No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. Ill 



Under provision made by the last Legislature, an additional piece of ground, 

 comprising about 50 acres, upon wliicli there is an old house and barn, have 

 been purchased for use in connection with the farm of the State Livestock San- 

 itary Board in Delaware county. This provides a farm of about 200 acres. Some 

 temporary provision has been made for buildings that are needed for the care 

 of experimental animals and for the conduct of the work of the farm. The 

 plans for permanent buildings are Hot completed and will be reported upon 

 at a future time. The location of the farm and the terrain are admirable for the 

 purpose in view. There are many im.portant problems that concern the live- 

 stock interests of the State that can now be studied with the aid of such an 

 equipment as is here provided. 



The maintenance of a successful animal industry in Pennsylvania, is of very 

 great importance to the entire Commonwealth. The most lasting asset among 

 the natural resources of the State is the soil. The forests and the mineral de- 

 posits are being exhausted. After the important deposits of mineral are gone 

 the soil should still be in condition to support a large population. The main- 

 tenance of the fertility of the soil depends on a conservative system of agri- 

 culture, but no system of agriculture can be carried out w?ith reference to the 

 improvement of the soil alone; it must be profitable. It has been found by cen- 

 turies of experience, and this empirical knowledge is confirmed by the scientists 

 of agricultural colleges and experiment stations, that it is necessary to keep 

 farm animals to consume a considerable part of the products of the fields in 

 order to supply manure to keep up the fertility of the land, and in order to 

 make profitable any extensive system of conservative field management. Of 

 course, animals do not yield a maximum profit if they are not efficient exam- 

 ples of their kind and if they are not in good working condition; that is, in 

 health. When the broad relations of these facts are grasped it will be evident 

 that the work of veterinarians is of fundamental importance in relation to the 

 proper economic development and the conservation of the natural resources of 

 the country. In addition to this economic side of the veterinarian's work, there 

 are the public health relations that have been referred to in previous reports and 

 that are so obvious that it is not necessary to discuss them in detail now. They 

 relate chiefly to the prevention of the spread of disease from animals to man 

 and to the hygiene of foods of animal origin. These facts emphasize the im- 

 portance of the work that falls to this office. 



The State Livestock Sanitary Board is now called upon and, as time passes, 

 is continually l)eing called upon more, for assistance in purifying the sources of 

 the milk supply. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to attend to this 

 work as systematically as is demanded by its importance. It is believed that 

 provision for additional development in this direction is desirable. 



EXPENDITURES. For the fiscal year ending May 31st, 1907, the State 

 Livestock Sanitary Board had available $45,000.00 for its general work in re- 

 pressing diseases of animals. Expenditures under this fund may be classi- 

 fied as follows: for tuberculous cattle, $20,232.40; for inspecting tuberculous cat- 

 tle and in herds, $3,670.59; for horses afllicted with glanders, $5,255.00; for 

 inspections for the suppression of disease other than tuberculosis, for vaccina- 

 tion, etc., $5,581.27: for the cust of enforcing quarantines, for material used 

 in making tuberculin, for making and shipping tuberculin, for the diagnosis 

 of specimens, etc., $3,173.70; for office and miscellaneous expenses, $5,318.33; 

 for the enforcement of the iaw requiring the inspection of cattle from other 

 states, $1,768.71. 



The work of the Board should be expanded in other directions, but its 

 growth is held in check, as by an iron band, by the funds that are available for 

 its support. y^'U mtirli more mo'iey shmikl he paid to farmers for tiihercvloits 

 cattle than is now paid. It is not possible, however, to do this under the 

 present financial limitations. The amount paid for cattle this year is about 

 $8,000 less than last year. More than $2,000.00 was paid for glandered horses 

 during the past fiscal year in excess of the amount paid the year before. 

 Considering the importance of the animal industry of Pennsylvania, the amount 

 of capital invested and the need of veterinary sanitation, the funds provided 

 have been exceedingly meagre and very much less in proportion than in 

 many other states, as in New York, New* Jersey and Massachusetts. In 

 Massachusetts, the appropriation for the state veterinary medical work is 

 about $80,000.00 a year, which is equivalent to an appropriation of about $400,- 

 000.00 in Pennsylvania as we have in this state about five times as many cat- 

 tle and about five times the area of Massachusetts. 



It is gratifying to report that, with the approval of Governor Stuart, the 

 last legislature has made more adequate appropriation for the support of the 

 work of this office. 



The following laws relating to the work of the State Livestock Sanitary 

 Board, and collateral work, have been enacted since the publication of the 

 last report: 



AN ACT 



To encourage the breeding- of horses; to regulate the public service of stal- 

 lions; to require the registration of stallions; and to provide for the enforce- 

 ment thereof. 



