8 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
In the Report of the Station for 1898 a detailed account was | 
given of the results of these experiments, especially in their 
bearing upon the effect of nitrogenous fertilizers. It has long 
been known that nitrogenous fertilizers increase the yield of 
grasses and cereals, but have comparatively little effect upon 
the yield of legumes. The most important result of these 
experiments is to show that the nitrogenous fertilizers increase 
also the proportion of nitrogen in the grasses and cereals, 
although they have but very little effect upon the composition 
of the legumes. This principle, which has hitherto been but 
little understood, is of much importance to the farmer. 
Pot experiments.—Experiments for the study of the effects 
of nitrogenous fertilizers upon the proportion of nitrogen in 
the plants have been made on a small scale in such a way that 
moisture and other external influences might be more com- 
pletely under control. In these experiments the plants are 
grown in large pots by the use of the same kinds of nitrogenous 
and other fertilizers as are used in the plot experiments, the 
total produce being weighed and taken for analysis. The 
details of these experiments are withheld from publication 
until more data shall have accumulated. 
DAIRY BACTERIOLOGY. 
For a considerable number of years Prof. Conn and his 
assistants have carried on investigations upon dairy bacteri- 
ology. One of the special objects of the latter work has been 
to get information concerning the species of bacteria that are 
more common in Connecticut dairies, their sources, and espe- 
cially their effects upon milk and cream and upon butter made 
from the cream ripened under their influence. For several 
years past Prof. Conn has been assisted in this work by Mr. 
W. M. Esten, who has devoted much time to these investiga- 
tions and has made an especial study of the organism &. actdz 
lactict, which is the most common cause of the souring of milk, 
and which he isolated in 1896. These investigations have been 
continued during the past year, special attention being devoted, 
as previously, to the ripening of cream and to the bacteria 
concerned in the process. 
The results of the investigations by Prof. Conn and his asso- 
ciates have been published year by year in the Reports and 


