RURAL ENGINEERING. 683 



The animals receiving tlie filtered and uiifiltered cultnros became affediHl 

 with lioj: cholera, bnt the others did not. A nnmber of the pij;;^ which remained 

 sound and some controls were fetl with orjians from the pi.ys whlcli died from 

 hog cholera and as a result of treatment with erysipelas culture, and others 

 were jilacod In the infectetl stable. In l)oth instances the animals ])ecame 

 alfected with hog cholera. The symi)loiu.s and pathological tindings are briefly 

 stated. 



The curative action of autolyzed yeast against avian polyneuritis, E. A. 

 Cooper (Biochem. Jour., 8 (191.',). No. 3, pp. 2.50-252).— " By the autolysis of 

 Itrewers' yeast a solution can be obtained which possesses as niarl^ed curative 

 properties toward avian polyneuritis as the original yeast. The solution retains 

 its curative power for at least eight weeks and when given orally to birds in 

 doses ten times as great as the minimum curing dose has no toxic action. Air- 

 dried yeast retains its curative power after storage for two years in a dry tin, 

 and still autolyzes after storage for four months." 



House disinfection with formaldehyde, W. Lowenstein [Zi-^chr. Jfi/f/. n. 

 Infehtionskrank., 78 (.191J,), No. 2, pp. 363^38.',) .—When formaldehydt; was used 

 for disinfection in the neighborhood of heated bodies the bacteria were killed 

 with difficulty. Moist test objects were killed quicker than dry substances. 

 Threads dipped in and saturated with bouillon cultures were more resistant to 

 formaldehyde disinfection than agar cultures suspended in w"iter. Formalde- 

 hyde acted in a similar manner on moist and dried bouillon culture test objects. 



RURAL ENGINEERING. 



Some measuring devices used in the delivery of irrigation water iCali- 

 fonii.a ,St(i. Bui. 2//7 (1915), pp. 111-180, pi. 1, Jif/s. .?/).— This bnlleliu, prei»ared 

 under a cooperative agreement between the Irrigation Investigations of this 

 Office and the University of California, describes the testing station at Davis, 

 Cal., which is used for the purpose of examining, testing, and demonstrating the 

 jn-incipal irrigation water measuring devices so far developed, and de.scribes, 

 illustrates, and points out the relative accuracy of some of the devices that have 

 already become standard or that have been in use for a sufficiently long time 

 or on a sufficient scale to warrant their installation at the laboratory. 



Three me.MSuring hydrants for underground distribution systems were tested. 

 The Aznsa hydrant pi'ovides for measurement through one or more oriliee.s on 

 the center of which a pressure head of 4 in. is maintained by means of a 

 sheet iron spill crest set at right angles to the orifice plate. The hydrant is 

 in the form of a concrete box placed over the supply pipe line and the area of 

 the openings in the orifice varies from 10 to 50 sq. in. The average of all tests 

 made on this hydrant showed "the amounts in inches being carried through 

 the openings to be 1 per cent more than their area in square inches," includ- 

 ing all errors in measurements. All openings or combinations of openings were 

 equally accurate. It is thought, therefore, that the box will meastu'e as accu- 

 rately as is required. 



The Gage hydrant consists of a main box of 2-in. mortar, the bottom of which 

 is cast separately and the top cemented to it in the field. The weir crest 

 consists of 4-in. by li-in. iron cemented to the sides, giving a final opening of 

 10 in. wide and 10^ in. high. In the tests of this hydrant it was found that the 

 amount of w-ater discharged for any given depth was greater than with a 

 standard 10 in. weir, owing to the nearness of the sides of the box to the sides 

 of the weir and to the velocity conditions in the box. " The amount of this 

 difference increases as the head increases, being as much as 35 per cent at the 



