492 BOAKD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



manner, or some modification of it. Kitt's method of 

 protective inoculation, also described in Friedberger and 

 Frohner's work, consists in a single inoculation with a fluid 

 culture of the organism of symptomatic anthrax, in a similar 

 manner to that described in the experiments with the twelve 

 young cattle given in detail in the early part of this portion 

 of the report.* 



In localities in Massachusetts where outbreaks of symp- 

 tomatic anthrax are likely to occur, it would be well for 

 farmers to have recourse to one of these methods of pro- 

 tective inoculation, in order to save their young animals 

 from the ravages of this disease. 



Actinomycosis. 



A few cases of actinomycosis have been reported to the 

 commission during the past year. The most interesting of 

 these are where the lesions occur in the udder. 



Actinomycosis is caused by a fungus, the actinomyces, 

 the name meaning ray or star-shaped fungus. It occurs in 

 grain or its husks, said to be particularly frequent in barley, 

 but may occur in any grain. When it finds lodgment in an 

 abraded surface, where it is undisturbed, it grows and causes 

 the development of a tumor composed chiefly of granulation 

 tissue. The tumor may soften and break, discharging a 

 purulent material, in which clumps of actinomyces may be 

 seen with the naked eye, presenting the appearance of small 

 specks of sand. These specks under the microscope are 

 found to be made up of groups of actinomyces. Actinomy- 

 cosis is said to be more peculiar to certain districts than 

 others, particularly in swampy districts ; it occurs frequently 

 in the fens of Lincolnshire, and is often seen in western 

 cattle and occasionally in the east. It is known all over 

 Europe, and was first noticed in 18(^0 by two Italians, Per- 

 roncito and Rivolta. Halm further described it in 1870, but 

 the first exact description of the disease was furnished by 

 Bollinger, in 1877. Harz was the first to examine the 

 fungus botanically, and to give it the name actinomycosis 



* Kitt recommends the use of but one cubic centimeter of a three days' old 

 fluid culture of the organism. 



