8 April, 1907] Three Years' Progress in Agrieiiltiire. 201 



branch now consists of a chief veterinary officer, three assistant veterinary 

 officers, and sixteen supervisors. The latter are appointed after a tliorough 

 and searching examination as to knowledge and suitabilitv for carrying out 

 the requirements of the Act in a tactful manner. It is satisfactorv to note 

 that dairy farmers generally are welcoming the visits of the supervisors, 

 and that there appears to be a bottd fide intention to carrv out the require- 

 ments as far as necessary improvements on the farms are concerned. This 

 being the case, no orders or notices to enforce compliance with the Act have 

 up to the present been issued. During the first six months of the oj)era- 

 tion of the Act, 313 cows reported by the supervisors were examined bv the 

 veterinary officers, with the following result ;— Prohibitions removed, 157; 

 prohibitions extended, 87 ; prohibitions made perm,anent. 69. The tees 

 received for the same period amount to ^3.^s8. and the- expenditure to 

 ^1,988. 



Silage. 



The use of silage is progressing, the methods of making it put on a 

 sound basis, and over 200 silos erected (70 of them bv the Department on 

 a system of deferred payments). 



Experience during the past five years has shown that well-made sil.age 

 is an economical and satisfactory food for stock, especial] v for dairy cows, 

 and that many acres of wild oats and other kinds of undesirable herbage 

 may thus be turned to profitable account. It is useful on the farm both 

 in summer and winter, while as a provision for the next period of dry 

 seasons in the North it is of as great importance as is the supply of dry 

 fodder in the form of hay and grain. The results obtained where the silo 

 has been properly filled under supervision of an officer of the Department 

 have been such as to justifv the expectation that this method of conserving 

 fodder will come into general use throughout Victoria. Our experiments 

 in this direction have attracted considerable attention, and a similar type 

 of silo has been adopted in all the eastern States of the Commonwealth. 



Live Stock Interests and Veterinary Work. 



Of recent years there has been comparatively little in the wav of epi- 

 demic diseases amongst live stock in Victoria, as of 489,879 cattle examined, 

 only 647 cases were found ; and of 200,088 pigs, only 659 suffered. 



A scheme for a complete system of veterinary education and for the 

 establishment of a stock institute in this State is now being considered. 

 Practical demonstrations on veterinary work and the care and management 

 of farm animals held in connexion with Farmers' Classes have attracted the 

 greatest amount of attention. A further step towards improvement in the 

 breeding of horses has been taken bv the Department in requiring all stud 

 horses to have passed a veterinary examination for soundness with regard to 

 hereditarv tendency to disease before being awarded prizes at agricultural 

 shows. 



The veterinary staff of the Department, which now consists of four 

 experts, organized originallv with a view of carrving out the provisions of 

 the Milk and Dairy Supervision Act, is taking an active part bv means 

 of investigations into cases of disease, and by lectures and demonstrations, 

 in furthering the live stock interests in these respects. 



Development of the Export Trade. 



The direct assistance to the export of frozen produce wln'ch has been 

 given to the producer bv the establishment of Cool Stores, and by the 



