250 



consumption, it would undoubtedly pay for these to improve their 

 often badly inbred strains by an occasional importation of a few 

 good Shropshire or other mutton rams. All told there is prob- 

 ably not half the number of sheep in the Territory today that 

 were here 10 or 12 years ago. 



Cattle. A total of 111 head of cattle arrived here as compared 

 to 75 head during 1914. Of these one hundred head were dairy 

 cattle — half of this number being Holsteins. That only one dozen 

 registered bulls, of which not less than eight were of various 

 dairy breeds, were imported must be ascribed to the prolonged and 

 widespread epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease, which prevailed 

 in the United States during the greater part of the year. There 

 is. however, no reason to believe that these scanty importations 

 are indicative of a suspension of the development of the local 

 beef herds during the past year. On the contrary, the Territory 

 was able for the first time in recent years to supply its own de- 

 mand for high class breeding animals. The Parker Ranch, for 

 instance, had prepared for exhibition in San Francisco a splendid 

 herd of selected Herefords of various classes and ages. The 

 same outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, however, interfered 

 with the sending of these animals to California, and enabled the 

 ranch to dispose of a number of good bulls, which otherwise 

 would have had to be retained. This same ranch having used for 

 a number of years only pure bred bulls, is now sending to the 

 slaughter house hundreds of steers annually, which in quality, 

 color, development and markings are superior to fifty per cent, 

 of the bulls still being used in the Territory for breeding: pur- 

 poses, and it will undoubtedly not be long before the Parker 

 Ranch alone will be able to supply all the pure bred bulls, of the 

 Hereford breed at least, that can be used here. 



Horses and Mules. With the exception of horses for military 

 use, an almost negligible number arrived here during the past 

 year, the total falling from 522 in 1914 to 147 in 1915. Mules, on 

 the other hand, increased from 305 to 567, respectively. No jacks 

 and very few stallions were imported for breeding purposes. 

 Nearly all the horses (except military) were of inferior quality, 

 while the mules, for the greatest part, were the best ever seen 

 here. With the assured prospect of free sugar in 1916. the im- 

 portation of plantation mules had practically ceased, but after the 

 European war made a repeal of the free sugar clause highly prob- 

 able, the replenishment of the depleted plantation stables began in 

 earnest. 



The military authorities, like in the two preceding years, pur- 

 chased quite a number of island horses for remounts, these 

 hardy and well bred up animals having given complete satisfac- 

 tion, both as -mounts for the cavalry and as saddle and draft 

 animals for the artillery. They are, in fact, preferred by officers 

 and men alike to the western range horses which often lack the 



