THE ANNUAL MEETING. 137 



growth that multiplied rapidly iii the blood. The disease was taking off 

 its thousands of animals and no remedy was found. It was even communi- 

 cated to men. While the disease was raging Pasteur in a quiet way continued 

 his work with the microscope. It was found that sheep became diseased in 

 fields where animals had died of it a long time before and been buried 10 or 12 

 feet below the surface. It could not be accounted for until Pasteur's micro- 

 scope found the same deadly germs in the earth-worms that burrowed in the 

 pasture, and had brought them in their own circulation from the buried 

 carcasses to the surface. He found that he could multiply these germs in 

 chicken broth kept at blood temperature, and while he studied them he 

 inoculated healthy animals with the germs and found that as a result of using 

 the cultivated germs for inoculation the animals thus taking the disease had a 

 light form of it. Pasteur continued his researches so far as to learn that 

 animals having had this liglit type of the disease could not be induced there- 

 after to take on the deadly anthrax by inoculation. Thus far his investigations 

 had been purely scientific. Now look at the practical result. Pasteur was 

 given 50 sheep for a public demonstration. He inoculated 25 with the mild 

 type of anthrax and marked them. Upon a certain day about a month there- 

 after a large number of prominent people witnessed a confirmation of this 

 man's theory. He said he would inoculate the 50 sheep with deadly anthrax 

 and 25 of them would die in 24 hours, while the remainder would remain 

 perfectly healthy. The result exactly coincided with his predictions. The 25 

 marked sheep were uninjured. Here we have a discovery made by a man 

 delving in pure science which will prove of inestimable value to the owners of 

 stock, and even in saving human life. But how many that reap the benefit will 

 still laugh at scientific men and call them hair-brained theorists? I say all 

 honor to Pasteur and any and all other scientists who benefit the world by their 

 careful researches. 



Prof. Tracy followed with other illustrations in practical horticulture, saying 

 that scientific workers are rarely given credit for the discoveries they make by 

 practical men, because men do not know the intimate relation between these 

 discoveries and advanced methods of practice. One illustration given by Mr. 

 Tracy was this: Peter Henderson has recently put a great deal of stress upon 

 the necessity of packing the earth with hand and foot about the roots of plants 

 that are transplanted. This practice is not old but has been taken up as a 

 practical inference from the discovery that plants feed by root hairs and not 

 by spongioles. 



The society now took a recess until afternoon. A grand dinner had been 

 prepared by the ladies and was in waiting at another hall to which all repaired, 

 and in the most jolly way imaginable united in doing complete justice to this 

 most agreeable arrangement. 



Afternoon Session. 



The meeting was called to order with Mr, Satterlee, of Greenville, in the 

 chair. 



Prof. A. J. Cook, of the Agricultural College, opened the general subject of 

 Birds, Insects and Diseases with a paper upon 



