584 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



their lives; and during this time is eliminated more or less continuously with 

 their milk. It may make its appearance in the milk months before abortion 

 occurs, even before a conception that is terminated by an abortion. It may 

 be eliminated for years from the udders of cows that never aborted. It may 

 persist in the genital tract for as much as 46 days after an abortion; and the 

 bacilli contained in uterine discharges may resist the action of sun and weather 

 for at least 10 days. It may appear in the placenta of a normal pregnancy sub- 

 sequent to an abortion. It may persist in the spleens of inoculated guinea pigs 

 in which there are lesions for 77 weeks, and in the spleens of inoculated rab- 

 bits for 19 weeks, without producing lesions." 



See also a previous note (E. S. B.., 29, p. 778). 



The poisoning of cattle in the pasture, C. K. Francis (Oklahoma Sta. Rpt. 

 1913, pp. 20-29, figs. 2). — This is a general review of the subject with references 

 to and quotations from the literature. It is stated that there are periods dur- 

 ing the year when almost every mail brings one or more reports of animal 

 poisoning, the number of animals dying suddenly in Oklahoma each year be- 

 ing very large. 



The author's investigations have shown hydrocyanic acid to be present in 

 Kafir corn at every stage, except the mature stage. " From all data recorded 

 it appears that stunted plants showing the need of rain are especially danger- 

 ous. All young growth of the sorghum group are liable to contain the poison. 

 The second growth and frosted plants have also been shown to be unsafe. The 

 samples containing the larger amounts of prussic acid were very bitter to the 

 taste, and this characteristic may be used as a rough test of the condition of 

 the plants. If it is necessary to pasture stock in fields while the growth is at 

 the various stages mentioned, the animals should be allowed to remain but a 

 few minutes at first, or the material tested by turning in an animal of little 

 value. If a hungry animal refuses to feed on green plants, you may be certain 

 that they are not safe." 



The morphology of the sheep tapeworm (Thysanosoma actiniodes), L. D. 

 Swingle (Wijoming Sta. Bui. 102 (Wlh), PP. 103-116, figs. Si).— While the 

 fringed tapeworm of sheep, as it is commonly called, is very prevalent in 

 Wyoming, most of the sheep slaughtered at Laramie being infected, neither its 

 anatomy nor life history has been worked out. The present paper consists 

 entirely of an illustrated report of studies of its anatomy. 



Effect of dips on wool, C. Mallinson (Agr. Jour. Union So. Africa, 6 {1913), 

 No. 4> pp. 671-678). — The author, a sheep and wool expert, reports that during 

 a trip to Great Britain he failed to hear of any serious complaint about the 

 scouring of South African wool or of any difliculty in dyeing. He recommends 

 that South African farmers continue to dip for scab as recommended by the 

 department of agriculture. 



The prophylaxis, serum-therapy, and serovaccination of contagious 

 agalaxia, H. Carre (Rev. Gen. Med. Vet., 20 (1912), No. 238, pp. 529-538; abs. 

 in Jour. Compar. Path, and Ther., 26 (1913), No 1, pp. 67-69).— It is shown by 

 this work that the mammary secretion may be infectious for months and even 

 up to the time when there is complete atrophy of the gland. That the milk 

 does not rapidly lose in virulence is shown by the fact that an infected milk, 

 kept for 8 days at room temperature during the month of August, when in- 

 Jjected into the teat of a goat produced a typical attack of the disease. In 

 every flock examined the occurrence of the disease was observed to follow the 

 introduction of new animals from the outside. Attendants also carried the 

 disease from one flock to the other. 



Some experiments regarding serum-therapy and serovaccination against the 

 disease were conducted, " In the first flock there were 34 diseased and 80 



