278 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



No report at all has been received from the inspector of 

 animals in Maynard, and the Leicester inspector may also 

 be said to have made no inspection, as he reports upon 7 

 herds only, while in 1903 he examined 109 herds. 



By referring to the preceding table it will be seen that 

 the returns from many of the cities and towns are incom- 

 plete, the inspectors having failed to carry out, as faithfully 

 as they should, the instructions given them. There is no 

 doubt that the letter ordering the inspection was misunder- 

 stood by many of the inspectors, as it gave permission to 

 say ' ' the same as last year " in answer to certain questions 

 reorardino; measurements, where no chanoos had l)een made 

 since the last inspection, and a number of them seemed to 

 think that this provision of the order to make the work 

 easier was meant to give them wider latitude than was 

 intended. This accounts for the insufiicient returns of 

 inspections of stables from a number of towns where the 

 inspectors are competent, faithful men. 



While more herds were examined in 1903, between 3,000 

 and 4,000 fewer neat cattle are reported and 10,000 fewer 

 milch cows are given. 



The number of stables inspected shows a falling off of 

 nearly 4,000. While the returns of the inspectors of ani- 

 mals in 1903 were not as full as in some preceding years, yet 

 in 1904 they are even less satisfactory. 



The number of swine reported shows an increase of over 

 3,000 and the number of sheep a decrease of over 2,000. 



An attempt was made to obtain some idea of the number 

 of goats in the State, because of the increasing interest in the 

 breeding of Angora goats ; the inspectors' returns show 2,634 

 of these animals, in comparison with 173 the previous year. 



The inspectors of animals are appointed annually in the 

 month of March by the mayor and aldermen in cities and 

 the selectmen in towns, subject to the approval of the Chief 

 of the Cattle Bureau ; and the law requires them to be sworn 

 to perform the duties of the position faithfully. While all 

 these inspectors have been approved by him, yet it is impos- 

 sible for the Chief of the Cattle Bureau to know the qualifi- 

 cations of all the appointees in a State having 353 cities and 

 towns. 



