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137
supplementation of winter pasture with the object
of increasing the protein intake of animals should
greatly benefit the cattle and sheep industries of
their country.
Leitch [1937] has remarked that in addition to
the direct influence of under-nutrition or mal-
nutrition due to imbalance of the constituents of
diet, vitamins, proteins or minerals on growth,
fertility and production, there is the other, possibly
even more interesting and important, indirect
effect through its modifying action on susceptibility
to infections. There is evidence that it may be an
important pre-disposing factor in infection with
Br. abortus. Ross and Graham [1933] have
specifically investigated the effects of the im-
proved pastures in (a) increasing the degree of
parasitism owing to the heavier stocking carried,
or (b) so improving the nutritional state of the
sheep that the animals are able to resist infestation
or at least the effects of infestation. Ross and
Gordon [1933] pointed out that in sheep kept on a
diet low in protein and minerals the resistance to
Haemonchus contortus was completely broken down.
Richardson [1935] has stated that it may be
that climatic factors affect the protein and mineral
contents of a pasture and the difference in mineral
content of pastures in tropical and temperate
regions may be caused by a differential effect of
climate on the rate of nitrogen and mineral
uptake on the one hand and rate of growth on the
other. Bonsma [1940] has discussed the influence
of climatological factors on cattle and is of opinion
that livestock react strongly to climatic changes,
because these changes affect their vital physiologi-
cal functions such as internal combustion or meta-
bolism, respiration, body temperature, habit, fertili-
ty, etc. The activity of endocrines like the pitui-
tary and adrenal glands is also affected. The
problem of under-development of cattle in tropi-
cal and sub-tropical regions is closely connected
with the climate and temperature of the regions
in which the animals are kept. Teodoreanu [1938]
has reported that domestic animals brought from
one region to another show variability of different
degrees depending on the influences of climatic
and food changes on their constitution, resistance,
production, etc. It is possible to distinguish
three types of such modifications.
1. In the first, the animals are subjected to
non-hereditary modifications which can be ob-
served and appraised by a competent eye and com-
bated by prophylactic measures. The different
parts of the body are subjected to slight diminu-
tions from the original size. Robustness suffers as
well as the productions of milk and beef.
2. The second class embraces animals showing
hereditary variations during several generations.
Constitution and production diminish until ap-
proaching that of the local breeds.
3. The third class embraces those animals that
fail to become acclimatized. These degenerate gra-
dually and disappear after three or four generations.
Henderson [1931] in discussing the relationship
of pica in cattle to trypanosomiasis has concluded
that (a) Pica in Northern Nigeria bears a close
relationship to trypanosomiasis of cattle, (b) the
infection by trypanosomiasis causes an acidosis
in animals with consequent upset of the ' alkali
reserve ' of the blood, (c) the excessive excretion
of sodium and calcium during an acidosis cannot
be compensated by the amount of these elements
in the herbage normally grazed by cattle, (d) the
uncompensated loss of sodium and calcium leads
to a craving for salts containing these elements
and it is expressed by the showing of pica symp-
toms.
Bisschop [1940] read a paper entitled ' Bionomic
studies on indigenous and exogenous cattle in the
semi-arid regions of the Union of South Africa '
at the Seventh International Genetical Congress,
Edinburgh in August 1939 and the suggestions for
work under Indian conditions contained in this
note are based largely on the work reported in his
article.
B. India
Under-nutrition, owing to lack of sufficient
fodder for animals in the country, is probably the
most important limiting factor to the development
of cattle in India. In addition to general lack of
fodder, however, there are in some areas marked
deficiencies of minerals, protein and certain vita-
mins in the fodder. It is known that in many
districts, in this sub-continent, the soil is poor in
phosphates. Thus in Bihar soils, Davis [1918]
found that the total phosphorus percentage varied
between 0.086 to 0.137 and the amount available
from a trace to 0.002 compared with about
0.27 and 0.16 respectively in good soils. The
report of the Department of Agriculture of Madras
for 1918-19 states that the crying need for almost
all crops in Southern India is phosphoric acid.
This poverty of the soil in phosphorus affects not
only the composition but also the bulk of the pas-
ture. Deficiency of phosphorus in the soil is,
therefore, probably an important factor, both in
under-nutrition and in malnutrition. Davis [1917]
attributes low milk yield of cows in Bihar to defici-
ency in phosphorus in the pastures, and McCarrison
[1927] has stated that in Bihar and on the coast
of Malabar mortality among cattle is high, sterility
is common, and the milk yield of cows low. These
conditions are associated with pica. MaCarrison
suspects the cause to be lack of phosphorus.
Warth [1927] puts forward the idea that it is
probable that cattle in India suffer from deficiency
of minerals other than phosphorus and that there
may be a deficiency of common salt, i.e. of