3. That at no time within the space of twenty years have the cattle, sheep, or hogs of this country been in as healthy a condition as at the present time; for while we are in favor of strict quarantine laws to prevent any importation of disease into this country from abroad, we believe if any disease should break out in this State, or any other State, that the citizens would be interested sufficiently to stamp it out without expense to the National Government.
While these resolutions were being discussed Dr. Detmers appeared in the hall (accidentally of course!) and gave it as his opinion that not a single case of foot-and-mouth disease existed in America to-day. But the Doctor has so often put his foot in it in his mouthings about animal diseases in the past that his beliefs or disbeliefs have little weight with the public. The Doctor is evidently "put out" because he was not called upon to visit the infected districts, for he is reported as ending his harangue by declaring he was tired of working for the Government, and offered his services to the Live Stock Exchange.
Such, in brief, is a summary of the news of the week concerning the foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in the States.
PREMIUMS ON CORN.
As briefly stated in a previous issue of The Prairie Farmer, the Illinois State Board of Agriculture offers a premium of $100 for the best bushel of corn (in ear) grown this year in the northern division of the State, and $50 for the second best bushel: and a like premium for the best and second best bushel grown in the central and southern divisions. These divisions correspond with the three judicial divisions of the State. The following are the conditions:
Each of the parties awarded the first premium to deliver twenty-five bushels, and each of the parties awarded the second premium to deliver fifteen bushels of corn in the ear in sacks to the State Board of Agriculture at Springfield, Ill. The corn delivered to be equal in quality to the samples awarded the respective premiums. The premiums to be paid when the premium bushels of corn and the amounts called for are compared at the rooms of the Department of Agriculture and favorably reported upon by the committee.
Affidavit as to measurement of land and yield of corn are required.
We suppose also that competitors are to furnish characteristics of soil, variety of seed, kinds of manure used, mode of cultivation etc., as these facts would seem to be necessary if the public is to receive the full benefits of the experiments the premiums are likely to bring out.
It is understood that the corn delivered to the State Board as per above conditions is to be in some judicious manner distributed to the corn-growers of the State for planting in 1885.