160 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



passing of the ranches of the west, the land is being divided 

 into small holdings, and in time more and more of our beef 

 and mutton must be farm raised. It is desirable to encourage 

 eastern farmers to again raise beef, pork and mutton for 

 home use and the local market, and for this the local slaughter- 

 house is a necessity. With the raising of a greater number 

 of food animals on the eastern farms, the producer and con- 

 sumer can be once more brought nearer together, increasing 

 the value of his product to the producer, and making the 

 necessities of life more reasonable in price to the consumer, 

 than when the business is in the hands of a few men and com- 

 binations of capital. This should be a great food-producing 

 country, but for years the fertility of the land has been poured 

 into the Atlantic Ocean or sent across the sea; and under 

 present conditions it is easy to see that our export trade in 

 cattle, sheep and pork will soon be a thing of the past. Al- 

 ready England is turning to the Argentine Republic for her 

 imported beef supply, and it is safe to predict that the time is 

 not far distant when cattle for slaughter or refrigerated beef 

 will be sent by ship loads to ]^ew York City from Buenos 

 Ayres, unless something is done to encourage and develop this 

 declining branch of our agriculture. 



EiNANCiAL Statement. 

 At the close of the last fiscal year, ISTov. 30, 1908, there was 

 on hand, as per the fourteenth semiannual report : — 



Balance of appropriation for salaries 



and expenses for 190S, ... $94 55 



Balance of appropriation for general 



work of the Bureau for 1908, . . 6,700 44 



$6,794 99 



Appropriation for salaries and expenses 



of 1909, chapter 56, Acts of 1909, . $7,000 00 



Appropriation for general work of the 



Bureau, chapter 124, Acts of 1909, . 70,000 00 



77,000 00 

 Total to be accounted for, $83,794 99 



