231 



DIVISION OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 



Preliminary Report of the Territorial J'eterinarian for the Calen- 

 dar Year igio-igii. 



Honolulu, May 31, 1912. 



Hon. W. M. Giffard, President and Executive Officer and the 

 Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, 

 Territory of Hawaii. 



Gentlemen : 



LIVE STOCK CONDITIONS IN GENERAL. 



The past year has proved an exceedingly gratifying one in so 

 far 'as live stock sanitary matters are concerned. With the ex- 

 ception of a couple of the smaller islands (Lanai and Niihau) 

 conditions have been everything that could be desired for the 

 furtherance and profitable development of the live stock industry. 

 While the heavy influx of military men has necessitated the im- 

 portation from the mainland of large quantities of meat, there can 

 be no doubt that, under normal circumstances, the Territory 

 would have been more than able to supply the local demand for 

 all classes of meats, except possibly poultry, and there is every 

 prospect that the modern methods adopted by the leading ranches, 

 of utilizing only the highest class of pure bred breeding animals, 

 will double the output of either beef, mutton or pork and enable 

 the local interests to supply the demands of even this inflated 

 meat-consuming population, at prices which of necessity must be 

 profitable, owing to the distance from the nearest available mar- 

 ket, and to the fact that grass fed and finished beef and mutton 

 of unexcelled quality, can be produced here without resort to the 

 use of concentrated feeds (grain, corn). Climatic conditions 

 have been favorable and, as stated, the ranches which, a few years 

 ago, foresaw the coming demand and prepared for it by the im- 

 portation of high class breeding animals are now harvesting the 

 reward of their enterprise. The value of a finished carcass of 

 beef has practically doubled, considering the earlier maturity, 

 the increased percentage of valuable cuts as compared to waste 

 and the rise in price resulting from demand. When to this is 

 added the reduction in cost of production and marketing which is 

 bound to result from cooperation, as well as from competition, 

 there can be no doubt that Hawaii will hold its own as a meat 

 market for the local demand. 



Pork, of ■ which large quantities are consumed, especially by 

 the oriental population, is now being supplied entirely from local 

 sources. A few years ago there were imported annually from 

 6,000 to 8,000 live butcher hogs, while at the present time and 

 for more than two years past not a single hog, and comparatively 

 little refrigerated pork, has been brought here from the outside. 



