200 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of matriculation and course of study. The committee's recommen- 

 dations in fho main were heartily approved by the conference, but it 

 was decided to reduce the total number of hours in the course from 

 3,200, as re((uircd by Circular 133, to 3,000. By this reduction the 

 student is still rc([uired to have instruction for an average of 6| hours 

 per day for 6 days per week for 25 weeks for 3 y^ears in order to 

 cover the recjuired 3,000 hours. The Association of American 

 Medical Colleges recom.monds in colleges for the stud}^ of human 

 medicine a curriculum of 33^ hours per week, while the present 

 regulations for veterinary colleges require for day colleges 38f hours 

 per week and for night colleges 29| hours per week. While night 

 mstruction is discouraged and has been practically discontinued by 

 all but two colleges, it was deemed advisable to make provision for 

 it, as there seemed to be a demand for classes after office or work 

 hours, particularly in Washington. It was therefore decided to fix 

 the course for night colleges at 8^ months, exclusive of final exami- 

 nation and holidays, as compared with 6+ months for day colleges. 



In March, 1909, there was appointed within the Burea i of Animal 

 ludustr)^ a committee on veterinary education, consisting of Dr. A. M. 

 Farrington and Dr. R. W. Hickman. This committee, commencing 

 on March 17, 1909, visited all the veterinary colleges and made an 

 inspection of each, obtaining all possible information regarding the 

 manner in which each college was complying or failing to comply 

 with the recommendations of Circular 133. A confidential report 

 was sent to each college visited, stating wherein, in the opinion of the 

 committee, improvements could be made and deficiencies corrected. 

 Their reports were well received, and marked improvement has 

 resulted in the curriculums of many colleges. 



In the efforts to secure suitable veterinary inspectors properly 

 qualified and educated in the veterinary profession there has been 

 active cooperation of the United States Civil Service Commission, 

 which brought about the issuance of regulations governing entrance 

 to the veterinary inspector examinatif n, eff'ective September 1, 1909, 

 approved conjointly by the Secretary of Agriculture and the president 

 of the commission. These regulations were published as Bureau of 

 Animal Industry Circular 150, which contains a list of the accredited 

 veterinary colleges, graduates of which can be enrolled for the veter- 

 inary inspector examination. This list is subject to change, and any 

 college failing to comply with the requirements is removed from the 

 list until siich time as tliere is faithful and explicit compliance. 



The result of these measures has been not only to make it possible 

 xor the bureau to obtain men better educated and qualified for its 

 veterinary work, but to raise the standard of veterinary education in 

 the United States and to provide students with larger and better 

 facilities for study. Many of the veterinary schools have made large 

 expenditures of money and have greatly augmented and improved 

 their equipment and facilities since the regulations were issued. The 

 majority of the schools have cooperated heartily with the bureau in 

 bringing about improvement and have cheerfully complied with the 

 official requirements. The officials of several schools have expressed 

 their appreciation ot the bureau's efforts and their desire that its 

 supervision should be continued, and some have said that until they 

 found it necessary to make certain improvements in order to meet 

 the bureau's requirements they had not realized that their schools 

 were deficient in those particulars. 



