252 S*ATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



"An increasing number of requests for information concerning vinegar 

 making and vinegar 'bees' is being received from people both within and 

 without the state. Correspondence has been carried on with several 

 people in Iowa, IlUnois, North Dakota, New York, and Nebraska, and 

 vinegar cultures have been sent to one or more people in each of these 

 states. So many requests for information or cultures were received form 

 Iowa that the suggestion was made that perhaps their own state Agricul- 

 tural College Bacteriological Laboratory could fill their needs more satis- 

 factorily. Shortly afterwards a request was received from the Iowa State 

 College Bacteriological Laboratory for pure cultures of Sacch. ellipsoideus 

 and Bad. aceti. These were sent gratis. 



"One firm sent a request for a sample yeast culture, requesting quota- 

 tions on quantities, to furnish its patrons along with apple cider so that 

 they might make their own apple wine — a practice which is allowed in 

 their state. A culture was sent with the suggestion that they employ 

 some one to propagate it if desired. 



"Practically all of these requests for information or cultures call for 

 a letter of explanation and as many of these letters have to be quite 

 lengthy and a repetition of one another more or less, it seemed that a 

 popular bulletin on vinegar-making as it applies to farm conditions would 

 meet the increasing demand. Such a bulletin has been prepared. 



Mr. Ruehle has devoted a portion of his time to other matters than 

 his main project discussed elsewhere in this report. He was under the 

 necessity of teaching the classes in dairy bacteriology because of the 

 absence of Mr. Cooledge with the A. E. F. He reports on this work as 

 follows : 



"The work of a popular nature consisted in (a) monthly analyses, 

 grading and inspection of the East Lansing milk supply, (b) answering 

 numerous letters of inquiry, (c) making analyses of dairy products from 

 dairies having various kinds of troubles as follows: 



"(1) Sediment and bacteriological tests of the milk as delivered to Wells, 

 Abbott, and Williams Halls, when they were used as military barracks. 

 The results were reported to the medical officers in charge of sanitation. 



"(2) Ten samples of unsweetened evaporated milk were examined at 

 various times for sterility. All were found sterile. 



"(3) Three chemical analyses of solutions of chloride of lime used by a 

 dairy for keeping the rubber parts of a milking machine sterile. Two were 

 found to contain only the merest tract of available chlorine, while the third 

 contained a satisfactory amount. 



"(4) Two samples of milk brought to the laboratory by students 

 at boarding houses in East Lansing. The first, examined during the 

 winter, contained 3,200.00 bacteria per cubic centimeter mostly of the 

 lactic type. The second, received in June 1919, contained many millions 

 a^s shown by a microscopic examination. There was a mixed flora present. 



"(5) Two cases of bitter milk fermentation were reported by dairy 

 farmers. In both cases, analyses of the milk showed the presence of 

 liquefying organisms which, when inoculated into sterile milk, pro- 

 duced a bitter flavor, identical with the original trouble. 



"(6) Two samples of cow's milk were analyized for butter fat for farmers 

 by the Babcock method and a sample of human milk was tested for fat 

 and solids. 



"(7) Samples of milk from a farmer who was having trouble with 

 slimy milk, which developed after the milk was drawn were sent to the 



