REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. ' XIX 



hind our animals in the best condition for market. The percentage of 

 loss in ocean transit has been reduced to 1.72 for horses, 0.91 for 

 sheep, and 0.24 for cattle. During the past year notable improve- 

 ments have been obtained in the ventilation and width of alleys, and 

 it is believed that the losses have reached almost the lowest attainable 

 point. The number of clearances for vessels which were inspected 

 and passed was nearly 1,000. 



INSPECTION SERVICE FOR IMPORT ANIMALS. 



In order to prevent the introduction of animal plagues an inspection 

 service is maintained at our principal seaports and along our frontier. 

 Quarantine stations have been established for animals coming from 

 countries where contagious disease exists. There were quarantined at 

 these stations during the }^ear 559 cattle, 525 sheep, 81 swine, and 118 

 animals for menageries and zoological parks. There were also admit- 

 ted, after inspection and in some cases quarantine, over 242,000 animals 

 from Canada and about 100,000 from Mexico. The examination of 

 this vast aggregate of imported animals, amounting in ail to over a 

 third of a million, is a most responsible task, but so far it has been 

 successfully conducted, and none of the exotic plagues of the domes- 

 ticated animals has been allowed to reach our territory. With our 

 enormous investment in animals that are susceptible to such plagues, 

 it is clearly a dut}^ which the Government owes to our stock raisers to 

 maintain this inspection and quarantine with the utmost rigidity. The 

 ravages of the rinderpest as it is sweeping over the African Continent 

 should be an object lesson indicating the terrible destruction which 

 such a disease would cause among our immense herds of valuable stock. 



The tremendous possibilities of loss from imported contagion sug- 

 gest that possibly the time has come when it might be well for us to 

 consider whether it would not be best for us to follow the example of 

 Great Britain and exclude entirely live stock from other countries. 

 Inspection and quarantine, however carefully and conscientiously per- 

 formed, are acknowledged by most countries to be only a relative and 

 not an absolute guaranty of protection. Should not our animal indus- 

 try have the most complete safeguards thrown around it which the 

 experience of the world has shown to be required for the most abso- 

 lute and perfect protection? In this connection, we are reminded that 

 some of the territory which has recently come under our flag is believed 

 to be infected with animal plagues and parasites unknown to the United 

 States, and that may Wbrk great injury if the}^ are transported to our 

 soil. It would appear to be wise for such legislation to be enacted as 

 would provide against animals from this territory being allowed to 

 enter our ports, whether these animals are brought by individuals or 

 returning troops. 



