EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 121 



REPORT OF THE BACTERIOLOGIST. 



To R. S. Shaw, Director of the Experiment Station: 



The experimental work of this department for the past year has 

 been directed along several lines. 



1. The investigations of swine epidemics have been conducted by 

 Mr. C. W. Brown and myself. The results of these investigations are 

 not offered for publication because of their incompleteness. They bear 

 upon work which will be continued this year. 



During the month of May, I attended the conference on, and the 

 demonstration of, a treatment for hog cholera, at Ames, Iowa. Dorset's 

 application of Turner and Kolle's method as employed in rinderpest, for 

 the immunization of hogs against hog cholera seems, even at this early 

 date, to be a specific prophylactic. For this, Dorset deserves unstinted 

 praise. At present writing, this department is undertaking to verify 

 the treatment under Michigan conditions, and if it is found as success- 

 ful as elsewhere, it is hoped that the serum may be made available to 

 the producers of hogs in our state. To this end, the efforts of this de- 

 partment are given. 



Mr. Brown's loyal support and faithful service deserve an expression 

 of gratitude. 



2. During the past year, Miss Northrup and Miss Farrand have de- 

 voted considerable attention to the study of some methods for the de- 

 termination of bacteria in milk. These studies have their practical 

 import in controlling milk supplies and the measure of purity or 

 cleanliness of milk. Their work is recommended for insertion in this 

 report. 



3. It was decided nearly three years ago to undertake the study 

 of the factors involved in the keeping of butter, especially under cold 

 storage conditions. Mr. Wm. Sayer and Dr. Otto Rahn and Miss Bell 

 Farrand have been responsible for all the work done, and are present- 

 ing the results at the close of this year for publication. To at- 

 tack a problem • of so great extent and of this nature, it is 

 thought desirable to study many butter samples under conditions which 

 usually exist in cold storage, with the expectation of reaching a com- 

 prehensive notion and the more specific facts involved. After this is 

 done, it is hoped to attack the specific problems and determine their 

 influence, one by one. This year's work has been confined to the com- 

 prehensive study of the subject. The work for the coming year has 

 already begun in an attack upon some special problems which are in- 

 dicated by the general work. The direction of this work is under Dr. 

 Rahn, together with C. W. Brown and Miss L. M. Smith. 



4. Mr. W. G. Sackett has contributed a bulletin covering some of 

 the investigations of soil bacteria. This work has been conducted in 

 conjunction with our chemist, Mr. A. J. Patten. Chas. W. Brown has 

 also participated in the carrying out of this investigation. 



5. Special bulletin No. 42, recently issued, contains results of ex- 



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