8 STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
The experiments with forage plants have been practical tests 
of the growth of the crops in the field and the milk production 
when the fodder is eaten by cows. Here, again, the advantage 
of diversified forage crops to supplement pasture feed in Con- 
necticut is brought out more and more clearly and fully with 
each year’s experience. 
BACTERIOLOGY OF DAIRY PRODUCTS. 
The work on the bacteriology of dairy products has been 
continued during the past year by Prof. Conn and his assistant, 
Mr. Esten. It has been devoted mainly to the further investi- 
gation of the important subject of cream ripening. This part 
of the process of butter-making is now known to be one of 
fermentation, produced by the bacteria in the cream. ‘These 
bacteria come from various sources in the dairy and the barn. 
The especial object of the experiments of the last year has 
been to get light upon the kinds of bacteria that are common 
in Connecticut dairies, their sources, and the influence they 
exert upon butter when they chance to get into the cream and 
grow during the ripening process. It is hoped that the investi- 
gations in this direction will bring information that will ma- 
terially aid the butter-maker to exercise a better control over 
this important phase of his industry than he has been able to 
do in the past. 
FOOD AND NUTRITION OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
The investigations have included: Analyses of feeding stuffs 
with determination of their fuel value; Studies of rations fed 
to milch cows on dairy farms; Digestion experiments with 
sheep. | 
The analyses of feeding stuffs have been largely in connection 
with the feeding experiments with cows and sheep. Analyses 
have also been made of plants and crops grown on plots of land 
receiving different amounts and kinds of fertilizers. The num- 
ber of analyses of feeding stuffs during the year is not far 
from one hundred and fifty. 
The studies of rations fed to mitch cows have been carried out 
on two dairy farms. ‘The methods were like those followed in 
previous years. A representative of the Station visited each 
farm. A certain number of cows (about a dozen) were set 
aside for the experiment, which continued, in each case, from 

