BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 149 



work on horses, cattle, and sheejo has been carried on almost entirely 

 at the experiment station on the Fishlake-Fillmore National Forest, 

 near Salina, Utah, Avliile the work on the smaller animals, like 

 ofiiinea pigs, as well as most of the microscopic and chemical work, 

 has been done in the laboratories in Washington. 



The practical work on the death camas species {Zygadenus) has 

 been completed. Work on the corn cockle {Agrostemma githago) 

 and the cocklebiir {Xaiithkun echinatum) is nearing completion. 

 En feeding experiments with the rayless goldenrod [Isocoma wrightii) 

 on cattle and sheep it has been definitely proved that the toxic princi- 

 ple is excreted in the milk and can poison the young. In chemical 

 studies of white snakeroot {Ewpatoriuvi urticcefoliuTn) the toxin 

 has been located in the fatty fraction, and it has been demonstrated 

 that acetone is excreted by the lungs and kidneys of cattle and sheep 

 poisoned by this plant. The poisonous character of the common 

 greasewood {Sarcghatus veriniculahis) has been verified by feeding 

 experiments, and chemical work has shown that the toxic agent is of 

 a mineral character. Among other plants studied are several species 

 of the lupines and two loco plants. 



BRANCH LABORATORIES. 



The work of the branch pathological laboratory at Chicago con- 

 sisted largely of investigations relative to meat inspection. The 

 softening of hams by the presence of sarcosporidia was studied. In- 

 vestigations to determine whether it is possible to detect the presence 

 of sarcosporidia in hams before boiling indicated that it is quite dif- 

 ficult to do this by ordinary examination. In the study of cutaneous 

 tuberculosis in cattle it appeared that guinea pigs injected with 

 material from skin lesions of tuberculosis do not contract that disease 

 as early as when injected with tuberculous lesions from other parts 

 of the body. Further observations were made in connection with so- 

 called hyperplasia of the bone marrow in cattle. 



At the Omaha branch laboratory 924 specimens were received for 

 examination and diagnosis, including 753 specimens from cattle that 

 had reacted to the tuberculin test, of w^hich 226 were found to con- 

 tain tubercle bacilli. Of the positive cases of tuberculosis 24 were 

 taken from growths in the subcutaneous tissues. The remaining 

 specimens represented a wide variety of diseases and conditions. 



At the Denver branch laboratory 584 specimens were received for 

 examination and diagnosis. ' The samples represented tissues from 

 horses, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, poultry, and dogs, as well as 

 samples of milk, water, and stock feed. The diseases encountered 

 were tuberculosis, hemorrhagic septicemia, abortion, necrobacillosis, 

 blackleg, lumpy jaw, anthrax, garget, and carcinoma in cattle; hog 

 cholera, septic infection, septicemia, coccidiosis, tuberculosis, and 

 necrobacillosis of swine; icterohematuria and hemorrhagic septicemia 

 of sheep; diet deficiency, white diarrhea, cholera, pox, coccidiosis, 

 and botulism of poultry; and septic infection, swamp fever, forage 

 poisoning, hemorrhagic septicemia, and carcinomatosis of horses. 



BIOCHEMIC DIVISION. 



The work of the Biochemic Division, under Dr. M. Dorset, chief, 

 has continued to consist chiefly of investigations concerning hog 



