Report of the Bacteriologist 

To the Director of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment 
Station: 
Sir:—In the change of personnel of the department there 
would naturally be a change in the lines of investigations. 
Some former lines of work were discontinued and new lines 
introduced to take their places. In the transition there may 
appear a break with less matured investigations to be re- 
ported. 
The investigations with the bacteriology of cheese have 
been continued as previously, making a more special study 
of the conditions which favor the highest efficiency of a 
lactic acid starter added to milk for the preparation of 
cheese. ‘ 
A new line of work is under way in the preliminary study 
of the fermentation of silage. Some facts have been made 
out, but nothing definite in reference to the cause of the 
fermentation. The presence of a yeast in some samples 
seems to suggest its agency in a part of the fermentations. 
The most important investigation going on is determining 
the sources of bacteria that get into milk. The sources of 
study have been, surface of the cow, grain and hay. It is 
interesting to have apparently discovered the source of the 
most important dairy organism. 
The equipment of the laboratory has been very materially 
increased and many improvements are being added. These 
facilitate and increase the amount of investigations in a 
marked degree. The most important for a future addition 
is a set of steam cookers which will utilize to much ad- 
vantage the supply of live steam which is supplied to the 
laboratory during the entire day. Steam cookers not only 
