P.D. 123 11 



Francis W. Small resigned on April 15, 1926, to accept a position with 

 a large commercial firm. Russell I. Prentiss already employed in the De- 

 partment was appointed to fill the position made vacant by Mr. Small's 

 resignation. 



Miss Marion L. Speer resigned on August 31, 1926, to be married. 

 Miss Eleanor W. Bateman succeeded Miss Speer on October 11, 1926. 

 Miss Bateman is a graduate of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, 

 and has had excellent work in marketing at the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College and as an employee of the Women's Reformatory at Sher- 

 born. 



DIVISION OF DAIRYING AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



The work of the Division of Dairying and Animal Husbandry is about 

 equally divided between dairy products and livestock. Effective work 

 has been done toward improving the methods used in producing milk 

 and controlling the sale of dairy products. From the standpoint of live- 

 stock, an effort has been made to improve the management, care and 

 feeding of all classes of livestock, including dairy cattle, beef cattle, 

 sheep, hogs and poultry. 



Inspection Work 



The inspection work of the division consists mainly in the enforcement 

 of the oleomargarine laws. The Department of Public Health has equal 

 powers and does most of the work in enforcing the laws covering milk 

 and butter. 



The inspections for the year totaled 2,573 with 140 samples taken. 

 A total of 25 cases were tried, resulting in 22 convictions, making 12 

 more cases than reported for the previous year. 



Quality of Milk 

 The campaign to improve the keeping quality of milk produced on 

 Massachusetts farms was conducted along the same lines as the previous 

 year. Samples were taken of the milk from 1,495 farms and 268 farm 

 inspections were made. A complete survey was made of the milk supply 

 of Springfield originating in Massachusetts. The results of the tests 

 made with the reductase outfit on the samples from this supply showed 

 that a very large percentage of the milk coming into Springfield was of 

 good keeping quality. Partial survey of the city of Lawrence was made. 



Hogs 



An effort was made to improve the methods of raising hogs in the 

 State by conducting a Ton Litter Contest among the State Institutions 

 farms. This contest had as an object the making of a ton or more of 

 pork with one litter of pigs in 180 days' time. This provided a measure 

 of the productive ability of a sow and aids in the selection of good breed- 

 ing sows. It also gave valuable information on the care, feed and man- 

 agement of the litter. Twenty-three litters were entered from eleven In- 

 stitutions. Only three were successful in reaching the desired weight: — 



Number Total Average iveight 



Institution of pigs weight per pig. 



Northampton State Hospital 11 2,385 lbs. 216.81 lbs. 



Grafton State Hospital 9 2,1151/2 " 235.05 " 



Monson State Hospital 11 2,0051/2 " 182.31 " 



The contest will be conducted again in 1927 and enlarged to include 

 farmers. 



