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AUSTIN PETERS. 
in grade as lieutenant-colonels, majors, captains, first-lieuten¬ 
ants, to the more recent appointees, who enter as second-lieu¬ 
tenants. In fact, the most promising of the young veterina¬ 
rians in England to-day enter the military service. 
The military service of the United States does not com¬ 
pare in this respect with that of other civilized countries. 
With hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in horses and 
mules for military purposes, there are but a few army veteri¬ 
narians. ' Their rank and pay is that of sergeant-major—a 
non-commissioned officer. They cannot very well associate 
with the enlisted men, and the officers will not associate with 
them. Hence they are nondescripts, neither officers or 
soldiers. 
It is to be hoped that this state of affairs will be remedied 
before many years, although the prospect is not very hopeful. 
The Massachusetts Legislature of 1891 passed a law pro¬ 
viding for the appointment of a veterinary surgeon on the 
staff of each battalion of cavalry or battery of artillery in the 
volunteer militia to rank as first-lieutenant. This, the first 
step in a needed military reform, it is to be hoped will be 
followed by the formation of a proper army veterinary de¬ 
partment by the national Government. 
The United States Department of Agriculture has for 
several years employed a number of veterinarians in what is 
known as the Bureau of Animal Industry. Its chief is a vet¬ 
erinary surgeon. He has several assistant .veterinarians, who 
are engaged in the eradication of contagious pleuro-pneu- 
monia among cattle, in the investigation of infectious animal 
diseases, and in the inspection of animals and meats shipped 
abroad for food in order to guarantee their healthfulness. 
The inspection of animals and meats has been undertaken 
quite recently, and has already resulted in the removal by 
Germany and France of their embargoes upon American 
pork. It will, no doubt, soon benefit still further the Ameri¬ 
can shippers ; and as the work increases in scope, undoubtedly 
more men will be required. 
Many of the States, and especially those whose leading 
interest is agriculture, now have agricultural experiment 
