828 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



a study of anemia in horses, with the result that the disease appears to be, in their 

 opinion, of a contagious nature and readily transmissible. It is considered to be due 

 to an organism belonging to the ultrainicroscopic group. Pernicious anemia in man 

 and anemia of dogs are therefore perhaps to be considered as true infectious diseases. 

 Infectious anemia of the horse, E. Thiekrv {Jour. Ayr. Prat., n. ser., 8 {1904), 

 No. 34, pp- 248, %44)- — A bacteriological study of this disease has thus far given only 

 negative results. It is being studied more carefully and persistently, however, and 

 it is hoped that as a result of this study better methods for combating the disease 

 may be devised. 



Tapeworms of dogs and health of lambs, II. George {Jour. Agr. Prat., n. ser., 

 8 {1004), No. 17, pp. 561, 562). — Notes are given on the life history of Taenia marginata 

 and attention is called to the desirability of treating dogs which are allowed to run 

 in sheep pastures in order to prevent the infestation of lambs with tapeworms. 



Rabies in birds, A. Marie [Compt. Rend. Sac Biol. [Pari*],. 56 {1904), No. 12, pp. 

 573-575). — The existence of rabies in birds has long been known, together with the 

 comparatively long period of incubation of these animals in the regular course of the 

 disease. 



The author's experiments were made on chickens, pigeons, canaries, geese, and 

 ducks. It was found possible in adult birds to produce rabies by means of intra- 

 cerebral inoculation but only rarely possible to transmit the disease by means of 

 pieces of the cerebrum of inoculated birds. The cerebral method of inoculation was 

 the only one in which success was had in transmitting the disease. Inoculation in 

 the eye, peritoneum, and veins and scarification of the mucous membrane were with- 

 out results. It appears that very young birds were less resistant to rabies than adult 

 birds. 



By a passage through the brain of birds, rabies virus is attenuated to such an 

 extent that it is no longer capable of producing disease either in birds or mammals. 

 It was found that inoculation with pieces of the brain of birds was capable of pro- 

 tecting mammals against intraocular inoculation with rabies. 



Contagious epithelioma of pigeons and chickens, M. Juliusberg {Dent. Med. 

 Wchnschr., 30 {1904), No. 43, pp. 1576, 1577). — As a result of the study of the course 

 and symptoms of these diseases as well as the virus, it is found that the virus of 

 pigeon pox may be filtered in the same manner as the virus of chicken pox. 



The incubation period of both pigeon and chicken pox after inoculation with fil- 

 tered virus is about twice as long as after direct inoculation with the substance of the 

 tumors. It was found that repeated passage of the virus of pigeon pox through ani- 

 mals attenuated it to such an extent that it finally became quite nonvirulent. The 

 addition of erythrosin in 1 per cent solution also destroyed the virus. None of the 

 pure cultures of yeasts, cocci, or bacilli obtained from contagious epithelioma were 

 found to be pathogenic for pigeons or chickens. 



AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING. 



Irrigation department, J. S. Baker {Montana Sta. Il/>t. 1903, pp. 69-98, figs. 3). — 

 Brief accounts are given of experiments made in tanks on the relation of soil mois- 

 ture to yield of wheat and evaporation from soils and water surfaces; also of field 

 studies of the duty of water for irrigation of alfalfa, wheat, and potatoes; measure- 

 ments of the duty of water under different canals of the State in cooperation with 

 this Office; and discharge records of the principal streams of the State in cooperation 

 with the U. S. Geological Survey. 



The best results were obtained in the tank experiments where water was applied 

 at the rate of 300 lbs. to each pound of dry matter produced. The loss of moisture 

 from the soil was much larger in case of the cropped soil than in case of the fallow 

 soils. The average evaporation from a tank during the 6 months ended October Ml, 



