EIGHTH SEMIANNUAL REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE CATTLE BUREAU TO THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. JANUARY 10, 1906. REPORT. To the State Board of Agriculture. The eighth semiannual report of the Chief of the Cattle Bureau, as required by section 3 of chapter 116 of the Acts of 1902, is herewith respectfully submitted to your honorable Board. As the law requires that a report shall be made semiannually by the Chief of the Cattle Bureau to the State Board of Agriculture, it has been customary to submit a brief statement, at the summer meeting of the Board, of the prevalence of contagious animal diseases during the first half of the year, and means taken for their suppression; but that report is condensed as much as possible, and is intended to be preliminary to the report made at this meeting, in which a complete and detailed account is given of the work done during the preceding year. The year of the Cattle Bureau commences December 16 of one year and closes December 15 of the following one, in order to allow sufficient time for closing the books and preparing the report in season to have it ready for your consideration at this meeting. Exceptions to the rule have been made this year by bringing the history of the outbreak of rabies up to Jan. 1, 1906, and also in the portion relating to glanders, where two or three cases entered on the books prior to December 16 were not disposed of until several days later, but as every case reported up to that date has now been settled, it seems better to include the final disposition of the animals in the year's report. A financial statement is given below: FINANCIAL STATEMENT. Balance of appropriation for the year ending Dec. 31, 1904, as per report, Dec. 15, 1904, Deficiency appropriation, under chapter 131, Acts of 1905, Total available for accounts of 1904, Appropriation, under chapter 59, Acts of 1905, for salaries and expenses, etc., . Appropriation, under chapter 40, Acts of 1905, for general work of Bureau, Total to be accounted for, $4,685 09 5,000 00 $9,685 09 7,000 00 60,000 00 $76,685 09 Expenditures for the year have been as follows: For cattle condemned and killed as tuber culous, 1,625 head, at an average ap From sales of hides and carcasses of condemned animals, sales of ear tags, testing cattle at Brighton for nonresident owners, etc., there has been received and paid into the State treasury, Under chapter 220, Acts of 1903, twenty-four stamps for the use of inspectors of meats and provisions have been furnished to the boards of health of twenty-two different towns. $4,494 15 $3,233 57 As the books are brought up only to December 16, it will be seen that there is a balance on hand of $2,800.88, left from the appropriation for the general work of the Cattle Bureau; but when the claims for cattle killed and various bills are brought in the first of the year this balance will be wiped out, and there will again be a deficiency to be provided for by the incoming Legislature. The deficiency is again caused by not having sufficient money to carry out the law in paying owners for cattle killed as tuberculous. The 1st of October each year the inspectors of animals receive orders to make an inspection of the neat cattle and other farm animals in their respective cities and towns, together with the premises upon which neat cattle are kept, and to report upon the same in books provided for this purpose. The order requires them to complete the inspection by November 15, but some of the inspectors do not finish until two or three weeks later; and it is towards the end of this inspection, when quarantines upon cattle suspected of being tuberculous are being sent in rapidly, that the alternative presents itself of either having these animals destroyed by the State authority, or "released for lack of funds." In either case the Chief of the Cattle Bureau is the subject for criticism. If he releases diseased animals, he is found fault with for not having them killed, especially as many of them are milch cows, the product of which may be |