lOfl p. D. 31 



CONTROL SERVICE. 



In addition to carrying on investigations, the Experiment Station is required 

 to perform certain control and regulative functions, as follows: 



1. Inspection of commercial fertilizers. 



2. Inspection of commercial feed stuffs. 



3. Inspection of machinery and glassware used in the testing of 



dairy products. 



4. Elimination of white diarrhoea in poultry. 



Reports on all except the third of these are published separately, respectively 

 in control bvdletins Nos. 29 and 30, 28, and 27 of the Experiment Station. 



The work of the year under the law providing for the inspection of dairy 

 glassware is summarized below: 



Certificates of proficiency awarded 42 



Machines and apparatus inspected by Mr. Howard, November and 



December, 1924 117 places 



Machines condemned 3 



Minor repairs ordered on machines 14 



Necessary re-inspections 4 



Glassware calibrated 5,092 pieces 



Glassware condemned 11 pieces 



GENERAL ANALYTICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC WORK. 



Since its very beginning the Experiment Station has been called upon to per- 

 form a large amount of miscellaneous diagnostic and analj'tical work. Diseased 

 plants, specimens of insect injury, dead birds, and other materials are sent in 

 for diagnosis. Soils, feeds, fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides, samples of 

 milk and cream, the alimentary tract of animals supposedly poisoned, and many 

 other things are submitted for analysis. Formerly this work was done free of 

 charge. There is no doubt that this policy of making free diagnosis and analysis 

 had great educational value. In recent years, however, the burden on the research 

 forces of the Experiment Station has been increasingly great. This, together 

 with the significant fact that many samples are submitted out of mere curiosity 

 rather than on the basis of definite need for service, led to the imposition of a 

 fee for performing the greater part of this work, exceptions being diagnoses of 

 plant disease and insect injury. As a result, there has been a significant decrease 

 in the amount of service requested. There has been criticism of the practice of 

 making charges for this miscellaneous work. Many farmers and farm organiza- 

 tions feel that the Experiment Station is not now giving the sei-vice which it for- 

 merly did. It should be remembered, however, that because of reducing its 

 activities in this direction the Station is able to do more work in the study of 

 problems of vital significance to Massachusetts agriculture. Other than as above 

 mentioned, this phase of the year's work does not differ markedly from that of 

 other years. 



ADVANCED REGISTRY TESTING OF PURE BRED COWS. 



This work was started in 1902 on a very small scale. The work is operated on 

 the basis of a revolving fund, and has no financial support from the State. Up 

 to three years ago, a rather general and consistent increase was shown year by 

 year. Owing probably to the current depression in agriculture with consequent 

 diminished demand for pure bred stock, tue work this past year was somewhat 

 less than in the immediately preceding years. The following table shows the 

 more important operations of the period in question : 



