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Other disease conditions are dealt with in the report of the Live-stock Division. The measures adopted in order to prevent the risk of introduction of foot-and-mouth disease have been strictly carried out. Breeders of stud stock, however, are beginning to feel the necessity for introducing fresh blood, and how best to meet this position will have to be considered. It is clear that if anything is done the most careful precautions will have to be taken. The poultry industry has been affected by the high cost of poultry-food, but it is maintaining its position. The establishment of an investigation and experimental breeding-station in the Hutt Valley should prove of value to this industry, which is well worthy of assistance of this kind, and is capable of becoming a much greater asset to the Dominion. The Veterinary Laboratory at Wallaceville, which has now been placed under the immediate control of Mr. C. 8. M. Hopkirk, B.V.Sc., has done very good work during the year, a still greater amount of research and investigation having been undertaken, while the volume of routine work has considerably increased. The staff has been strengthened by transferring Mr. D. A. Gill, M.R.C.V.S., to Wallaceville. Dairy-farmers still suffer much monetary loss through the prevalence of contagious abortion, sterility, and mammitis among tlieir cows, though there was less abortion and mammitis than in the preceding year. The scientific officers of the veterinary staff are continuing their special investigations into these diseases in the hope of finding better and more effective means of dealing with them, especially as regards prevention. This work is done both in the field and at the Wallaceville Laboratory, the field officers working in close co-operation with the laboratory staff. Close touch is also kept with similar investigation work in other countries. Meanwhile the preventive and other methods recommended by the Department need to be adopted, and a careful observance of these will in itself go far to lessen the extent of the loss caused by these troubles. Full details regarding the work done in the Veterinary Laboratory will be found in the report of the Live-stock Division. Considerable attention has been drawn to the losses occurring through damage to hides through horning and through fire-brands placed on the rump, also damage to beef carcases through horning. It would be quite warrantable to introduce legislation to make dehorning compulsory in the future (except as regards stud cattle), and to prevent fire-branding on the rump; and 1 think the farming community generally realize the advantage which would accrue from this. An amendment of the ear-marking provisions of the Stock Act is also desirable, especially as an aid to the detection of sheep-stealing. There has been little trouble with sheep through sickness, and the considerable increase in the number of sheep in the Dominion is gratifying. Good work has been done by Mr. A. H. Cockayne, Director of the Fields Division, in conjunction with Mr. William Perry, of Masterton, and the officers of the Live-stock.Division, in connection with the detection of faults in wool, the object especially aimed at being the general improvement of our long-woolled flocks in this respect. The sincere thanks of the Department must be extended to Mr. Perry for his greatly valued assistance in this work. An important aid to bringing about general woolimprovement will lie in the exercise of care and judgment by farmers when purchasing rams, especially for the smaller flocks, where generally insufficient care is exhibited in this respect. Dairying. - In connection with dairying a satisfactory feature of the year's operations lies in the extension of the Farm Dairy Instruction services. These Instructors are doing good work in aiding farmers to correct errors which are responsible for milk or cream supplied to factories being in an unsatisfactory condition. One feature of their work lies in the care of milking-machines, the maintenance of cleanliness in these and the proper control of their pressure being important matters not only in connection with the collection of clean milk, but also in the matter of preventing udder troubles in the cows. The milking-machine is a valuable adjunct to the dairy farm, but if carelessly handled it can be a fruitful cause of mammitis in cows. The expenditure connected with these Instructors is borne partly by the dairy factories and partly by the Government. The grading of butter and cheese has been well carried out, and the testing of butter for water content has been continued, with the excellent result that no complaints regarding excess water have been received from the trade in Britain. The fees received for grading have proved insufficient to meet the cost during the past year, and this matter is receiving attention. The question of compulsory cream-grading has been under discussion for a considerable time, and, as the industry generally is in favour of it, legislation is now being prepared which if passed will bring it into force in all factories. Some other amendments of the Dairy Industry Act are also being

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