246 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



butchers and dealers, in order to ship meats and meat food products 

 in interstate commerce, shall first obtain certificates of exemption, 

 but no such requirement is made of farmers. The number of cer- 

 tificates of exemption outstanding at the close of the fiscal year was 

 2,428, as against 2,114 at the close of the previous fiscal year, an 

 increase of 314 certificates. During the year it was found necessary 

 to call in and cancel for various causes 428 certificates of exemption. 

 In many of these cases, however, the certificates were reissued later 

 when business was resumed or when insanitary conditions had been 

 corrected. 



During the year 118,800 shipments were made under certificates of 

 exemption, covering 19,932,221 pounds of meat and meat food prod- 

 ucts. Included in these shipments were 102,409 carcasses, of which 

 about 90 per cent were veal. 



INSPECTIONS FOR THE NAVY. 



Upon request of the Navy Department occasional inspections of 

 meats and meat food products were made for the navy during the 

 year. These inspections were made at Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, 

 Jersey City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Phila- 

 delphia, Providence, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington. The 

 meats and products inspected aggregated 6,448,072 pounds, of which 

 234,313 pounds were rejected. Rejections were made on account of 

 the sour, slimy, tainted, or putrid condition of the product, for failure 

 to comply with the specifications regarding weight, and because of 

 the substitution of buck, heifer, or cow meat for the meat of wethers 

 and steers as specified. 



CONTROL or CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 

 TEXAS FEVER. 



The number of cattle shipped during the c[uarantine season of 1909 

 to northern markets from the area quarantined on account of Texas 

 or splenetic fever of cattle was 1,394,658, being an increase of 252.854 

 head, or 22.23 per cent, as compared with the previous year. These 

 were carried in 46,741 cars, 45,757 of which were reported as having 

 been cleaned and disinfected under Bureau supervision. The num- 

 ber of inspected or dipped cattle moved interstate from the provi- 

 sionally quarantined area under 1,859 certificates of inspection 

 issued by Bureau inspectors was 143,545. 



During the fiscal year 35,081 head of southern cattle were dipped 

 in crude petroleum or otherwise treated under Bureau supervision 

 for unrestricted movement, as provided in the regulations. 



TICK ERADICATION. 



As the result of the work done in cooperation with authorities of 

 various States for the extermination of the ticks which spread the in- 

 fection of Texas fever of cattle, areas aggregating more than 57,000 

 square miles, as shown by the following table, were released from 

 quarantine during the fiscal year : 



