the Ohio State Board of Agriculture for the same year, it was found that of about 20,000,000 of pounds of cheese made in that State, 5,000,000, or twenty-five per cent, was made in Geauga county; and further, that more than one-third of all the cheese factories in the State were in that county, fifty-two being reported in the State, of which nineteen were in that county. This made the comparison

tolerably close, for the census report of the State of New York for 1865 (two years before), indicated that Herkimer county was the largest cheese producing county therein, manufacturing about nineteen per cent of all made in New York; and we thus have, in each, the largest cheese producing county in their respective States, each also preparing its cheese, to a very great extent, by the means of cheese factories.

With regard to the second point above mentioned, the reports and letters received in 1867, by the commission, from about one hundred (100) farmers in the (23) twenty-three previously mentioned counties, situated in all parts of the State of Ohio, showed no evident difference to account for the absence of the disease there as compared with New York, so far as was included in the points inquired into that year. In order, therefore, to determine if the points in the investigation of 1868 contained the elements by which to account for the disease, a blank form of report, containing the same series of questions, similar in all respects to those used in 1868 (except as to dates), was furnished to inspectors; who were instructed to pursue the investigation by personal inquiry and examination on the different farms, as had been practiced for the two previous years.

It is unnecessary to enter into the details of their instructions; they differ in no respect from those contained in the report of 1868, except in one particular, i. e., that, as in 1868, the instructions were to inspect every farm; in 1869, the following directions were substituted: "As the object of the inspection this year is to make an accurate comparison between the dairy farms, and the manner in which the dairy business is conducted, so far as relates to the care and treatment of the cows, you will please inspect those farms only on which butter and cheese (or milk) are made an article of sale; those farms on which cows are kept for the purpose of raising stock only, not being considered to afford a proper comparison with the dairy farms of Herkimer county." In addition to the points embraced in the blank form, they were instructed to report, "How long has this farm been used for dairy purposes?" "Has the disease of abortion. ever prevailed thereon?" "If so, when, how long did it continue, and when did it stop?"

The commission was so fortunate as to secure the services, as assistant inspector, for a part of the time, of Dr. Benjamin R. Swan, who had been in the service of the Society, and inspected the towns of Newport and Fairfield last year. The experience then obtained, of the manner in which the cows of Herkimer county were cared for, [AG.]

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made his observations all the more valuable here, and he was furnished with a copy of the form of report used in 1867, in which the points more directly referable to their care are contained, and was instructed to note any differences therein, as between the two districts, thus establishing the accuracy, or otherwise, of the reports received in 1867 from the farmers themselves, as also going over the whole ground with more care than any general directions would have been likely to have secured. Dr. Swan began his term of service on August 13th, and finished on September 7th. He was succeeded by Mr. George A. Vanwagenen, who entered on duty September 20th, and finished on October 16th.

Reports were received from these inspectors, as follows, viz.:

Of the abortions, one occurred in the sixth month of pregnancy, the other in the ninth; one took place in December, the other in March; one was sired by a yearling bull, the other by a two years old; both occurred in cows which had borne a calf at full term the previous year; both cows had been on the respective farms upon which they then were for more than one year; no history of injury was obtained in either case. The proportion of abortions to the whole number of full term calves is too small, however, to consider these cases as otherwise than independent of influences at present affecting the cows generally, nor will they be again considered in this report, the district being assumed to be free from the disease.

The investigation in Ohio being simply a continuation of that of last year, the points in the report then made will be taken up seriatim, and the two compared.

1st. As to the ages of the bulls used.

Showing, so far as the prevalence of abortions in Herkimer county is concerned, there can be no immediate influence against the use of yearling bulls, but arguing, so far as it goes, to an advantage in their favor.

Your commissioner desires to be understood in this question; he does not, in either report, assert or intend to imply, that the age of the bull is likely to influence, in one way or the other, the probability of a cow once impregnated, carrying her calf to term; the fœtus conceived by a young bull would be just as likely to live as that conceived by an older one; the ovum once having been impreg nated, by healthy material, is under care of the dam, to whom we must thereafter look for any stoppage in the natural process of gestation. The influence of the age of the bull must be looked for farther on; farther than it is practicable for this commission to carry it, i. e., to the point of determining whether the cow, whose sire was an immature bull, carries her calves to term or habitually aborts; but this is beyond any tangible information.

2d. As to excessive service of the bulls.

There is, therefore, no indication in this table that any unusual drain is inflicted on the bulls in the affected districts, to cause this disease, confirming the observations of both previous years.

3d. As to the pregnancy.

No marked difference has, in either of the former investigations, been shown as to liability to abortions between first and subsequer.t pregnancies; and it is worthy of remark here, to find that about the same per centage of the herds in each district are heifers; in Herkimer county, nine per cent; in Geauga county, eight per cent.

4th. With regard to removals from farm to farm.

By the investigation in Herkimer county it was found that there the per centage of abortions among cows raised on the farm" was less than among those "brought on at any time during or since their first pregnancy," in the proportion of .046 to .07, and it was therefore inferred that, in a country where no abortions prevailed the proportion of cows "raised on the farm" would be greater, but the