4 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



attacking camels and so help to check the spread of surra 

 among transport and other animals. 



In the Bacteriological Section the following questions 

 under soil biology are being studied : — conditions deter- 

 mining maximum nitrification in various types of Indian 

 soils, the formation of bacterio-toxins in soils, nitrogen 

 fixation, green-manuring and phosphate requirements of 

 soil bacteria. The most important work, however, of the 

 Section is in connection with the bacterial aspect of the 

 fermentation taking place in the indigo steeping vats. 

 Great variations are known to occur in the yield of differ- 

 ent factories from plants grown under similar conditions 

 of soil and climate and these can be correlated with the 

 differences in the bacterial content of their water supply. 

 The enquiry has shown that it is possible to avoid losses of 

 indigo by altering the character of the bacterial fermen- 

 tation in the steeping vat so as to secure more complete 

 hydrolysis of the indican contained in the leaf. But, 

 as the Imperial Agricultural Bacteriologist points out, some 

 further work is necessary before it is possible to elaborate 



a routine method suitable for use in a factory without imme- 

 diate scientific control. 



Equally important is the work which Mr. Hutchinson is 

 doing in connection with pebrine, a disease which has been 

 largely responsible for the decline of the silk industry in 

 India. 



The work done by the Indigo Research Chemist, whose 

 headquarters are at Pusa, has been published in the Agri- 

 cultural Journal of India and in a series of Indigo Publi- 

 cations. No mention of that officer's work is therefore made 

 here. 



Training. A number of post-graduate students attend- 

 ed the Institute during the year and short courses were 

 given in sericulture. Details are given in the Sectional 

 Reports. The following is an abstract: — 



No. of Students 



Agricultural Chemistry ...... 3 



Mycology ......... 1 



General Agriculture 2 



