BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 107 



calves were subjected to inoculations Avith cultures of these several 

 organisms both intraveneously and by scarification of the epithelial 

 covering of the tongue and inner surface of the lips, but in no 

 instance was the inoculation successful. An inoculation test of a 

 small micrococcus isolated and cuUi\ated under strict anaerobic en- 

 vironment proved it to be innocuous to horses and calves. Finally 

 fresh vesicular fluid passed througli a Berkefeld (N) filter was com- 

 pletely divested of all infectious qualities as determined by inocula- 

 tion tests of the filtrate in six different experiments. 



Microscopic examination of fresh vesicular fluid by dark-field 

 illumination revealed the presence of micrococci and in addition 

 small bodies with refractive coverings which were very similar in 

 appearance to the spores of a fungus isolated on egg medium from 

 a sample taken from a case of vesicular stomatitis. 



Through the courtesy of Dr. James Gregg, of the British Remount 

 Station at Newport News, Va., several culturas of a microorganism 

 which he had isolated from a case of vesicular stomatitis in a mule, 

 and with which suspicious symptoms of the disease were induced 

 in other mules, were obtained for study. With this organism, which 

 proved to be a facultative anaerobe and very slow to develop on 

 any medium, we were unable to infect horses or calves by direct 

 inoculation of large amounts of the culture. 



OIDIOMYCOSIS IN CATTLE. 



A number of specimens of bovine bronchial and mediastinal lymph 

 glands were received from" the meat-inspection stations for examina- 

 tion for actinomycosis. Upon microscopic study of purulent material 

 from the lesions in these glands it was found possible in only a few 

 instances to demonstrate actinomj^ces colonies, although in all cases 

 the gross changes appeared quite typical of actinomycosis. In the 

 larger number of specimens examined numerous minute spherical 

 bodies were observed which were subsequently proved to belong to 

 the genus OicUum. Experiment animals, including guinea pigs, rab- 

 bits, dogs, cattle, sheep, and swine inoculated with cultures of this 

 fungus were all found to be susceptible subjects, their degree of sus- 

 ceptibility varying in the order named. The lesions produced by 

 this oidium were very similar both macroscopically and histologically 

 to those caused by inoculation with the tubercle bacilli, and should 

 accordingly be classed among the infectious granulomata. 



FORAGE POISONING. 



Further experiments on animals to determine the relation of 

 Bacillics hotnlinus to forage poisoning were confirmative of the re- 

 sults obtained last year, but opportunity to study only a few cases 

 of the spontaneous disease was afforded. Search was made for the 

 bacillus in these cases, but its presence was not demonstrated. 



Feeding experiments with silage inoculated on the surface with this 

 bacillus were started five months after the silage had been inoculated 

 and resulted in the death of the experimental horse in two days. 

 Another horse fed from another barrel of silage inoculated at the 

 same time 2 feet below the surface and likewise held for a period of 

 5 months showed no ill effects. Later experiments, however, showed 



