PROGRESS IX AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION, 253 



diseases, has found it necessaiy to employ more than 800 veterinarians. 

 The need of securing men well educated for this work led the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture in the spring of 1908 to appoint a committee of 

 five eminent veterinarians to investigate the courses of instruction at 

 the various veterinary colleges in the United States and to nuike rec- 

 ommendations as to the instruction necessary to qualify graduates for 

 admission to the civil-service examination for veterinary positions in 

 the Bureau. This committee consisted of Dr. Richard P. Lyman, sec- 

 retary of the American Veterinary Medical Association; Dr. Joseph 

 Hughes, president of the Chicago Veterinary College; Dr. Tait But- 

 ler, secretary of the Association of Veterinary Faculties and Examin- 

 ing Boards of North America; Dr. Paul Fischer, state veterinarian 

 of Ohio; and Dr. A. M. Farrington, assistant chief of the Bureau of 

 Animal Industry. 



After visiting the various veterinary colleges in the United States and one 

 in Canada and collecting full information, the committee made a report with 

 certain recommendations for the classification of the colleges and requirements 

 for admission to the civil-service examinations. Following this report, another 

 committee of members of the bureau's staff, with Doctor Farrington as chair- 

 man, was appointed to continue the consideration of the subject and to formu- 

 late regulations governing entrance to the civil-service examination for veter- 

 inary positions in the Bureau. The latter committee recommended certain 

 regulations, which were approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and the 

 United States Civil Service Commission, under date of July 31, 1909, to talce 

 effect September 1. 



While the Department claims no authority to regulate the affairs of the 

 veterinary colleges, it is very much concerned in seeing that men are suitably 

 educated for its service, and in conjunction with the Civil Service Commission 

 it has a right to prescribe the requirements for admission to the civil-service 

 examinations for such positions. As a rule the colleges have been disposed to 

 meet the requirements of the regulations, and as a result it is believed that 

 the standard of veterinary education in the United States will be considerably 

 raised. In accordance with these regulations only persons who are graduates 

 of colleges having a satisfactory course of instruction will be permitted to take 

 the civil-service examination. 



The regulations recommended by the Bureau committee have been 

 published as Circular 15 of the Bureau of Animal Industry, entitled: 

 " Ivcguhitions Govei-ning Entrance to the Veterinary Inspector 

 Examination." 



The distribution of vegetable and flower seeds for school-garden 

 purposes has been continued by the Bureau of Plant Industry, which 

 has also begun to cooperate, through its farmers' cooperative demon- 

 stration service, with agricultural colleges and schools in the South. 

 On this feature of work the Chief of the Bureau has this to say: 



In a number of States a closer cooperation with the agricultural and mechan- 

 ical colleges has been effected by mutual ay'"eein«'nt, to the great advantage of 

 all. Through this arrangement the increasing demand for demonstration work 



