S.
GANAPATHY
IYER
165
poor in lime, but finished rice is poorer still having
one-fourth of the percentage in kura. Of the
total phosphorus in rice and its by-products
as much as 51 to 94 per cent consist of phytin.
Several processes for stimulating its better utiliza-
tion were tried but the work could not be pursued
further due to the retirement of the author from
service. Work on this highly important and
interesting problem deserves further attention.
SUMMARY
The limitations forming the special feature
of Bengal with regard to the problems of animal
nutrition have been discussed.
The general feeding value of rice straw has
been dealt with.
Since the straw is highly unbalanced, it is
not properly utilized unless it is fed with more
nutritious supplement.
The soil condition and environment exercise
a profound influence on general as well as specific
characters of the straw in an area.
In order to get dependable results, feeding and
metabolic tests should be conducted with local
animals under local conditions of feeding.
Rice straw contains an appreciable amount
of oxalic acid which has the property of keeping
lime in an insoluble form. This substance has
been found to vary according to soil and climate.
A large amount of potash as found in rice straw
is another factor causing disturbance in lime
metabolism. In order that removal of these
substances could be efficiently carried out several
methods have been suggested.
Mustard cake in combination with rice straw
gave satisfactory results as regards protien and
many other components. But the excess drainage
of potash under its combination is an unsatis-
factory feature. An excess drainage of potash
will be avoided by feeding rice straw with other
concentrates than mustard cake.
Preliminary work on the utilizability of rice¬
kura and rice by-products as cattle feed was
also undertaken.
THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF DUCKS TO NEWCASTLE (RANIKHET) DISEASE
By S. GANAPATHY IYER, Research Officer (Pathology), Poultry Research Section,
Imperial Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar
(Received for publication on 28 November 1944)
(Received for publication
NEWCASTLE (or Ranikhet) disease has been
reported in a variety of birds, both domesticated
and wild, but is most common in fowls. Workers
in India and other countries have reported that
ducks are susceptible to the virus [Doyle, 1927;
Farinas, 1930; Cooper, 1931 and Picard, 1934].
Cooper, however, stated that 'although occasion-
ally ducks became affected by artificial inocula-
tion and the virus could be recovered from them,
those birds were found to be relatively highly
resistant'. Dobson [1939] is apparently the
only worker to have reported that ducks are
resistant to both experimental and natural infec-
tion. The writer has frequently heard from
breeders and disease investigation officers in
this country that ducks in infected localities
have remained free from the disease. In view,
therefore, of the diversity of opinion regarding
the susceptibility of ducks to the Newcastle
virus, the writer*, decided to inaugurate a series
of experiments.
* This work was carried out at the Ministry of Agriculture,
Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, England, under a scheme
financed by the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research,
New Delhi.
on 28 November 1944)
EXPERIMENTAL
Mature Pennine ducks and ducklings were used.
Fowl-passaged Newcastle virus, prepared by
suspending in 1.0 per cent saline a mixture of
infected liver and spleen in equal quantities,
was used for subcutaneous inoculation. One
c.c. of this suspension contained one million
M.L.D.
The experimental birds were kept individually
in coops during the entire period of observation.
RESULTS.
Experiment I (Table I)
Transmission
experiments. (1) On 10
November 1939, two ducks were injected each
with 1 c.c. virus. As no reaction occurred,
they were injected 26 days later with 10 c.c.
virus. They remained healthy. To complete
the observation, they were bled for serum and
killed 40 days after the first injection.
(2) On 17 November 1939, two ducks
were exposed to infection by placing them in a
contaminated coop. They remained healthy
though fowls had previously died of the infection
K