238 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



It will be seen bj the foregoing table that the inspectors 

 of animals examined 234,347 head of neat cattle, of which 

 177,047 were cows, as compared with 237,647 neat cattle 

 the previous year, of which 155,876 were milch cows. The 

 reason for the increase in the number of cows is that the 

 year before the milch cows were given in one column ; that 

 is, those that were actually giving milk at the time of the 

 inspection. As a good many cows that were milch cows 

 when inspected will have become dry by the time the report 

 is printed, and a good many of the cows that were dry will 

 have calved, it seemed better to give in the table the total 

 number of cows in the State, rather than the cows actually 

 giving milk at the time of inspection. 



The rejjort shows an actual decrease in the number of 

 neat cattle, comj^ared with the previous year, of 3,300 head. 

 The report of the insj)ectors of animals for the year ending 

 ISTov. 30, 1907, showed a decrease of nearly 10,000 head of 

 neat cattle from the previous year, so that in two years there 

 has been a decrease of over 13,000 head of neat cattle in 

 Massachusetts, as shown by the reports of the insj^ectors. 



Judging by the reports of the inspection by the inspectors 

 of animals, there also seems to have been a slight falling off 

 in the number of sheep and swine in the State, and a slight 

 increase in the number of goats. 



During the year 1908 the Legislature passed an act 

 (chapter 378, Acts of 1908) providing that in all cities at 

 least one of the inspectors of animals appointed nnder the 

 provisions of section 12 of chapter 90 of the Revised Laws 

 shall be a registered veterinary surgeon. This act was ap- 

 proved April 10, 1908. It means that hereafter a veterinary 

 surgeon will have to be appointed as inspector of animals in 

 a city. The reason this act was not made to include towns 

 is because of the impossibility of securing veterinary sur- 

 geons to act as inspectors of animals in the small towns. 

 A¥hile it may be desirable to have veterinarians in cities to 

 fill these positions, it must be remembered that an inspector 

 who is prompt and businesslike in his manner of doing his 

 Avork, who attends immediately to orders directed to him by 

 the Chief of the Cattle Bureau and makes his reports to the 



