318 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Changes effected. 



Sundry changes in regulations, which were found early in 

 my administration to be imperatively necessary, but which 

 could not be made effective until after the close of the fiscal 

 and statistical year, jSTov. 30, 1910, I have taken the liberty 

 to insert in this report, feeling that your honorable Board is 

 entitled to know the policy under which the department is 

 now being conducted, and finding nothing in the statutes, 

 after careful examination, which j)rohibits my so doing. 



On December 21 the honorable Executive Council approved 

 of certain amendments of Cattle Bureau Order 'No. 15, which 

 I had submitted to it. The first change to which I desire to 

 call your attention is in section 5, and is embodied in the 

 following paragraph: — 



Certificates of tuberculin test made by qualified veterinarians re- 

 siding- in other States will be accepted, provided the test is made 

 with tuberculin furnished or apjn'oved by State or federal govern- 

 ment, and provided also that the certificates are approved and 

 endorsed by the official in charge of live-stock interests in the 

 State from which the cattle are shipped, or by his deputy. The 

 Chief of the Cattle Bureau may in his discretion retest any or all 

 tested cattle brought within the limits of the Commonwealth from 

 other States. 



In considtation with officials having charge of live-stock 

 interests in all the near-by States, I found them willing to 

 examine and pass upon all certificates of tuberculin test made 

 by qualified veterinarians in their respective States, thus safe- 

 guarding the interests of this State and saving the shipper 

 from possible loss. The old policy of the Bureau was to test 

 cattle coming into the State after their arrival here. This 

 practice resulted in loss to the shipper and necessarily ad- 

 vanced the price to Massachusetts buyers, for shippers, in 

 establishing sales prices, naturally took into consideration the 

 liability of losing one or more head from each carload. The 

 reciprocal relations established by this amendment will, I am 

 sure, work to the advantage of all concerned, and will not 

 imperil our interests. The closing restriction it is believed 



