98 IOWA DEPARTxMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



At this time tliere remain a number of unrenewed certificates in our 

 files wliicli were Issued in preceding years and have not been accounted 

 for. A delinquent letter was issued in every case and the following data 

 are presented herewith: 253 were reported dead, 156 castrated, of which 

 106 were grades, 415 sold outside the state. Upon a more careful exami- 

 nation we find that a large majority of those not heard from have prob- 

 ably been retired from service, inasmuch as state certificates mentioned 

 the unsoundness with which they were affected. The mare owners are 

 becoming more educated along modern horse breeding methods and 

 realize that there is an inherent tendency for the progeny to contract the 

 same unsoundness as is found in the sires and dams. 



Every three years the Percheron Society of America compiles data 

 from reports of states having stallion inspection laws and presents con- 

 densed information as to the actual condition of affairs in these states. 

 The following are some of the conclusions recently arrived at after secur- 

 ing detailed information from ten leading states: First, the percentage 

 of grade sires has been substantially reduced; second, there has been a 

 marked Increase in the number of pure bred sires; third, despite the 

 gain noted there is still a large number of grade stallions in service; 

 fourth, the number of pure bred draft sires is not sufficient. (Experienced 

 horsemen know that in the best draft horse breeding districts there 

 should be at least one pure bred draft sire for each 200 horses. Only one 

 state — Iowa — has gone below the 300 mark) ; fifth, Iowa has taken front 

 rank, she has more pure bred sires in proportion to total number of 

 horses, and more to her total number of farms, than any other state. 

 Seventy per cent of the stallions offered for public service in the state 

 of Iowa are of pure breeding, which is a larger percentage than in any 

 other state. 



Section three, paragraph one, states that glanders, dourine, coital exan- 

 thema, urethral gleet, mange, melanosis, blindness, cataract, bone-spavin, 

 ringbone and periodic ophthalmia (moon blindness) shall disqualify a 

 stallion from public service. During the period intervening between 

 January 1, 1912, and December 1, 1914, 133 stallions were refused state 

 certificates on account of being affected with one of the above unsound- 

 nesses or diseases. Twenty-one were disqualified for blindness; 17 cata- 

 ract; 1 coital exanthema; 7 melanosis; 21 periodic ophthalmia (moon 

 blindness); 54 bone-spavin; and 12 ringbone. 



Fraudulent pedigrees are still being passed upon unsuspecting pur- 

 chasers. To some people the terms "registered" and "pure bred" are 

 synonymous. Fifty applications were presented this year accompanied 

 by pedigrees that were absolutely worthless. In each and every case a 

 grade certificate was issued and the owner promptly informed as to the 

 actual standing of the association in which the stallion in question hap- 

 pened to be enrolled. 



In some cases the department also found it necessary to issue grade 

 certificates to stallion owners who submitted pedigrees from recognized 

 registry associations. This resulted from various discrepancies in the 

 registry certificates, showing alterations either in age, color or markings. 



