234 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF THE BACTERIOLOGICAL SECTION 



Director R. S. Shaw: 



Dear Sir — With the signing of the peace treaty almost synchronous with 

 the rendering of this report it is with regret that we are unable to report 

 that the work of this division is on a peace or pre-war basis. You were 

 made acquainted by our last report with the losses that we had suffered 

 in our experimental staff up to July 1st. In the fall of 1918, assistant bac- 

 teriologist, F. W. Fabian, entered the sanitary corps of the army as a 

 lieutenant. 



However, to counteract our losses we had the excellent assistance of Dr. 

 E. T. Hallman of the Department of Animal Pathology who maintained 

 intact the experimental herd for the infectious abortion investigations and 

 materially added to our fund of information on the nature of the disease. 

 Assisting in this* work was Dr. D. J. Lamoureaux who labored faithfully 

 until a brilliant career in the field of research was cut short by his untimely 

 death from influenza, February 27, 1919. 



Lieutenant S. N. Lord of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was with 

 us from July until December 1918, but on account of a heavy teaching 

 schedule and the confusion resulting from the influenza epidemic, he 

 was unable to accomplish anything with the problem formerly in charge 

 of Mr. Cooledge. Mr. Fabian, Mr. Nobles, and Dr. Stafseth returned 

 early this year and Mr. Cooledge in May. Mr. Morgan and Mr. Huddleson 

 are still with the A. E. F. 



We have, ther3fore, been unable to make any progress along some lines 

 and very little advancement along others throughout most of the year and 

 even yet some of our projects must remain untouched. The situation is 

 briefly as follows: 



Adams la. The effect of diseases in the cow on the milk. Nothing was 

 accomplished until the return of Mr. Cooledge who is planning and pur- 

 suing his work now with vigor. 



Adams lb. The keeping qualities of butter. Mr. Ruehle has been 

 working throughout the year at the problem but his progress has been im- 

 peded by the unsatisfactory manner in which he found the records of 

 previous investigations, by a heavy teaching schedule and a number of 

 diversions that, ordinarily, would have fallen to the lot of Mr. Cooledge. 

 A record of his work appears herein later. 



Adams 2c. Soil solution and its role in the life of soil microbes. This 

 project has been effected the least seriously of any of our projects. As 

 a matter of fact we feel that much has been accomplished by Miss North- 

 rup in her studies on the decomposition of peat as will be seen from her 

 report which follows. 



Adams 3a. Swine epizootics. No work has been done on this project 

 for two years past and none is planned for the immediate future due to 

 absence of the available man in the army. 



Adams 3b. Bovine infectious abortion. Dr. Hallman, Dr. Lamoureaux 

 and, for the past few months. Dr. Stafseth have made progress in their 

 investigations. I refer you to Dr. Stafseth's report. 



Mr. Cooledge reports as follows: 



"Having just returned from leave of absence on military service, I 

 have no report to make upon progress of experimental work during the 

 past year. 



