124 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



tion. Rats and mice ^Yhich have been fed large numbers of the eggs 

 of Ascaris suum commonly die in six to eight days after the feeding, 

 at a time when numerous larvae are found in the lungs. 



MISCELLANEOUS DIVISION. 



A. ]\I. Fareington, Chief. 



The work of keeping records and conducting general correspond- 

 ence regarding the personnel of the bureau has been conducted by 

 the Miscellaneous Division. This includes correspondence regarding 

 civil-service examinations for positions in the bureau, appointments 

 to such positions, promotions, demotions, transfers, removals, the 

 conduct of employees as to efficiency, the acceptance of outside em- 

 ployment, and other similar subjects. The division has kept in 

 correspondence with the veterinary medical educational institutions 

 of the United States and exercises a supervision of these institutions 

 under the department regulations. Unclassified miscellaneous cor- 

 respondence which does not come within the scope of work performed 

 by other divisions of the bureau is also part of the work of this 

 division. 



BUREAU PERSONNEL. 



At the beginning of the fiscal year the persons in the employ of 

 the bureau numbered 4,013. During the year there were 880 addi- 

 tions to this number, made up as follows: Appointments, 794; trans- 

 fers from other branches of the Government service, 38; reinstate- 

 ments, 48. During the same period there were 682 separations from 

 the service, as follows: Resignations, 334; deaths, 30; removals for 

 cause, 11 ; transfers to other bureaus or departments of the Govern- 

 ment, 39 ; all other separations, 268. This last item includes termi- 

 nations of appointments bj^ limitation or for administrative reasons, 

 exclusive of separations for disciplinary reasons. At the end of the 

 fiscal year the bureau personnel numbers 4,211, a net increase of 198 

 during the year. 



During the year 13 civil-service examinations were requested and 

 subjects and weights were furnished to the Civil Service Commission. 



VETERINARY EDUCATION. 



As reported last year, the Civil Service Commission has concurred 

 in the plan to require veterinary colleges which wish their graduates 

 admitted to civil-service examination for veterinary inspector to 

 pursue a course of study in veterinary science for four years. To 

 enforce this requirement it became necessary to revise the existing 

 regulations and to demand after the fall of 1917 an additional 

 year of study with an increased nmnber of hours. On this basis 

 new regulations were formulated and published as a circular in the 

 Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, effective March 1, 1917. 



The attendance of students during the last fiscal year at veterinary 

 colleges has been less than formerly. This is due in part to the 

 fact that most of these colleges by general agreement extended the 

 course of study to four years instead of three years. The number 

 of freshmen enrolled for the session beginning with the fall of 1916 



