BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 323 



INVESTIGATIONS IN BEEF AND PORK PRODUCTION. 



The work in cooperation with the Alabama Experiment Station in 

 the study of the fundamental principles of economical beef and pork 

 production in the South is still in progress. One bulletin was pub- 

 lished during the year and others are in press or in process of 

 preparation. 



The production of hogs in southern States is believed to promise 

 well, and in order to concentrate effort and provide the most favor- 

 able conditions for the investigations the hog work has been trans- 

 ferred to the farm of Messrs. Cobb & McMillan, near Sumterville, Ala. 



An agent has been appointed to take up, in cooperation with the 

 farmers' cooperative demonstration work of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, the organization of boys' pig clubs in Alabama. 



During the past two years an extensive investigation of the shrink- 

 age of beef cattle in transit has been in progress. The work was 

 divided into three fields — the Southwest, covering shipments to 

 Kansas City and other points in southwestern territory; the North- 

 west, covering shipments to the Missouri River and Chicago; and the 

 corn belt, covering shipments to Chicago. Data have been secured 

 on cattle fed on grass alone, on beet pulp, on silage, and on a straight 

 corn ration, and on cattle shipped various distances, as well as during 

 various kinds of weather. This material is now being prepared for 

 publication. Both shippers and railroads have shown much interest 

 in the work. 



CERTIFICATION OF PURITY OF BREEDING OF ANIMALS. 



Since January 1, 1911, the department has exercised the power 

 given to it under the provisions of paragraph 492 of the tariff act of 

 August 5, 1909, to pass on the sufficiency of the pedigree certificates 

 of animals imported for breeding purposes, instead of delegating this 

 function to certified American pedigree-record societies, as had been 

 the policv prior to that time. 



From July 1. 1911, to June 30. 1912. inclusive, this bureau issued 

 certificates of pure breeding for the following number of imported 

 animals: Horses, 3,136; cattle, 2,024; sheep, 1,140; hogs, 63; dogs, 651; 

 and cats, 29. 



In connection with the examination of pedigree certificates the 

 animals are inspected at the ports of entry to see that the animals 

 agree with the data on the certificates of the foreign societies with 

 respect to age. color, and markings. During the fiscal year certifi- 

 cates have been retu.rned, either to the importers or to the secretaries 

 of the foreign societies, for the following number of animals: Horses, 

 135 ; cattle, 52 ; sheep, 140 ; dogs, 22 ; and cats, 1. In some cases the 

 importer had obtained the wrong certificates for the animals im- 

 ported; in others the certificates had been altered since having been 

 issued by the pedigree societies; while in others the errors were merely 

 clerical ones. 



THE BELTSVILLE EXPERIMENT FARM. 



The transformation of the experiment farm near Beltsville, Md., 

 from a badly run-down and much-neglected property into one on 

 which experimental live-stock work can be conducted is still in 



