808 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



from dairy produce the order was: New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maine, 

 Vermont, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, and Arkansas. "From every 

 point of view New York ranked as the leading dairy State." It is considered as 

 proved that butter and cheese can be made with profit in most parts of North America. 

 "Generally speaking, good butter can be made wherever good beef can l>e raised." 



VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 



Studies on the phenomenon of agglutination, C. Nicolle and M. Trexel 

 {Ann. JiihI. J'aMexr, 16 {190.?), Xo. S, pp. r>G2-5Si;). — A critical review of the exten- 

 sive literature of this subject is presented. The species of bacteria most studied with 

 regard to the phenomenon of agglutination are typhoid and tubercle bacilli. The 

 auth(jrs found as a result of their extensive experiments that the suscepti])ility to 

 agglutination and the power of agglutinating are apparently properties which are 

 inherent in all free cells, especially bacteria. Such differences in these properties, 

 however, are to be observed that bacteria may for practical jjurposes be divided into 

 species which are agglutinable and agglutinogenic, and those M'hich are nonagglutin- 

 able and nonagglutinogenic. Both these properties appear to e'xist together in about 

 the same relative proportions in different si^ecies of bacteria. The motile bacteria 

 are much more susceptible to agglutination than nonmotile forms, and it appears 

 probable that motility is almost necessary to the existence of jironounced power of 

 agglutination. Another important conclusion mentioned by the authors is that the 

 agglutinating power apjiears to be associated with the presence of a meml)rane upon 

 the bacteria. The more marked the membrane of a given si)ecies of bacteria the 

 more pronounced is the susceptibility to agglutination and the power of causing 

 agglutination. 



The dissociation of the agglutinating and sensibilizing properties of 

 specific sera, A. DrBois {Ann. Inst. Puxteur, 16 {1902), No. 9, pp. 690-693). — The 

 author conducted experiments with the blood of the common fowl. The blood when 

 defibrinated and subjected to a temperature of 115° C. forms a mass which can not be 

 injected. If, however, the red corpuscles are j^reviously washed with normal salt 

 solution for the purpose of removing other elements of the serum, the emulsion may 

 then be heated in steam to a temperature of 115° for a quarter of an hour, with the 

 result that a somewhat cloudy liquid is obtained, but one which can be used in 

 making injections. During the author's experiments it was found that the serum of 

 rabbits treated with red corpuscles from fowls after heating to a temperature of 115° C. 

 did not contain the sensibilizing substance, but that the agglutinins were present in 

 considerable number. It is believed, therefore, that these substances are distinct 

 and that one may exist without tlie presence of the other. 



The effect of absorption upon the action of alexin, M. Wilde {Arch. Hiig., 

 44 {190..'), Xi>. l,2>p. 1-74)- — This jtaper contains an account of experiments insti- 

 tuted for tlie i)urpose of determining the extent to which alexins are al)sorbed by 

 various sul)stances, and the effect of this absorption upon the bactericide action of 

 serum. The literature of the subject is carefully reviewed in connection with a 

 bibliography. The experiments conducted by the author included a test of the 

 extent of absorption of alexin by dead bacteria, living bacteria, organic cells, and 

 insoluble proteids. The serum for use in these experiments came from various 

 species of animals, including cattle, dogs, and rabbits. The bacterial organisms 

 which were employed were chiefly cholera vibrio and anthrax bacilli. During 

 these experiments it was found that various substances, esjiecially living and dead 

 bacteria, yeast cells, red blood corpuscles, disintegrated tissue cells, and insolul)le 

 proteids, particularly aleuronat, may entirely destroy the bactericide and hemolytic 

 action of alexin from the serum of cattle, dogs, and rabbits. The disappearance of 



