BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 131 



cheese may be dangerously infected. After proof had been obtained 

 that soft, fresh cheese was often contaminated with virulent tubercle 

 bacilli of the bovine type (18 samples among a total of 131 were 

 found to be infected), corrective measures were devised and enforced 

 by the bureau. How effective these measures have proved may be 

 judged from the fact that, since their enforcement, not one infected 

 sample was detected among 122 samples of soft cheese tested. The 

 total number of samples of cheese of all kinds tested by the station 

 up to this date is 472. 



KERATTIS IN CATTLE 



An outbreak of keratitis, or ulceration of the cornea, caused much 

 trouble among the cattle at the station, and a similar eye affection 

 evidently prevailed in different portions of the country. Because of 

 the rapid spread of the disease and the large number of cattle attacked 

 it w^as at first believed to be virulently contagious, but subsequent 

 observations did not support this behef. The trouble w^as easily con- 

 trolled by a change of diet and by thoroughly wiping out the affected 

 eyes daily for several days with an absorbent cotton swab saturated 

 with a freshly made 1 per cent solution of silver nitrate. 



MISCELLANEOUS WORK. 



A large number of tests of various kinds were made in the course 

 of the year, including tests of material from animals showing symp- 

 toms somewhat indicative of foot-and-mouth disease, and tests of 

 alleged but worthless remedies for hog cholera. 



A large number of small experiment animals were raised at an 

 expenditure much lower than would have been required had they 

 been purchased. As in past years, every available portion of the 

 station's surface was kept under intense cultivation, with a saving of 

 approximately $15,000 in feed and forage bills. 



EXPERIMENTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS IN LIVE-STOCK PRODUCTION • 

 IN THE CANE-SUGAR AND COTTON DISTRICTS. 



Live-stock production work in the cane-sugar and cotton districts 

 was begun in 1914 and is directed by a committee consisting of 

 William A. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, chairman; 

 B. H. Raw], Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry; and 

 W. R. Dodson, director of the Louisiana experiment station and 

 director of extension service, Louisiana State University. 



IBERIA EXPERIMENT FARM. 



The work has included investigations and demonstrations at the 

 experiment farm at Jeanerette, La., and extension work throughout 

 Louisiana. The Iberia Experiment Farm, which consists of 500 

 acres presented to the department by the State of Louisiana, has 

 equipment for carrying on investigational and demonstrational work 

 with horses, mules, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and hogs. Mules and 

 draft mares have performed the labor on the farm and at the same 

 time have furnished a comparison of their relative cost for farm 

 v/ork. It has been found that last year a mare earned on an average 

 $76.86 less than her cost of maintenance for the year. This differ- 



