30 ANXl'AL RKPor.T!^ OF DKPAirr.M KN'T ClV ACRICTT.TI-RH. 



rilKDATORY ANIMALS AND RODENTS. 



The systematic campaign to curtail the losses caused by predatory 

 animals and i)rairie dogs, ground sciuirrels, and similar rodents on 

 the western ranges has been continued. It has been estimated that 

 these pests destroy annuallj^ more than $.300,000,000 worth of live 

 stock, crops, and range grass. The hunters in the service of the 

 department killed more than 25,000 predatory animals last year, and 

 perhaps an equal number were destroyed by poisoning campaigns, 

 resulting in a savingto the live-stock industry of more than $6,000,000. 

 It may be added that, since the work was begun in 1915, the skins 

 of the animals destroyed have been sold and the net proceeds, aggre- 

 gating more than $240,000, turned into the Treasury. 



LIVE-ST'OCK DISEASES. 



Much headAvay has been made by the department toward the eradi- 

 cation or control of live-stock diseases. The campaign against tuber- 

 culosis in cattle, begun three years ago, has aroused increasing inter- 

 est among live-stock owners and State officials and has received their 

 active support. On June 30, 1920, 3,370 herds, approximately three 

 times the number at the beginning of the fiscal year, were officially ac- 

 credited as free from tuberculosis. In addition, 16,599 herds have 

 successfully passed one test. A total of 695,364 animals were ex- 

 amined during the year, resulting in the slaughter of 28,616 reactors. 

 Applications for the testing of herds, however, have continued to ac- 

 cumulate more rapidly than they could be handled with the available 

 force of veterinarians. Near the end of the fiscal year 4,740 herds 

 were on the waiting list to be tested. 



Tuberculosis is one of the greatest menaces to the live-stock indus- 

 try of America. The elimination of the constant losses caused by it 

 would materially reduce the hazards of the industry and would tend 

 to place it on a more stable basis. The rapidity with which the dis- 

 ease can be stamped out depends upon the amount of money appro- 

 priated for the work. The more money that is available in the imme- 

 diate future, the more quickly will the losses be reduced and the 

 larger will be the areas freed from the scourge. 



Considerable progress has been made in the control of hog cholera, 

 the greatest limiting factor in swine production. It has been esti- 

 mated that, as the result of the activities of the Department of 

 Agriculture and of its cooperating agencies in combating this dis- 

 ease, a saving amounting to $41,000,000 annually is effected. There 

 were formerly 140 veterinarians assigned to this work, but the num- 

 ber has been reduced to 54 because of a curtailment in funds. The 

 swine industry is one of the most important branches of our agri- 

 culture, and it is highly essential that the losses from cholera 



