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ANIMAL RESEARCH DIVISION REPORT OF J. F. FILMER, DIRECTOR The primary function of the Animal Research Division is, and always must be, research. It is realized, however, that animal research is of no value unless the results are made available to the live-stock owners who are to use them. Obviously, research workers cannot undertake this distribution of knowledge, or they would have no time for research. During the year some progress has been made in solving this difficult problem. The first Farmers' Conference Week was held at Ruakura and was attended by over 600 farmers. The proceedings have been printed and copies are on sale. A refresher course for departmental and other veterinarians was held at Ruakura, the subject being animal fertility. It is intended to repeat both these events annually. An Animal Research Extension Officer has been appointed at Ruakura to assist the Superintendent in arranging such conferences and to organize other forms of extension work such as broadcasts and films. One day of the refresher course for club veterinarians was held at Wallaceville, and two weeks' extra-mural training was provided there for 20 final-year veterinary students. In addition there have been numerous visits from organized parties and individual farmers to Wallaceville, Ruakura, and Manutuke. The importance of problems of hill farming prompted the purchase of a typical hill property of approximately 1,400 acres in the Raglan district, and this is being developed as an out-station of Ruakura. Diagnostic Services There has again been a marked increase in the specimens submitted to the Diagnostic Section at Wallaceville, as shown in the following table in which the 1948-49 figures are given in parentheses :

Number and Types of Specimens Received 1st April, 1949, to 31st March, 1950

A case represents all the material submitted, at one time by a single individual and a specimen represents each unit of material in a case. The milk samples include 1,504 submitted from mastitis cases, many from herds or quarters which failed to respond to penicillin treatment. The streptococci and staphylococci isolated were tested for penicillin sensitivity and the staphylococci by the coagulase test, which is the best single index of pathogenicity. No penicillin-resistant strains of streptococci were found in the 26 tested and of the 63 strains of staphylococci tested only 1, an atypical non-hsemolytic organism, was resistant.

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Species. Cases. Specimens. Cattle— Blood samples 505 2,706 Milk samples 232 1,776 Other samples 1,050 2,692 Sheep 868 2,068 Pigs 301 720 Fowls .. . . 965 2,284 Horses 118 315 Dogs 123 234 Bees 86 Miscellaneous 487 637 4,649 (3,417) 13,518 (10,214)