XX REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 



TUBERCULIN TEST FOR IMPORTED CATTLE. 



The reported increase of bovine tuberculosis in most countries, and 

 the losses already sustained from the disease in the United States, led 

 me to make an order requiring 1 a tuberculin test of cattle imported for 

 breeding or dairy purposes. The application of this test has detected a 

 sufficient number of diseased animals to fully justify its adoption. In 

 fact, more animals have reacted than was anticipated, and in order to 

 save importers from heavy loss it has been necessary to provide for 

 this test before animals cross the frontier from Canada, and to send an 

 inspector to Great Britain to make the tests and reject affected animals 

 before shipment. In the tests which have been made it is not believed 

 that any animals have been injured by the tuberculin or that any have 

 reacted which were not tuberculous. The welfare of the live-stock 

 interests requires the continuance of this method of inspection. 



MEAT INSPECTION. 



The meat-inspection service has grown to proportions commensurate 

 with the live-stock industry. It is now maintained in 51 cities and at 

 156 abattoirs. Nearly 37,000,000 animals were inspected at time of 

 slaughter. This is an increase over the preceding year of 6 cities, 8 

 abattoirs, and 2,300,000 animals. Although in the aggregate a large 

 number of carcasses were condemned, the percentage has been ex- 

 tremely small. In nearly 5,250,000 cattle inspected the condemned 

 carcasses amounted to only about one-fourth of 1 per cent; in 6,500,000 

 sheep it was about one-tenth of 1 per cent, and in 24,250,000 hogs it 

 was but one-third of 1 per cent. 



The larger part of the inspected meat, as might be anticipated, went 

 into interstate commerce and was consumed in the United States, but 

 there were exported under Department certificates 452,830,373 pounds 

 of beef, 894,648 pounds of mutton, and 231,144,938 pounds of pork. 

 The microscopic inspection of pork was maintained during the } T ear, 

 but owing to the comparatively high prices in this country there was a 

 considerable decrease of exports in this line of products, but 35,942,404 

 pounds having been certified for countries requiring such inspection. 



CONTROL OF INDIGENOUS DISEASES. 



There are a few diseases which are more or less distributed over our 

 territory and which require constant supervision and control. One 

 of the most important is Texas or malarial fever of cattle. This dis- 

 ease, owing to the thorough knowledge of it which has been developed 

 by our investigations, no longer has terror for our stockmen. The 

 thorough control now exercised over cattle shipments from the infected 

 area is an almost complete protection, but it must be kept in constant 

 operation to be successful. Nearly 1,500,000 inspections were made 



