Organization of veterinary service in the Vologda province in the late XIX - early XX centuries (according to the documents of the State Archive of the Vologda region)

The paper presents an analysis of the organization of veterinary service in the late XIX - early XX centuries in the Vologda province, one of the largest agrarian regions of Russia with a pronounced dairy specialization of animal husbandry and developed processing of raw materials. The basis of the work was the analysis of the sources of the State Archive of the Vologda region. Most archival documents are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time and allow us to identify the main directions in the formation of veterinary structures, staffing and salaries of employees. The paper analyzes the history of the creation in 1898 of the "Northern United Society of Veterinarians", which was quite an innovative measure to coordinate veterinary forces not only for the region, but also for the whole of Russia. Comparison of the basic problems of the formation of the veterinary branch in the Vologda province revealed the problems characteristic of the European North as a whole. These are, first of all, the extremely slow pace of development of the industry, low technological literacy of the population, weak financial support from the provincial authorities and self-government bodies. At the beginning of the XX century there were certain positive changes in the dynamics of the branch, which manifested themselves until the outbreak of the First World War.