164 EEPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



bandry, poultiy, soils, forestr3\ and farm mechanics. As at present 

 organized forestry and poultry are not full research departments. 

 This arrangement on the whole, however, secures a definite and effi- 

 cient organization of the agricultural work. The larger administra- 

 tive and business affairs of the station are in charge of the director, 

 and the scientific work is under the immediate supervision of the 

 vice director, Dr. C. E. Marshall. 



An additional section of land was devoted to the Chatham sub- 

 station, and the work there was enlarged during the year. Prelimi- 

 nary steps were taken to revive work at Grayling on the jack-pine 

 plains, where some exjDeriments were made several years ago and 

 where settlers are now being induced to locate. 



The Adams-fund work is confined to a comparatively small number 

 of projects, on which good progress Avas made. Two technical bulle- 

 tins were issued during the year as a result of the study upon the 

 bacteriological factors influencing the keeping quality of butter. 

 Investigations on hog cholera were also actively prosecuted. Some 

 of the results of this work, particularly those relating to the agglu- 

 tination reactions of hog cholera during the process of serum pro- 

 duction, have been published, and a second report on the same 

 subject is ready for the press. A study of the Grand TraA^erse, or 

 Lake Shore disease, was reported upon during the year. The infor- 

 mation secured showed that the trouble is dietary, and it is thought 

 possible that improved methods of feeding and caring for stock may 

 either prevent or cure this disease. The cooperative study of agents 

 rendering available the insoluble constituents of soil was enlarged, 

 especially on the chemical and bacteriological sides. The botanist 

 planned to take j^art actively in this investigation from the stand- 

 point of plant physiology. Pot experiments were begun during the 

 year on changes which go on in mixtures of peat and light sandy soil 

 from the jack-j^ine j)lains, under different systems of fertilizing and 

 management. 



The chemical study of the organic nitrogenous compounds in peat 

 was reported upon during the year. It was found that there are no 

 nitrates in the different types of Michigan peat soils examined and 

 that practically all the nitrogen in the peats is of organic nature, 

 largely in tha form of monamino acids, about one-fourth in the form 

 of amids, and the rest represented by diamino acids. It was further 

 found that through weathering the organic nitrogenous bodies in 

 brown peat change quite slowly, but that the amount of water-soluble 

 nitrogen is somewhat increased thereby. 



Work was continued on fungus diseases of insects and on the rela- 

 tion of the respiratory system of insects to the action of contact 

 insecticides, but owing to the illness of the entomologist no very 



