78 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



REPORT OF THE DErARTMENT OF BACTERIOLOGY AND 



HYGIENE. 



To President J. L. Snyder: 



In submitting m}' report for the past school year, it is unnecessary 

 to repeat what has been stated in previous reports. I can confine my 

 comments to a few features which have developed during the course 

 of the year. 



In the instruction of the 200, and over, sophomores, we have been 

 able for the first time to employ a text-book jjertinent to agricultural 

 work. It has been a great advantage in many ways, because it has 

 been our experience that the sophomores had very little opportunity 

 to develop their powers of note-taking when class work is limited to 

 lectures. Accordingly, in addition to the subject matter in the past, 

 it has been part of the course to accustom students to lecture work. 

 On the other hand, lecture work offers many advantages not secured 

 by the exclusive use of a text-book. The emphasis of a course can be 

 l)]aced in lecture work when it cannot be furnished as effectively in 

 text-book work. We have, therefore, endeavored to obtain as far as 

 possible some of the advantages offered by each system through a com- 

 bination. We also adopted the well-known '"blue book" system. We 

 introduced this S3stem with some degree of hesitancy, not knowing how 

 valuable it would be in this institution. Our course, as you know, con- 

 sisted of two hours a week. Fifteen minutes at the beginning of one 

 of these periods was devoted to two or three questions, the answers 

 to which were written by the students in the "blue books." Before this 

 occurred the following week, the answers were looked over and the 

 grades marked in red ink. This enabled the student to follow his work 

 \evj carefully and to know just what he was doing. It also enabled 

 us to carry on our class quizzes more effectively. After the students 

 had followed this plan for one term, they were asked to give their 

 verdict. It was unanimously in favor of the plan. 



The laboratory work under Dr. Ralm, consisting of Bacteriology II, 

 III and IV, has given the best of satisfaction. This year marks a degree 

 of attainment in this respect not before reached. I believe this to be 

 due largely to the high character of work offered and the precision of 

 the exercises. Any student completing the laboratory courses satisfac- 

 torily under the direction of Dr. Rahn has acquired not only a work- 

 able knowledge of bacteriology but an intelligent understanding which 

 will enable him to utilize it to good advantage in practice. 



The sanitary and pathological courses, offered to the agricultural 

 and veterinary students, have been conducted by Dr. Ward Giltner. 

 Dr. Giltner's work has appealed strongly to the students. He finds 

 that too little time is allowed to cover the work that should be given 

 to students. Dr. Giltner has also conducted a class of short course 

 men. The work furnished these men was largely of a sanitary nature. 



Mr. C. W. Brown had charge of the short courses in dairying, com- 

 prising creamery work and cheese work. The results secured in carry- 



