8 August, 1907.] Fijtli Convention, Llnviiber of ^agriculture. 487 



each stallion in the opinion of the committee is most suited for and to he 

 available only for the season in which it is issued. 



3. That a register of all liceiised stallions in each district be kept 

 bv each committee. 



4. Any owner who allows his stallion to serve mares of low grade 

 or known' to be affected with any hereditary unsoundness may have his 

 certificate withdrawn and licence cancelled. 



5. Any stallion of the first class failing to leave satisfactory progeny 

 mav be placed in a lower grade and any lower class stallion found to 

 leave good foals may be raised to a higher grade. 



6. No unlicensed stallion to be allowed to stand or travel for public 

 service. 



7. The expenses of the district committee to be ])aid out of the 

 Government grant and anv surplus to be devoted to importing donkey 

 jacks to stand at nominal fees in the poorer districts and so encourage 

 mule-breeding. 



The stud stock committees would act as advisory boards and instruct 

 breeders how to select and mate suitable sires and dams, and so regulate 

 and improve the methods of breeding ; and I venture to say that the grant 

 would do much more good if spent in this way than in subsidizing- a few 

 stallions. Later on breeders might consent to have their mares classified 

 and have certificates issued to them so as to give the progeny a higher 

 market value. Mares unsuitable for horse-breeding might be used for 

 breeding mules with good results and thus curtail the breeding of worth- 

 less low-grade horses. 



State Veterinary Education. 



The question of State veterinary education is now on the tapis and a 

 committee has been appointed to formulate a curriculum. By bringing it 

 under the control of the University Council candidates should have better 

 opportunities given for scientific training and of obtaining a higher state 

 of efficiency. For some vears there has been a gradually increasing number 

 of veterinary surgeons turned out to meet the requirements of stock owners 

 and the appreciation in which their services are held may be inferred from 

 the fact that subsidies from ^50 to ;^i75 per annum have been given by 

 agricultural societies as inducements for them to settle in certain districts. 

 As an indication of the value of and necessity fox this encouragement I 

 may state that one of these subsidized veterinary surgeons had no less than 

 eighty foaling cases to attend last season so that, had his services been 

 requisitioned for this work alone, he would still have saved some thousands 

 of pounds worth of stock for his clients. 



Proposed Research Institute. 

 The proposed Research Institute is also much needed to enable thorough 

 investigations being made into the nature and causes of obscure diseases 

 which are continuallv making their appearance. As this work is for the 

 immediate benefit of the stock-owners every help and encouragement should 

 be given to it bv them. While specialists are needed for the laboratory 

 work some of the most important work will have to be done on the spot 

 for, without the necessarv data obtainable onlv from practical field work, 

 little good will be done. 



Veterinary Teaching at Agricultural Colleges and Classes. 

 The diffusion of A'eterinarv knowledge amongst stock-owners is not being 

 neglected. There is a teacher of veterinary science connected with the 



