G08 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Observations and microscopical examinations for matting and staining 

 of llie sexual hairs of the calves were made during tlie course of the 

 feeding. 



In the course of the experiment eight calves were fed upon naturally 

 infected milk and six calves were fed upon non-infected milk. The calves 

 fed non-infected milk were not separated from their respective dams at 

 tlie time of birth, but were allowed to remain and suclvle for three days 

 and then separated. A control was fed pasteurized naturally infected 

 milk in order to compare the result with tliose fed upon raw naturally 

 infected milk. A second control was fed upon non-infected milk plus 

 five cubic centimeters of a 4S-hour bouillon culture of Bact. (ibortus with 

 each feeding in order to compare the result from feeding naturally in- 

 fected milk with that of artificially infected milk. 



As accurately as possible the history of each dam was obtained showing 

 the number of normal parturitions, the nund:)er of abortions and the 

 blood and milk reactions to the agglutination and complement fixation 

 tests at the time of parturition or abortion. The history of the dams is 

 summarized in Table I. 



FEEDINQ EXPERIISIENTS. 



' Bull calf 995 A, Table II, Avas fed upon naturally infected milk for 

 a period of thirteen weeks. The blood of the calf was negative before 

 feeding milk. A slight reaction developed one week after feeding. A 

 high antibody index developed at the end of the second week, and re- 

 mained constant until the end of the third week. The blood was nega- 

 tive when tested at the end of the fourth week. The blood remained 

 negative during the remainder of the time feeding was continued. No 

 matting or staining of the sexual hairs about the sheath occurred during 

 the time the calf was fed upon milk. Approximately three weeks after 

 the feeding of milk was discontinued, the sexual hairs became matted 

 and stained a brownish black. A microscopical examination of sediment 

 collected from the matted hairs revealed only epithelial cells, uric acid 

 crystals and many bacteria. No pus cells were found in the sediment. 

 The dam of calf 995 A was about two years old at the time of this 

 parturition. The blood of the dam was negative before parturition, but 

 positive after parturition. The milk was positive before and after 

 ])arturition. The milk produced lesions and Bact. abortus antibodies 

 when inoculated intraperitoneally into guinea pigs: Calf 995 A was 

 fed upon this milk. 



Heifer calf 996 A, Table 3, was fed upon naturally infected milk for 

 a period of ten weeks. The blood of the calf was negative before feeding. 

 The blood remained negative throughout the time of feeding. The sexual 

 hairs below the vulva remained distinctly separate and unstained dui*^ 

 ing the time milk was fed. The dam of calf 990 A Avas two years old 

 at the time of this parturition. The blood and milk of the dam were 

 negative before parturition. The milk became positive after parturition, 

 the reaction remaining only two weeks. The blood remained negative. 



Bull calf 997 A, Table 4, was fed \\\)0\\ naturally infected milk for 

 a period of two weeks. The calf died of acute intoxication in the third 

 week of feeding. The blood of the calf was negative before feeding^ 



