REPOKT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. XV 



islands of the West Indies. It is intended to make forecasts of wind 

 force and wind direction for the tirst three days of the route of all out- 

 going steamers, and for an equal period for such as place themselves 

 in communication with the Weather Bureau before leaving European 

 ports. We view with satisfaction the consummation of an object so 

 long sought by both the meteorologist and the mariner. 



VALUE OF THE FORECAST SERVICE. 



No effort has been spared to improve and strengthen the forecast 

 service. The value of the West India meteorological service inaugu- 

 rated in 1898 has several times been demonstrated, notably in the case 

 of the hurricane that devastated Galveston. This storm was detected 

 at its inception on September 1. Its location was daily platted and 

 its course and intensity successfull}^ forecast for eight da3^s before it 

 reached the Texas coast, during which time it traveled about 2,000 

 miles. Storm warnings again were successfully displayed in advance 

 of this storm before it reached the Lake region. It is a significant fact 

 that, notwithstanding the great number of craft pl.ying the Gulf of 

 Mexico and our inland seas, the warnings were so timely that there 

 was no disaster upon the open waters. 



BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



MEAT INSPECTION. 



In the general meat inspection much time has been devoted to improv^- 

 ing the system and perfecting checks to guard against the use bj'^ 

 unscrupulous dealers of meat which has been condemned as unwhole- 

 some. The law which is intended to guard against this fraud is not as 

 stringent or perfect as is desirable, and it requires constant vigilance on 

 the part of the inspectors to accomplish the object of the inspection. 



The number of localities where the work of meat inspection was in 

 operation during the year was increased from 41 to 45, while the num- 

 ber of abattoirs and packing houses receiving the benefit of this inspec- 

 tion was 148, as against 138 in the preceding year. 



On account of the lessened demand in Continental Europe for Amer- 

 ican pork, due probably in part at least to the increase in price in our 

 home markets, there has been a reduction in the amount of micro- 

 scopic inspection. 



The total ante-mortem inspections of cattle aggregated 53,087,994, 

 including those for official abattoirs in cities where inspections were 

 made, for abattoirs in other cities, and for miscellaneous buyers. The 

 number of animals rejected, subject to results of a post-mortem inspec- 

 tion, was, at abattoirs, 5,958, and in stock yards, 153,561. 



