BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 77 



REPORTS BY DIVISIONS. 



Besides the activities having a direct bearing on the war situation, 

 as already outlined, the bureau has managed to continue its regular 

 work, though in some instances in a somewhat curtailed form. The 

 year's work as carried on through the various divisions of the bureau's 

 organization is presented more fully in the following pages. 



ANIMAL HUSBANDRY DIVISION. 



The Animal Husbandry Division, under George M. Rommel, 

 chief, has given special attention to stimulating the production of 

 live stock and poultry and saving cattle from regions affected by 



drought. 



SAVING DROUGHT-STRICKEN CATTLE. 



In June, 1917, drought conditions in Texas became so bad that 

 large numbers of cows and heifers were being sent to market for 

 slaughter. After conference between officers of the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry and of the States Relations Service it was decided 

 to place an agent in the field to visit agricultural colleges and inter- 

 ested persons throughout the Southeastern States and call their 

 attention to the Texas situation and the opportunity to save some 

 of the drought-stricken cattle. At the same time another man was 

 placed at Fort Worth, in the office of the Cattle Raisers' Associa- 

 tion of Texas, to urge cattlemen not to sell their cattle for slaughter 

 but to hold them for the prospective purchasers from the East. Pro- 

 spective purchasers were assisted in finding desirable cattle. The 

 State live-stock sanitary boards cooperated by relaxing their sani- 

 tary regulations so far as the laws allowed. The agricultural col- 

 leges took hold of the movement, especially in the Gulf and South 

 Atlantic States. 



As a result of these efforts approximately 150,000 cattle were moved 

 into Louisiana, Arkansas, and States eastward, some going as far as 

 Georgia and Florida. Limited transportation facilities and high 

 freight rates prevented a very much heavier movement. The cost 

 to the department was $9,739.17, or less than 8 cents a head. 



The great majority of the cattle were cows and heifers, and prac- 

 tically all of them were bought outright. These purchases have 

 given farmers in the cotton belt a start of from 5 to 10 years in 

 cattle breeding above what would have been possible by breeding 

 up from native stock. While there were some losses among the 

 cattle which were moved into the Southeastern States, on the whole 

 they came through the winter in good condition. 



An important secondary feature of this cattle movement was that 

 it directed the attention of the Texas ranchmen to the Southeast as 

 an outlet. Hitherto in times of stress the Texas producer has always 

 looked north and west for his outlet. Now he has learned that there 

 are large areas east of him which are valuable for cattle production 

 and to which he can send his cattle in large numbers if drought makes 

 it necessary. 



PORK PRODUCTION. 



Two plans were used in organizing the pork-production campaign, 

 which was conducted in cooperation with the agricultural colleges. 

 In the corn belt emphasis was placed on the necessity for directly 



