1915.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 27 a 



The Veterinaey Department. 



The investigational work of the veterinary department has 

 been directed chiefly tovrard the development of methods for the 

 diagnosis of bacillary white diarrhoea in adult fowls and the 

 f)revention of hog cholera by the use of anti-hog cholera serum. 



During the past year the method recommended in Bulletin 

 Xo. 148 has been put to practical test. It has been found pos- 

 sible to detect individuals harboring Bacterium pullorum, thus 

 making possible the elimination of such individuals from breed- 

 ing flocks. Of one thousand chickens hatched from eggs from 

 tested hens in one flock not one died of white diarrhoea, while 

 during the previous season, before the bearers of infection had 

 been eliminated from the flock, only two hundred chicks of two 

 thousand hatched survived the ravages of the disease. 



The reports of the treasurer and of the dift'erent departments 

 immediately follow the director's report. The bulletins to which 

 reference has been made will be found in Part II. of the annual 

 report. 



WM. P. BROOKS, 



Director. 



