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38
This cow was slaughtered at the public slaughter-house, Pitlake,
and found to be tuberculous, the carcase and all the organs
being destroyed as unfit for food,
The forty-five samples of country-produced milk were obtained
at the various railway stations, or at the place of delivery in the
case of road-carried milk from churns containing a total of seven
hundred and four gallons of milk, each sample representing an
average of seventeen and a half gallons.
The result of the examination of these samples revealed the
presence of tuberculosis in five cases, a somewhat high percentage.
The following procedure was subsequently adopted in connection
with these samples:-
No.1.
This farm was visited by the veterinary surgeon and sixteen
cows were examined, three of which belonged to a neighbouring
farmer, the milk from these three cows having been mixed with
the milk produced on the farm visited in order to enable the farmer
to fulfil the terms of his contract as to quantity.
This case was further complicated through changes in the
herd at both farms. As far as could be ascertained, however, the
milk from which the tuberculous sample was obtained was the
mixed milk of the sixteen cows examined.
On the whole the cows were of fair quality, although several
were aged and in rather poor condition; they were housed in a shed
substantially constructed and well kept.
None of the cows were clinically tuberculous, and all the
udders were practically normal.
Samples were obtained from the milk of six of the oldest and
poorest cows, such cows in the absence of any more obvious
symptoms being more likely to be tuberculous.
The result of the examination of these samples was that no
evidence of tuberculosis was found in either.
Following on this result further samples were procured on
delivery and submitted for examination, but no evidence of tuberculosis
was found.