REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF ANIMAL 



INDUSTRY. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Animal Industry, 



Washington^ D. C.^ September 11^^ 19^3. 



Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith a report of the opera- 

 tions of the Bureau of Animal Industry for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, 1923. 



Kespectfully, 



J. R. MOHLER, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. Henry C. Wallace, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



SOME IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE YEAR'S WORK. 



meat inspection makes record. 



The Federal meat inspection, during the fiscal year covered by 

 this report, reached the highest mark in its history. The number of 

 animals slaughtered under inspection exceeded 73,000,000, which is 

 more than 2,000,000 greater than the best previous record. The larg- 

 est increase was in the number of hogs. 



marked progress in tuberculosis eradication. 



Rapid advances were made in the cooperative campaign to eradi- 

 cate bovine tuberculosis. An increase of 76 per cent was made in the 

 number of herds of cattle officially accredited as free from tubercu- 

 losis. At the close of the fiscal year there were 28,526 such herds, 

 comprising 615,156 cattle, and there were under supervision more 

 than 400,000 herds containing nearly four and a half million cattle. 

 Unfilled applications for testing nearly a million additional cattle 

 were on file. 



The plan of eradicating tuberculosis from circumscribed areas, 

 with the county as the unit, has met with marked success. Fifty 

 additional counties were freed during the year, raising the total to 

 81. Arrangements have been made to accord special facilities for 

 shipping cattle from counties known as " modified accredited areas " 

 without the usual quarantine restrictions. In the course of the year's 

 work the tuberculin test was applied to nearly three and a half mil- 

 lion cattle. Those found diseased were slaughtered under inspection 

 as a rule and indemnity was paid to the owners. Larger financial 

 support is being provided by States and counties, and the work is 

 growing in favor with cattle owners. 



78007— AGE 1923 14 199 



