8 P.D. 123 



the very best quality product possible. To this end numerous meetings have been held, 

 with the division co-operating, to consider ways and means of regulating this interest- 

 ing, fast growing branch of dairy industry. The goat breeders are concerned with 

 how they may interest the pubHc in the use of their products, which are said to carry 

 nature's remedies for many ailments apparently unyielding to any other treatment. 

 Thus, much time and study is being given this branch of our large dairy industry in 

 assisting the breeders to find their proper market outlets, independent of our present 

 cow milk markets. 



Fairs, Agricultural Meetings, Expositions, and Radio and 

 Agricultural Publication Releases 

 The attention necessary to the promotional type of work of the division has been as 

 liberal as time and finances would allow. The division furnished the Superintendent 

 and Chairman for horse, sheep, poultry, dairy, beef, and goat classes at several of our 

 larger Fairs, the Eastern States Exposition, and the Union Agricultural Meetings. 

 These shows and meetings were well patronized. The benefit derived from such ex- 

 hibitions of selected type animals or birds, where their real values are displayed to 

 public attention, in our opinion does much good in fixing type, production, or work 

 qualities to be sought for in the acquiring of such animals by the growers ; hence has a 

 lasting benefit on the improvement of the stock produced by the individual growers 

 thereafter. 



Poultry Work 

 Poultry Record of Performance: 



For this year the Grade known as Massachusetts Record of Performance Pullorum 

 Clean was carried on with very good results. There were 16 poultry plants under the 

 supervision of the Department, and unannounced visits were made to these plants, 

 taking over the trapnesting work for the day, and checking the trapnests for accuracy. 

 In addition, the private advertising of the breeders was checked, and all the birds in 

 special mating pens were inspected and approved before the breeders were allowed to 

 sell pedigreed stock. Records were sent to this office by the breeders on all of their 

 breeding activities, including the trapnest records, reports on the eggs set, chicks 

 hatched, and stock sold. 



At various times throughout the year articles were prepared for magizines, explain- 

 ing the meaning of Record of Performance work in this State, and the results of our 

 R. O. P. breeders were compared with the results of breeders in other states, both in 

 connection with the R. O. P. project and the birds entered at Official Egg Laying Con- 

 tests. In both cases the records of our R. O. P. breeders were above those of breeders 

 in other states. 



A number of state, sectional and national meetings were attended in the interest of 

 our R. O. P. program. 



In working with the Breeders Association an R. O. P. circular was prepared and dis- 

 tributed to 7,000 persons in the state and throughout the country generally. 



The annual summary of our R. O. P. work was prepared and distributed to poultry- 

 men in this state and to interested persons throughout the country. The following is 

 a brief summary of the results obtained by our R. O. P. breeders for the 1937-38 

 season : 



Sumjiiary 



Number of birds entered under R. O. P. supervision 7,948 



Number of birds passed R. O. P. supervision „ 3,991 



Average production all birds passing R. O. P. supervision 244.47 



Average egg weight all birds passing R. O. P. supervision „ 25.75 oz. 



Average body weight all birds passing R. O. P. supervision „ 5.99 lbs. 



Number of birds in individual pedigree pens „ 2,854 



The above records are the best records obtained by our R. O. P. breeders to date, 

 showing consistent improvement under our breeding program. 



Poultry Certification. — Under our Massachusetts Certified Pullorum Clean Grade 

 there were 18 breeders having their flocks supervised, with a total of 67,467 birds in- 

 dividually inspected and banded. Each bird was inspected and leg-banded, provided 

 it met the grade requirements for pullorum disease freedom, health and vigor, pro- 

 ductive capacity, and reasonable freedom from standard disqualifications. During the 

 hatching season two visits were made to check the size of all hatching eggs set by 

 breeders under this Grade, making sure that the grade requirements were lived up to. 



