BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 125 



was 637, against 1,233 for the preceding year, a decline of 51 per 

 cent. Three colleges did not extend their courses, but this condition 

 probably will not continue for another session, because by the revised 

 regulations all veterinary colleges which wish to have their gradu- 

 ates eligible for the Government service must provide a four-year 

 course. Notwithstanding the large general decrease in the number 

 of entering students, the attendance at five colleges actually in- 

 creased. This increase was principally at colleges which had insti- 

 tuted previously a four-year course. The combined attendance at 

 all colleges was only 331 less than last year, or 2,661 against 2,992 

 students. The number of graduates was larger, 774 as compared 

 with 734. 



The institutions known as State veterinary colleges have raised 

 the entrance requirements now to high-school graduation, and in 

 the interest of higher education this should be adopted by all colleges, 

 if the best results are to be obtained. 



No veterinary colleges have been added to the accredited list since 

 last year, and none have been removed. Although several State 

 agricultural colleges are preparing to add a veterinary department, 

 the final arrangements have not. been completed. The number of 

 accredited veterinary colleges is 21 in the United States and 8 in 

 foreign countries. 



EXPERIMENT STATION. 



E. C. ScHROEDER, Superintendent. 



The work of the Experiment Station at Bethesda, Md., w as similar 

 in character to that of previous years, and consisted of tests, studies, 

 and investigations, made both independently and in cooperation with 

 other divisions, concerning infectious diseases of domestic animals, 

 and the provision of facilities, not obtainable in city laboratories, re- 

 quired by the other divisions. 



INFECTIOUS ABORTION DISEASE OF CATTLE. 



Tests proved that the injection of abortion bacilli into the vein of a 

 pregnant cow as shortly as 11 days before the natural termination of 

 gestation caused no observable disturbance and in no manner influ- 

 enced parturition or the size and vigor of the calf. It did, however, 

 cause the infection of the placentae with abortion bacilli. The same 

 was found to be true when abortion bacilli were injected into preg- 

 nant cows respectively 19, 28, and 47 days before expected parturition. 

 When the injection was made 83 days before parturition the calf pro- 

 duced was very weak. 



As the previously recorded investigations of the station have shown 

 that abortion bacilli as a rule seem to multiply nowhere in the bodies 

 of cows but their udders and pregnant uteruses, it may be assumed, 

 if a state of immunity against abortion disease is possible and can be 

 artificially induced, that something may be hoped from intravenous 

 injections of abortion bacilli made some time during the period of 

 gestation, not too early to cause a real disturbance, but earl}'^ enough 

 for the body of the cow to be influenced by the free multiplication of 

 abortion bacilli in her uterus. As acquired immunity against an in- 



