M« ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



the Government nor inspected by Government officials and class- 

 ified in one of these grouijs standing for public service in France, 

 does so surreptitiously. 



Following the precedent of France, some of the Canadian Provin- 

 ces and Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah and Iowa of the states have 

 taken up the matter of improvement in horse breeding and have 

 passed laws regulating the service of stallions. The passage of 

 similar laws is at this time being contemplated in the states of 

 New Jersey, Ohie, Kansas and Indiana, the indications being that 

 there will eventually be uniform laws in the majority of the states 

 controlling this phase of horse breeding. 



There seems to be very little question of the benefits to be de- 

 rived from the operation of a law of this sort, although I am 

 aware that some criticism is made of the means taken to attain 

 the desired end. It should be borne in mind by those disposed to 

 doubt the wisdom of the parties responsible for the form of the 

 present Pennsylvania law that at best a radical measure and sudden 

 €'nactment will bring to an abrupt ending the practices of certain 

 men who have suifered no interference whatever for years and 

 even generations. The enforcement of laws is usually intended to 

 drive rather than lead, yet there is much of an educational nature 

 about the successful administration of the law in question. It was 

 necessary that the act be originally framed in such a way as to 

 make its immediate operation possible with beneficial results, at the 

 same time avoiding such opposition as might in the first place, 

 prevent its ever becoming a law or make impossible its administra- 

 tion in case it passed the legislature. The two points most com- 

 monly assailed are those pertaining to the licensing of other than 

 pure bred stallions and the issuing of licenses on the basis of the 

 owner's affidavit of soundness. In defence of the first it may be 

 said that it would be practically impossible to retire from the ser- 

 vice at this time all but pure bred stallions in the State of Penn- 

 sylvania. While the grandsire as a rule is an uncertain proposi- 

 tion, his patronage to be discouraged, there are undoubtedly many 

 useful sires now in service for which pure bred state license certifi- 

 cates could not be secured. What the law does do is to prevent mis- 

 representations in the matter of a horse's breeding thereby creating 

 a sentiment in favor of the pure bred horse which may eventually 

 result in his being the only one authorized by the State Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. It was necessary to accept the owner's affi- 

 da\it of soundness on account of the fact that in some counties 

 there are no qualified veterinarians and to demand a veternarian's 

 certificate of soundness would be to impose the next thing to an 

 impossibility upon the ow^ner. No doubt this privilege is sometimes 

 taken advantage of but those cases will usually be found to work 

 themselves out to a satisfactory adjustment. The time will prob- 

 able come, as it has already in Wisconsin and Minnesota, when the 

 owner's affidavit will no longer be accepted. The law as it now 

 stands must not be regarded as final but subject to amendment from 

 time to time. While purposely made rather open to begin with 

 there may be a gradual tightening up ae time goes on 

 'and its administration Ishojws up certain changes w^hiich 

 could be made to advantage. Now I have left for considera- 

 tion one matter which I would like to hear discussed at this meeting. 



