Morning Appeal

CATTLE DISEASE.
Governor Sparks to Make an Investigation of the Conditions.

Governor Sparks came over from Reno yesterday and returned the same evening. The cause of his early departure was the disease that is killing many cattle in lower Washoe valley. The Governor stated that to his personal knowledge that over a hundred head of cattle have died in the past few weeks, and as near as he can judge there will be others follow if some measure is not taken to check the disease. Just what the disease is he did not state.

His neighbors, who are in the cattle business have lost many valuable animals in the past few days, and the disease has shown every sign of spreading. In one field there are forty head of dead cattle, which he believes should be burned, as the best means of destroying them, as whatever the disease is he believes that the precaution to prevent its spread should be taken. His object in returning to Reno last evening was to confer with stockmen in that section and decide on a mode of action. At his farm he has only lost one head and that was an old range cow. He does not believe that she died of the same trouble that is experienced in other herds. He has vaccinated his cattle for the past few years and as a result very few of them are ever attacked with disease. It is not blackleg as the aged stock is dying the same as the yearlings and other young stock. It is in the province of the Governor to quarantine the whole district, but he believes the trouble can be corrected by a union of the cattlemen in the infected district. The Governor is willing to lend all assistance that is required and has offered to lend the instrument he uses in vaccination. The Governor did not state that the disease was anthrax, but he believes in taking every precaution in such cases.

That Reno is not the only infected region the following from the Reveille will prove that something of the same nature in depleting the ranges of Eastern Nevada:

A large number of cattle are dying in the vicinity of Big Creek, twelve miles south of Austin, with some disease that is mystifying to the stock men in that locality. The disease acts the same on fat cattle as it does on poorer ones. The neck becomes drawn to one side and the animal's legs stiffen out straight and death soon follows.

Dr. Price has been called to Reno to investigate a disease that is killing cattle in that vicinity.