FIRE DEPARTMENT STABLES. 



There was a special class for Fire Department stal)les in which the en- 

 tries were as follows: the cities of Cambridge, Somervillo, Medford, Melrose, 

 Chelsea and Everett, and the town of Brookline. In this class the entries 

 were judged in competition, one city against another, a'ul the prizes w^ere 

 awarded as follows : 



FIRST PRIZE— Everett. 



SECOND PRIZE— Somerville, Chelsea, Cambridge, Brookline. 



THIRD PRIZE— Melrose. 



The Judges in the Fire Department Stable Competition were: 

 JOSHUA ATWOOD, 3d. 

 BENJ. W. WELLS. 



A PERMANENT AGENT. 



(^)wing to the generosity of Mrs. Ezra R. Thayer, the Association has been 

 able to employ on Sundays a special agent to examine the stables of work- 

 horses in Boston and in the vicinity, especially stables in which there is rea- 

 son to believe that the horses will be poorly cared for. Sunday is the day 

 on which this work can best be done, for it is the only day in wdiich the horses 

 are all in the stable. The Association has employed for this purpose Mr. J. 

 W. GahvaA- and 'Sir. D. J. Donovan, both of whom have rendered very con- 

 scientious and efficient service. Many cases of horses unfit for w'ork have 

 been reported by our agents to the ^I. S. P. C. A., and that society has ahvays 

 acted promptly in the matter. In other cases, the owners of horses have 

 been advised and w^arned, and in many instances the treatment of their horses 

 has been improved in consequence. 



The Association is extremely anxious to employ a permanent agent for 

 this kind of work, whose services could be had throughout the week and 

 throughout the year, but it has no funds for the purpose. There is an im- 

 mense opportunity for constructive work of this kind, and, so far as is known, 

 no society or association is engaged in it. 



THE DISPOSAL OF OLD HORSES. 



There is a growing feeling in the communitv that old and worn-out 

 horses or painfully lame horses ought not to be sold, but should be killed or 



