Feb., 1926] PROGRESS OF AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS 11 



DAIRY CATTLE ^ 



Nutrition Studies with Dairy Cows (Purnell F^ind) 



With the coming into effect of the Purnell Act a second project was 

 begun in the nutrition studies but with dairy cows by Messrs. Benedict 

 and Ritzman. A small addition was made to the laboratory building 

 sufficient to supply a feed storage room and to house two cows. Two 

 suitable metabolism stalls have been constructed, and two purebred 

 Holstein cows were purchased for the investigation. 



Some time has been spent in devising a mechanical appliance for the 

 continuous separate collection of urine and feces for separate analysis, 

 and it seems very probable that the first year's work will be largely taken 

 up in the perfection of the technique of procedure. As was the case with 

 steers, it is deemed necessary to make first a study of the physiological 

 reactions of these animals to different conditions of feeding, and seconda- 

 rily to study their maintenance requirements under these conditions. 



A material improvement has been made in the technique of respiration 

 experiments in a device for the determination of methane produced bj' 

 the animals during 24-hour continuous experiments. 



Physiological Studies of Dairy Cows {Purnell Fiuid) 



This project, which is supplementary to the nutrition studies with 

 dairy cows, aims to make a physiological study of cows kept under condi- 

 tions of practical herd management. Four dairy breeds — Ayrshire, 

 Guernsey, Jersey, and Holstein — -will be used. Among the studies which 

 are to be made by J. M. Fuller in co-operation with Dr. Benedict of the 

 Carnegie Institution, will be pulse rates under varying conditions — 

 such as standing and lying — and studies of urine and feces. 



DAIRY PRODUCTS 



Study of Some Important Factors Affecting Viscosity of Ice Cream Mix 



{Purnell Fund) 



The objects of this project, which is just being started by H. F. DePew, 

 are to study the effect of varying per cents of milk solids not fat and 

 of butterfat on viscosity; of gelatin on whipping quality of mix and on 

 texture of ice cream; and of varying homogenization pressures on viscosity. 



ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 



European Corn Borer {Adams Fund) 



A third season's study of the life history of the European corn borer 

 by the Department of Entomology has corroborated the facts as they 

 appeared to develop in the first and second years. There have been 

 seasonal variations in details of life history, but substantially the findings 

 agree. It has now become possible to point out some apparent relations 

 between mortality of this insect under New Hampshire conditions and 

 the periods at which it reaches maturity. 



Frequent conferences have been held with the experts in charge of the 

 European corn borer laboratory maintained by the Bureau of Entomology 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture. The studies under way 

 in that laboratory are largely concerned with Massachusetts conditions. 



