126 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



these agents recommended by Seymour-Jones were employed. By 

 increasing the strength of mercuric chlorid to 1 part in 2,500 and 

 using this with 1 per cent of formic acid it was found possible to 

 destroy anthrax spores upon pieces of hide even when the disin- 

 fectant was subsequently neutralized by sodium sulphid or some other 

 agent, provided that an interval of at least a week was allowed 

 between the use of the disinfectant and the application of the neutral- 

 izing agent. 



The Schattenfroh method of disinfection, which consists in using 

 a 2 per cent solution of hydrochloric acid with the addition of 10 

 per cent of sodium chlorid, with an exposure of 48 hours, was found 

 to be entirely satisfactory from a bacteriological standpoint. 



Examination of small pieces of disinfected hide by the leather and 

 paper laboratory of the Bureau of Chemistry indicated that neither 

 the Seymour- Jones nor the Schattenfroh method exerts any injurious 

 effect upon hides or leather. 



OTHER WORK ON DISINFECTANTS. 



The laboratories have cooperated with other laboratories, including 

 those of the United States Public Health Service, in a study of 

 methods for the standardization of disinfectants. This work is not 

 yet completed. 



The bureau has continued to assist in the enforcement of the insecti- 

 cide act of 1910. The assistant chief of the Biochemic Division has 

 devoted a large part of his time during the year to this work, carry- 

 ing on an extensive correspondence concerning features relating par- 

 ticularly to the animal industry, and serving as a member of the 

 Insecticide and Fungicide Board. In the laboratories of the Bureau 

 of Animal Industry there w^ere received during the year 210 samples 

 of insecticides and fungicides for examination. 



TUBERCULIN AND MALLEIN. 



During the fiscal year 455,702 doses of tuberculin were sent out to 

 State, county, and city officials, to be used in testing cattle for tuber- 

 culosis. Mallein to the extent of 368,530 doses for testing horses and 

 mules for glanders, was likewise furnished. 



HOG-CHOLERA WORK. 



Field experiments, demonstrations, and educational work in the 

 prevention and eradication of hog cholera were carried out in ac- 

 cordance with the plan outlined in some detail in the preceding 

 annual report. The work was divided into three major classes, as 

 follows: (a) County control investigations, being experiments de- 

 signed to determine the practicability of eradicating hog cholera 

 from selected sections of the country; (&) demonstrational and edu- 

 cational work, the object being to determine the feasibility of enlist- 

 ing the aid of the farmers themselves in efforts to combat hog 

 cholera; (c) enforcement of the virus-serum-toxin act of 1913 — 

 regulatory work almost entirely. 



COUNTY CONTROL INVESTIGATIONS. 



The county control work was begun in 1913 with 3 counties, and 

 was extended until in 1914 it included 17 counties in different por- 

 tions of the country. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 



