70 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture, A. R. Corey, made 

 the following report to the convention : 



SECRETARY'S REPORT. 

 A. K. COREY. 



In preparing a report to this convention I have endeavored to out- 

 line briefly the vfor'k accomplished by the three divisions of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture during the past year; viz., The Publicity Department, 

 Stallion Registration Division and the Iowa State Pair and Exposition. 



I shall not attempt to go into details concerning each division for the 

 detailed reports will be set forth in pamphlets now being prepared by 

 the department; in the report of the Stallion Registration Division, and 

 the Iowa Year Book of Agriculture, copy for which will be prepared 

 immediately after the first of the year. 



STALLION BKGISTRATION DIVISION. 



During the period from January 1st to December 1st, 1913, the de- 

 partment issued 5,941 certificates for pure bred stallions and 2,550 cer- 

 tificates of soundness for grade stallions; 102 certificates for pure bred 

 jacks and 598 certificates of soundness for grade jacks. These figures 

 show that 70% of the stallions offered for public service in the state of 

 Iowa are of pure breeding. This is a larger percentage of pure bred 

 stallions in service than any other state in the Union. Illinois comes 

 nearest to these figures with 59% pure bred as shown by the 1912 report 

 of the Illinois Stallion Registration Board. 



The stallion law as amended by the thirty-fifth General Assembly is 

 a marked improvement over the law enacted at the previous session of 

 the legislature. 



Stating it briefiy the amendments provided that all stallions must pass 

 a veterinary examination for soundness before state certificate may be 

 issued. Under the old law owners had the privilege of making an 

 affidavit as to the soundness of their stallions, which was one of the weak 

 points. The unsoundness known as ringbone was transferred to the 

 class which disqualifies a stallion for public service and bog spavin was 

 transferred from the disqualifying class to the class of unsoundness that 

 must be mentioned in the state certificate and in all advertising. 



Provision was made for issuing state certificate for blind stallions 

 where an examination by three veterinarians proved the blindness to be 

 caused by accident or disease not transmissible. Under the old law a 

 number of valuable stallions were disqualified on account of blindness 

 caused by accident or from disease known not to be transmissible. 



The amended law provides for a permanent state certificate of sound- 

 ness for stallions six years old or over, ])roviding they have successfully 

 passed veterinary examination for soundness for two consecutive years. 



There is also a provision that all stallions imported from other states 

 must be accompanied by a certificate of soundness showing the stallions 

 to be free from all diseases and unsoundness mentioned in Section 

 Three of the law. 



