PART I. 



Hon. SYDNEY FISHER, ,- J ,.,,., ..^ 



Minister of Agriculture,, /A, ;,, j 5 J ' > J i j s : 

 Ottawa. 



SIR, I beg to submit the following report of my recent visit 

 to Britain, France, Germany and Denmark, and to direct your 

 attention to the suggestions deduced from a careful, though 

 somewhat hurried study of various matters appertaining to 

 health of animals ; and more especially to contagious disease 

 affecting them, which I trust may be found useful in assisting 

 the deliberations of the department in relation to these matters 

 which are of such vital importance to agriculture. 



Arriving at Liverpool on the 3Oth December, I met, that 

 evening, two of the Canadian Live Stock Agents, Messrs. 

 Elliott and Rodgers, of Toronto, with whom I made an ar- 

 rangement to visit the cattle sheds and lairages at Birkenhead 

 next morning, where we met Mr. Williams, of Brampton, Ont., 

 and Mr. Piers, of Toronto ; by the latter we were shown over 

 the lairages. 



On the arrival at the ports in Great Britain, the steamships 

 are docked at floating wharfs and the cattle landed, whence 

 they are driven by runways to the large cattle sheds, which 

 are divided into yards and alleyways. 



Those at Liverpool are several stories high and are similarly 

 divided. The yards are furnished with feeding conveniences 

 and are kept perfectly clean, ventilation and light are carefully 

 provided for. In one part may be seen United States cattle, 

 in another Argentine, and in another Canadian. They are 

 consigned to agents who assume charge of them, see to their 

 care and feeding and effect the sales. They may be sold 

 privately or by auction. Under the existing regulations they 

 must be slaughtered within ten days of their landing, and may 

 be sold on foot or in quarters. 



The offal, hides, etc., are disposed of by the buyer or agent 

 as the case may be. 



