EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 173 



Experiment Station for the study of the miscellaneous animal disease problems 

 that necessarily and continually arise in a State in which animal husbandry is 

 a highly developed branch of agriculture. There are many phases of the 

 abortion problem that are worthy of more attention than Mr. Huddleson 

 can find time to devote to them. Poultry diseases constitute a great menace 

 to a very extensive industry in many parts of the State. Hemorrhagic 

 septicemia, black leg, the intercommunicability of tuberculosis among the 

 various species of domesticated animals and many other animal disease 

 i:)roblems await a satisfactory solution. 



Research Associate Fabian devotes m^ost of his time to teaching, but he 

 has found time to undertake three minor problems during the spring term: 

 " The first problem was an investigation of the influence of a solution of lye 

 upon the bacterial spores of B. larvae. The lye solution is recommended by 

 the Entomological section for use in connection with American foul 

 Ijroocl. It was found that the solution they recommend was of sufficient 

 strength to kill the spores of the above organism. Mr. Ivan W. Parks, a 

 senior student, greatly assisted in this work and we expect to publish tlu; 

 results of the work at an early date. 



The second pr()])I('m was a study of the influence of various kinds of glass- 

 ware, used for shipping water samples to this laboratory, upon the bacterial 

 count. Every imaginable glass container is used to send in water from over 

 the State. The water is in transit some time as a usual thing especially from 

 the more distant points. Mr. W. L. Mallmann, who has charge of the water 

 analysis, and myself undertook to determine whether the glassware did have 

 any effect and wliether it was worth while testing a sample after it had been 

 in transit several days. Our data suggested that the glassware had little or 

 no influence and that there is value in such an examination provided all the 

 other bacteriological requirements are fulfilled, such as taking the sample, 

 etc. Our results will be ready for publication in a short time. 



The third problem was a study of the hydrogen-ion concentration of differ- 

 ent kinds of glassware when sterilized with buffered and non-buffered solu- 

 tions. Mr. Ross C. Stull, a senior student, majoring in bacteriology, deserves 

 full credit for the splendid w^ork he did on this problem. 



It was while working with sterilized buffered and non-buffered solutions in 

 the laboratory that a greater change was noticed in the hydrogen-ion concen- 

 tration in the case of the latter than in the former. Numerous investigators 

 have shown that a Isuffered solution resists a change in hydrogen-ion concen- 

 tration to a far greater extent than does an unbuffered solution; but to what 

 degree different kinds of glassware influence the hydrogen-ion concentration 

 of solutions sterilized in it has not been studied to any great extent. It was to. 

 study the influence on the hydrogen-ion concentration of a buffered and a 

 non-buffered solution when sterilized in various grades and different kinds 

 of glassware that this work was undertaken. 



Solutions: For the non-buffered solution triple distilled water was pre- 

 pared by taking distilled water that came from our laboratory still, and 

 redistilling in the presence of potassium dichromate acidulated with sulphuric 

 acid. Barium hydroxide was then added to this distillate and it was again 

 distilled. The final distillate (conductivity water) was collected, its hydro- 

 gen-ion concentration adjusted to pH=7.0, and used for the non-buffered 

 solution. The buffered solution was the standard nutrient broth made by 

 adding 3 grams of meat extract, 10 grams of pej^tone (difco) and 5 grams of 

 sodium chloride to 100 cc. of tap water. It was sterilized and its hydrogen- 

 ion concentration adjusted to pH=7.0. ^ 



