cheese may be dangerously infected. After proof had been obtained that soft, fresh cheese was often contaminated with virulent tubercle bacilli of the bovine type (18 samples among a total of 131 were found to be infected), corrective measures were devised and enforced by the bureau. How effective these measures have proved may be judged from the fact that, since their enforcement, not one infected sample was detected among 122 samples of soft cheese tested. The total number of samples of cheese of all kinds tested by the station up to this date is 472. KERAT TIS IN CATTLE An outbreak of keratitis, or ulceration of the cornea, caused much trouble among the cattle at the station, and a similar eye affection evidently prevailed in different portions of the country. Because of the rapid spread of the disease and the large number of cattle attacked it was at first believed to be virulently contagious, but subsequent observations did not support this belief. The trouble was easily controlled by a change of diet and by thoroughly wiping out the affected eyes daily for several days with an absorbent cotton swab saturated with a freshly made 1 per cent solution of silver nitrate. MISCELLANEOUS WORK. A large number of tests of various kinds were made in the course of the year, including tests of material from animals showing symptoms somewhat indicative of foot-and-mouth disease, and tests of alleged but worthless remedies for hog cholera. A large number of small experiment animals were raised at an expenditure much lower than would have been required had they been purchased. As in past years, every available portion of the station's surface was kept under intense cultivation, with a saving of approximately $15,000 in feed and forage bills. EXPERIMENTS AND DEMONSTRATIONS IN LIVE-STOCK PRODUCTION IN THE CANE-SUGAR AND COTTON DISTRICTS. Live-stock production work in the cane-sugar and cotton districts was begun in 1914 and is directed by a committee consisting of William A. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, chairman; B. H. Rawl, Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry; and W. R. Dodson, director of the Louisiana experiment station and director of extension service, Louisiana State University. IBERIA EXPERIMENT FARM. The work has included investigations and demonstrations at the experiment farm at Jeanerette, La., and extension work throughout Louisiana. The Iberia Experiment Farm, which consists of 500 acres presented to the department by the State of Louisiana, has equipment for carrying on investigational and demonstrational work with horses, mules, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and hogs. Mules and draft mares have performed the labor on the farm and at the same time have furnished a comparison of their relative cost for farm work. It has been found that last year a mare earned on an average $76.86 less than her cost of maintenance for the year. This differ The cost ence must be made up by the value of the foal she produces if a mare is to have the same value for farm work as a mule. of raising mules to 2 years of age was found in the case of four animals to be $156.27 for a mule averaging 1,066 pounds. A beef herd of high-grade Hereford range cows and native scrub cows, headed by a pure-bred Hereford bull, is kept for producing feeder steers and breeding heifers. During the winter the steer-feeding experiment of previous years was repeated, using 80 steers and feeding them for 100 days. In this a comparison was made of different kinds of silage for roughage when used with cottonseed meal. It was found that the lot of 10 steers fed on corn silage made the largest gain at the least cost. The lots finished in the following order with respect to daily gain and low cost of gain: Corn and soy-bean silage; sorghum and soybean silage; corn, sorghum, and soy-bean silage; Japanese cane silage; whole cane silage; and cane top silage. The profits on the lots fed were in the same relative order, the corn silage making the largest profit and the cane tops the least. In a comparison of different quantities of velvet bean meal, ground with the pods, when fed in conjunction with sorghum silage, it was found that when 7 pounds was the average daily feed compared with 93 pounds that the cost was much less per 100 pounds and the gain practically the same. Grazing and feeding experiments with hogs, begun the previous year, have been completed and new grazing tests are under way. In a 29-day feeding experiment composed of three lots of five pigs each, one lot received shelled corn and tankage, the second lot rice polish and tankage, and the third lot rice polish. The cheapest gain was made with rice polish alone, with the corn and tankage coming second and rice polish and tankage ranking third. In the grazing experiments with fall pigs, the best gains were made in corn alone, with corn and soy beans and corn and velvet beans close behind. Oats barley, rye, sorghum, and bur-clover did not make gains that were at all comparable with the first-mentioned crops. In the grazing tests with spring pigs the best gains were made on corn, soy beans, and cowpeas, with corn and soy-bean stubble and red clover, corn and soy-bean stubble, and velvet beans ranking in the order given. The dairy herd, which consists of 13 pure-bred cows and an equal number of grades, together with both grade and pure-bred calves, has been used for studies in milk production and for feeding and management studies. Velvet-bean meal, ground with the pods, was compared with cottonseed meal in a feeding trial of 80 days with two lots of four cows each. It was found that there was little difference in the quantity of milk, butterfat, or total solids produced under the conditions of this trial. LIVE-STOCK EXTENSION. Because of the adaptability of the soil to the growth of cane and cotton, many sections of Louisiana have made slow progress in livestock production. As a means of bringing before the farmers the value of live-stock production, local demonstrations in the different branches of live-stock husbandry have been carried on in the different parishes. This form of demonstration has been successful in pointing out economical and successful methods of handling live stock. There are employed in the work specialists in dairying, swine raising, beefcattle management, forage crops, and marketing. During the past year these extension workers have devoted their time largely to emergency problems of production. Special assistance has been given to emergency campaigns. Short courses and lectures have been given and various publicity features have been inaugurated. Much time has been devoted, also, to rendering direct aid by means of demonstrations to beginners in various branches of work. The farmers' short courses throughout the State have been placed under the live-stock extension service and 144 sessions of short courses were held in 33 parishes, with a total attendance of 17,160 persons, or an average attendance of 119. A feature worthy of special mention was the assistance given by the beef-cattle specialist in the selection and purchase of 28,152 head of beef cattle for 155 different purchasers. These cattle came from the drought sections of Texas and were placed on Louisiana farms. It is estimated that approximately 40,000 beef cattle came into the State during the year, of which about 3,000 were pure-bred. REPORT OF THE ACTING CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, Washington, D. C., September 24, 1918. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith a report of the work of the Bureau of Plant Industry for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1918. Respectfully, K. F. KELLERMAN, Hon. D. F. HOUSTON, Secretary of Agriculture. Acting Chief of Bureau. WORK AND ORGANIZATION OF THE BUREAU. The Bureau of Plant Industry undertakes the study and economic solution of plant problems, especially in relation to crop production and utilization. These activities include the improvement of useful plants by breeding and cultural methods, the investigation of destructive plant diseases and the development of methods for their control, the introduction and acclimatization of new plants from other parts of the world, the extension of the use of valuable crops and the development of improved methods for their utilization, the determination of both agronomic and economic crop relationships, and the meeting of emergencies incident to crop production as they arise from time to time throughout the country. Since the questions of maintenance or increase of production of staple food and feed crops assume unusual importance under war conditions, a considerable expansion in the field activities of the bureau has been necessary. In developing this work different divisions of the bureau have cooperated actively with other Federal and State agencies. The work of the bureau during the year has been carried on with the following organization: Laboratory of Plant Pathology.... Cotton, Truck, and Forage Crop Disease Investigations... Crop Physiology and Breeding Investigations.... Erwin F. Smith, Pathologist in Charge. W. A. Orton, Pathologist in Charge. W. T. Swingle, Physiologist in Charge. |