248 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



aerobic and anaerobic cellulose digesting bacteria. Both types were 

 found to be present. Studies, both bacteriological and chemical, are 

 to be made both of the water and the decomposing leaves from time to 

 time. 



Small aerobic composts have been made of peat with tri-calcic phos- 

 phate, potassium sulfate and calcium carbonate mixtures, inoculated 

 with a water extract of the filter papers obtained in previous experi- 

 ments which showed the greatest loss of cellulose to determine the most 

 successful combination for rapid destruction of the peat cellulose. 



Studies are being made of sulfur bacteria with a view toward iso- 

 lating those most active in the oxidation of elementary sulfur in soil 

 for the purpose of adding them to sulfur— rock phosphate— peat com- 

 posts. 



A microbial peat decomposition experiment w^as started this spring 

 wliich employs eighty-four of the cylinders sunk in the plot near tlie 

 soil house. Raw peat with various additions and combinations such 

 as rock phosphate, sulfur, clay, sand, the two composts mentioned above, 

 and also a peat-rock phosphate-sulfur-manure compost is employed in 

 the various cylinders. The amount of manure used is only sufficient for 

 an inoculum. Check cjdinders of raw peat alone, sand alone, clay alone, 

 sand inoculated with manure, etc., are employed. The cylinders were 

 prepared in pairs, one cylinder of the pair to be left uncropped. Tlie 

 crop employed this season is buckwheat. It is hoped that by a combina- 

 tion of bacteriological and chemical studies and also by the informa- 

 tion gained through an observation and analysis of the crop for a period 

 of years that some idea may be gained of the results obtainable under 

 actual conditions. 



Two smaller cylinders are being constructed for obtaining the soil 

 solution by the oil-pressure method as very frequently it is not con- 

 venient to obtain sufficiently large samples of soil such as the large 

 cylinders demand and the latter cylinders do not work as satisfactorily 

 if they are not packed full. Twenty-five pounds of soil was brought to 

 our station by the agriculturist of a large Hawaiian pineapple planta- 

 tion for extraction by the oil-pressure method. As this amount is much 

 too small for the large cylinders, this soil will be extracted in one of 

 the smaller ones when they are completed. [Zae Northrup Wyant.] 



It has been found desirable to drop "Swine Epidemics" as a major 

 project. This decision resulted from a number of causes including lack 

 of funds, inability to maintain a qualified research man on the problem, 

 and the disappearance of local need for the investigation due to the 

 State's successful control of hog cholera in cooperation with the Federal 

 Bureau of Animal Industry. Furthermore there had been removed 

 from our departmental control and later from the station altogether 

 all woi'k witli hog cholera serum. Mr. Cooledge hnd made a gi-eat im- 

 ])ression on his problem, "The effect of disease in the cow (with special 

 reference to infectious abortion) on the milk," but he re(iueste<l that 

 he be jx'vmitted to resume studies in the sanitation of market milk suj)- 

 ]>lies. 'IMiei-efore, Mr. T\vee<l has been ])laced in charge of Adams pro- 

 ject la and INIr. Cooledge has devoted his time to the ])roblem "Market 

 Milk Investigations" wliicli we have substituted for "Swine Epidemics" 

 under Adams 3a. 



