M.— AGRICULTURE, 233 



outbreak of this disease. Moreover, when whole herds of pedigree stock 

 are slaughtered, it means in many instances the destruction of the life 

 work of breeders — work which can never be replaced — and for this loss 

 no sum could ever compensate the breeders or the State. 



Here is a field of research which would justify the State in devoting 

 large sums in order to employ the most skilled scientists obtainable to 

 ascertain a means of prevention. When we consider the enormous cost 

 to the nation and the constant danger of losing our best pedigree herds, 

 as well as the possibility of losing our trade in pedigree stock with other 

 countries, the justification for further and immediate research in this 

 direction is apparent. 



Considerable loss to our agriculturists is caused by naany other animal 

 diseases regarding the prevention of which very little is known. Those 

 which occur to me as being some of the most important are tuberculosis, 

 abortion, infertility or sterility. The first named not only causes loss 

 through the death of animals but is a constant source of danger to human 

 beings through the consumption of milk from tubercular cows. The latter 

 two diseases are widespread in many areas and affect seriously the pro- 

 duction of stock. These are only a few of the many animal diseases into 

 which research is required and for which adequate funds are urgently 

 needed. 



Animal Breeding.— One of the greatest problems which breeders have 

 to face in the management of their studs, herds and flocks, is the selection 

 of sires. Both amateur breeders and old experienced breeders have the 

 same diflEiculty, viz. how to select a prepotent sire. The only way in which 

 breeders can determine this at present is by the offspring. This means a 

 delay of two years in the case of beef cattle and from three to four years 

 in the case of dairy cattle. If, at the end of that time, the sire proves 

 unsuitable, the owner may have from two to four crops of calves inferior 

 to their parents and, therefore, of no use in improving the herd, and such 

 animals have to be sold at an unremunerative price. The owner suffers 

 a considerable loss in time as well as money and runs the risk of ruining 

 his herd if he retains animals of this blood. 



Owners of small flocks or herds cannot afford to keep more than one 

 high-priced sire, and therefore are handicapped much more than those 

 who own large herds or flocks. The latter can afford to keep a number 

 of sires on trial, mating each with only a few females until each sire is 

 proved, instead of risking all the herd with one unproved sire, as has to 

 be done in most cases by small breeders. It may be of interest to mention 

 that in Scotland most of the herds of pedigree cattle are in the possession 

 of tenant farmers, many of whom have only small farms. In Northern 

 Ireland there are 682 pedigree herds and the majority of the owners have 

 farms under fifty acres. These breeders could not afford to keep more than 

 one sire or to pay a very high price for a pedigree sire. 



Money may enable the breeder to procure a high-class sire of a 

 fashionable pedigree, but this is no guarantee that the sire will prove to be 

 a good stud animal, as it has frequently happened that the progeny of 

 high-priced animals turn out unsuitable and are unsaleable, except at 

 a low price. Pedigree is a guide, if used properly from a genealogical 

 point of view, to trace the family and the line of blood. Experience and 



