222 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pul). Doc. 



two, is hereby further amended by striking out the word 

 "four," in the second line, and inserting in place thereof the 

 word : — six, — so as to read as follows : — Section 105. The pro- 

 visions of the six preceding sections shall not apply to a per- 

 son not engaged in such business, who, upon his own premises 

 and not in a slaughter house, slaughters his own neat cattle, 

 sheep or swine, but the carcass of any such animals shall be in- 

 spected by an inspector at the time of slaughter, unless said 

 animal is less than six months old or has been duly inspected 

 under the provisions of chapter ninety, within six months prior 

 to such slaughter and a certificate of health has been delivered 

 to the owner or person in charge thereof. 



This law was formerly contained in sections 103 and 104 

 of chapter 75 of the Revised Laws, which were repealed in 

 1902, on the ground that it made an unwarranted expense 

 for many small towns, near large cities, which were required 

 to go to quite an outlay each year to inspect animals killed 

 for food in the neighboring municipalities. The law was re- 

 enacted in 1903, because it was thought that the carcasses 

 of animals killed for food ought to be inspected and branded. 



The law is contradictory, because section 105 of chapter 

 75 of the Revised Laws permits a farmer who is not engaged 

 in slaucjhterino; as a business to kill animals on his own 

 premises which are under six months old, or which have 

 been inspected within six months and a certificate of health 

 given to the owner or person in charge by the inspector of 

 animals, as provided for in section 18 of chapter 90 of the 

 Revised Law^s, without notifying the board of health. Yet, 

 if the carcass of an animal so killed is offered for sale, the 

 preceding section provides that a carcass not so stamped or 

 branded shall be deemed unfit for human food and shall not 

 be sold or offered for sale, and fixes a penalty for so doing 

 that may include a fine or imprisonment, or both, not ex- 

 ceeding one hundred dollars and sixty days in jail. 



Therefore, a farmer wdio wishes to kill and dispose of a 

 pig or calf under the provisions of section 105 has to notify 

 the board of health to send an agent to stamp the carcass. 

 Under the provisions of section 103 of chapter 75 of the 

 Revised Laws, the Cattle Commission in 1901 and 1902 fur- 



