254 STATE BOARD Ot' AGRICULTURE. 



Assistant Bacteriologist F. W. Fabian has had very Httle time to 

 devote to experimental work during the year. He did not leave the 

 army until the close of 1918 and has been overburdened with classroom 

 work since. He reports as follows: 



''Work was started in June in conjunction with Mr. G. L. A. Ruehle 

 on a comparison of three different methods of titrating bacterological 

 culture media with a view of determining which was best suited to labora- 

 tory routine and which method would give the most uniform and correct 

 results when samples of water obtained from different sources were used. 

 The hydron ion concentration was also determined for each sample of 

 water and likewise for each kind of media titrated." 



Each year we are called upon to make a number of analyses of water 

 samples from the rural sections of the State. Mr. W. L, Mallmann has 

 interested himself in that work during the past year and reports in sum- 

 mary: 



"During the past year, 120 samples of water were tested from various 

 parts of the State. Fifty-five of these samples were from rural districts 

 The greater portion of the samples were taken from open shallow wells or 

 shallow driven wells. Unfortunately, data concerning the well and its 

 surroundings did not always accompany each sample nor was information 

 always received through later correspondence. The data if obtained 

 would probably give some interesting information. 



"Of the 55 samples from rural districts 16 were pronounced unfit for 

 domestic use without boiling. This number is not high, considering the 

 fact that all the samples received were suspected of pollution. 



"At intervals the College and East Lansing water supplies "have been 

 examined. Every test showed the water to be free from any contamina- 

 tion. 



"During the winter, a survey of the septic tanks installed by the College 

 was made by the Farm Mechanics Department. Working in cooperation 

 with them, samples of well water collected at the farms visited were ob- 

 tained and shipped to the laboratory. In all 18 samples were tested. 

 Five samples were obtained from deep wells. None of these showed pollu- 

 tion. The remaining 13 samples were obtained from shallow driven or 

 open wells. Four of these wells showed decided pollution, the count 

 running as high as 140,000 bacteria per c.c. The other samples did not 

 show any colon organisms but showed a high count. Most shallow wells 

 show a high bacterial count due to the surface water entering the well." 



In conclusion I wish to commend highly the members of the depart- 

 mental staff for the past year for their loyalty and devotion to their prob- 

 lems under exceptional circumstances, to thank you for your patient and 

 kindly attitude at all times toward our work and to express the hope that 

 not only may our staff be restored to its full quota, but that more men 

 and funds may be made available for the many important problems discussed 

 in this report. 



Respectfully, 

 WARD GILTNER, 



Bacteriologist. 

 East Lansing, June 30, 1919. 



