impotent vaccines, which failed to preserve life, and a considerable number of careless veterinarians administered the best serums in such a manner as to work more harm than good. The result was that vaccination for cholera fell into disrepute. It is with difficulty that the farmers are again being persuaded to take the steps absolutely necessary to eliminate this plague, for the combination of natural inertia with the fear of antagonizing neighbors and a dread of the great expense of the treatment is hard to overcome. The laws seem to be sufficient, for they require the testing at Purdue of all serums offered for sale, and they make it unlawful for any person controlling infected hogs to allow them to run on the highway, on lots or pastures belonging to another man or adjoining the pastures of another man, or in places where they have access to running water that may flow thru other pastures. As a result of the persistent propaganda of Purdue and the county agents, it is probable that in a few years more the farmers will insist upon protection from the carelessness of their neighbors, will extend the use of serum, and so will largely curtail these losses from disease. Altho Indiana is not one of the great dairy states it does produce a large amount of milk and cream and butter. The total value of these products in 1913 was thirty-five million dollars, a sum four and a half million dollars less than the price of the cattle and hogs sold for meat. As practically all the feed needed by the cattle is raised within the commonwealth, and as transportation facilities are excellent, and as the climate nowhere within the state is too severe, it is probable that the dairy business will develop continuously as population grows, particularly in the portions of the state poorly adapted for the production of cereals. In 1913 there were milked on the average nearly half a million cows, that gave over two hundred million gallons of milk. A great problem in the dairy industry is the identification of the good animals, for a study made by the Purdue experts a few years ago resulted in the conclusion that of all the dairy cows in the state one-third were profitable, onethird just about paid their board, and about one-third were kept at a dead loss to the owner. The solution of this problem has probably been discovered in the cow testing association, a Danish innovation. There are now several of these coöperative enterprises in the state, and the leaders in ag ricultural progress are advocating their multiplication. A group of twenty-five to thirty farmers engage a man to visit each farm monthly to test the milk of each animal. From the results of these analyses it can be determined how much the output of each cow commands at the creamery; and a comparison of this figure with the cost of feeding and caring for her shows her status as a parasite or as a moneymaker. Thus, by a system of accurate accounting a dairyman should be able to eliminate one large element of loss. In addition to advocating the formation of these cow testing associations, the Dairy and Extension Departments of Purdue University are seeking, with the aid of subscriptions from some large manufacturers of equipment, to improve the dairy business by encouraging the proper handling of cream, the best methods of caring for cows, the endeavor to cheapen shipping, and the advertising of Indiana butter. Another animal source of food is poultry. In 1909 Indiana with a production of nearly seventy-seven million dozen eggs, stood fifth among the states. In 1913 the average number of laying hens was eight hundred thirty-four thousand dozen and there were over seven million fowls sold, mostly for food. The poultry produced in 1913 over fourteen million dollars worth of eggs and nearly four million dollars worth of meat. Indiana sheep sold for meat brought but two and a third million dollars, and the wool but six hundred thousand. Many farmers derive some income from horse breeding, for they can use the mares for work about the farm, and at the same time by rearing two or three colts a year they may realize considerable profit. The quality of the animals has been somewhat improved by numerous local horse shows, that stimulate pride and emphasize fine points. To aid in raising the quality of the horses the General Assembly of 1913 passed a law requiring the enrollment of all stallions and jacks by a board of three men representing the Indiana Horse Breeders' Association, the State Board of Agriculture, and the staff in Animal Husbandry of Purdue University. The aim of this enroliment is the prevention of breeding to stallions with transmissible unsoundnesses, and the purification of the business, for advertisements are now required to state whether the stallion is pure, cross, grade, or scrub, and the certificate of enrollment is to be posted at the home stable and wherever service is offered. Up to the first of November, 1914, the results of this enrollment showed that out of 4,743 stallions, 2,537 were pure bred, 1,153 grade, and 1,049 scrub. The pure percherons, numbering in all 1,182, were most popular in the northern part of the state; on the other hand, there were more grades in the southern half. The great bulk of the eleven hundred jacks were southwest of a line drawn from Lafayette to Vevay. The superiority of the pure bred horse has been demonstrated by Professor Thompson of Purdue, who has shown the selling value of this animal to be $47.50 greater than that of the grade at one year and to be $100 greater at four years. The total value of the horses sold in 1913 was eleven and a half million dollars, and that of the mules was about three million. Of course not all these sales were by the breeders, yet the figures give some idea of the size of the business. Means of Encouraging Agriculture. Because so large a proportion of the voters in Indiana. are farmers, one would expect the General Assembly to do a great deal for agriculture, and a study of the situation discloses some excellent legislation. In the first place, the drainage laws have been so framed as to give the farmer every fair opportunity to remove surplus water. In the second place, the law encourages the construction of good roads by making their financing as easy as possible. Third, the owners of land are required to cut weeds if the view of a highway passing thru or beside their fields is obstructed by the growths, and they are to receive credit for such work on their road taxes. Likewise, owners of contiguous property are allowed to form associations for coöperation in ridding their orchards of the scales and other enemies of good fruit. Fourth, the state annually gives money to the State Corn Growers' Association, the State Livestock Breeders' Association, the State Dairymen's Association, and to other societies which promote various agricultural interests. Fifth, there is a State Board of Agriculture, which is merely a commission to organize the annual State Fair. The law allows, also, the formation of county societies for the improvement of agriculture and permits the counties to lend money to such organizations. The result of these laws is a large number of fairs, fifty-two being scheduled in 1915. The exact value of such fairs can never be estimated. Un doubtedly in the past they have been potent educational institutions, and perhaps they are still useful to set standards for products and to advertise new methods, while they certainly promote enjoyable sociability. Sixth, in 1913, it was made possible for not less than twenty-five persons to form a "coöperative" company, corporation, or association, and to distribute the profits in proportion to the value of goods bought from the society, to the commodities sold to it, or to service rendered to it. This law enables farmers to coöperate in the disposal of products or in the purchase of seeds, implements, and other supplies. Buying and selling thru such agencies are conducted with marked success in many states, and it is to be hoped that the Indiana farmers will speedily learn to unite as do those of Oregon, California, and Nova Scotia. Finally, the Department of Geology has been conducting soil surveys of the important agricultural counties in order to assist the farmers in scientifically undertaking the solution of their problems of fertilization and of soil modification. All these and many other attempts to aid agriculture, fade into insignificance beside one great institution, Purdue. Founded on the Morrill Grant of 1862, and frequently laughed at in the days when applied science was considered sacrilege, this combination of school and experiment station has attained a commanding position in Indiana farming. The college which opened its doors in March, 1874, under the presidency of A. C. Shortridge, obtained in 1900 the services of W. E. Stone and under his guidance the enrollment has grown to over twenty-five hundred. In March, 1915. there were five hundred seventy-seven undergraduate students of agriculture. Altho some of these men devote themselves to teaching and research, a large per cent become farmers, and have a chance to demonstrate the cash value of their training, and to set high standards for their neighbors. Thus, the educational power of the University cannot be estimated in terms of the students brought to its classes. This is particularly true since the foundation in 1912 of the summer school for teachers of agriculture, manual training, and domestic science, for in six weeks these instructors can absorb much that will be helpful to the pupils in the common schools. The short courses for farmers given at the University have proved so valuable that it has been found advisable to carry them beyond the walls to the |