20 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
Report of the Consulting Veterinarian 
To the Director of Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station: 
S1r:—The Veterinary Department of the Station not being 
C6 
a regular division of the organization, but only a “‘consult- 
ing,’’ has in consequence no report on regular routine work. 
During the past year many letters of inquiry with reference to » 
diseases, etc., of domesticated animals and fowls have been 
answered. ‘I‘his branch of work occupies some little time, but 
on the whole is very satisfactory to all parties concerned, and 
therefore the time seems well spent. 
Early in the spring (1903) a case of nitrate of soda poison- 
ing in West Stafford, Conn., was brought to the attention of 
the department. Three post mortems were performed, and 
from the pathological changes noticed irritant poisoning was 
diagnosed. On investigation, it was shown that nitrate of soda 
had been fed to the animals for coarse salt. The animals 
died inside of eight hours from the time of feeding the nitrate 
of soda. | 
Another interesting case investigated was that of an outbreak 
of malignant catarrh in a herd of cattle in Middlefield, Conn. 
This case was brought to the attention of the department by H. 
O. Averill, State Cattle Commissioner. Out of a herd of forty or 
fifty cattle, mostly “‘springers,’’ some eighteen succumbed be- 
fore the nature of the disease was finally ascertained. All that 
can be done in this disease is along the line of prevention; z. ¢., 
isolation, disinfection, etc. The latter measure was carried out 
very thoroughly with excellent results. The disease is not be- 
lieved to be contagious; that is, it is not a germ disease and can- 
not be transmitted from one animal to another, but is supposed 
