10 TwENTY-FmsT Biennial Eepoet 



in office absolutely unable to protect the live stock in- 

 dustry of Kentucky from this awful pestilence, which, is 

 likely to appear again at any time. Some provision 

 should unquestionably be made for handling future out- 

 breaks of this and other diseases of live stock. Had the 

 various states been prepared financially, as well as or- 

 ganized professionally to combat this plague, millions of 

 dollars would have been saved to the live stock owners 

 within the last year when foot-and-mouth disease ap- 

 peared for the sixth time in the United States. It is 

 not an exaggeration ^o say that hund'i'eds of millions 

 worth of property were lost as a result of this unpre-' 

 paredness on the part of the various states throughout 

 the Union. 



It is nothing short of folly to leave the State of 

 Kentucky with its present lack of funds, lack of laws 

 and lack of organization, the prey of a disease that would 

 wipe out a substantial portion of the taxable wealth of 

 the State within a few months, should it once obtain a 

 widespread foot-hold in our borders. The live stock 

 owniers suffered great losses in portions of the State 

 where the disease did not exist, due to the necessary 

 quarantine orders on the part of the Federal and State 

 authorities, and as a result of the panic conditions 

 throughout the country, resulting from a knowledge that 

 this disease was on American shores. 



The live stock industry of this State has assumed 

 great proportions and the larger it becomes the better 

 for the State. Methods for transportation have been 

 made easier, the live stock markets have been brought 

 nearer, and the various live stock diseases are, therefore, 

 more likely to enter the State. We have no adequate 

 veterinary force, not more than one-half of the coun- 

 ties of the State having graduated veterinarians living 

 within, their borders. There is no law regulating the 

 practice of veterinary surgery, and Kentucky has be- 

 come a promising field for quack veterinarians from 

 other states. The competent, capable veterinarians of 

 the State deserve from the General Assembly considera- 

 tion that will give them a law for protection in their 

 practice. 



