286 ABSTRACTS
Some cases responded very well to the treatment and it became evident from the
chemical examination of blood and urine of treated cases that A. P. L. had some definite
merit and. it appeared to be the only treatment required in some cases. The writers ad-
mit that the data obtained by them are too few to substantiate the claim that these hor-
mone preparations are specific in the treatment of ketosis though in some cases their
use appeared to have had some merit especially as a few of their serious cases of ketosis
recovered with no other therapy.
In most severe cases of acetonemia in valuable cows where the speedy return to high
milk production is desirable it would appear wise to combine the use of A. P. L. with
dextrose, calcium gluconate and chloral. These writers believe that the anterior pituit-
ary lobe hormones may have a definite place in the treatment of disorders that afflict
the dairy cow at or near parturition.
[P. R. K. I.]
Maintenance protein requirements of sheep. (a) The endogenous nitrogen
metabolism of sheep with special reference to the maintenance require-
ment of protein. D. B. SMUTS AND J. S. C. MARAIS (1938). Onderstepoort
J. Vet. Sci. & Anim. Indust 11, 131. (b) The endogenous nitrogen
metabolism of young sheep with special reference to the estimation of the
maintenance requirement of sheep. D. B. SMUTS AND J. S. C. MARAIS
(1939). Onderstepoort J. Vet. Sci. & Anim. Indus. 13, 219.
(a)
THE authors subscribe to the view that the maintenance requirement of nitrogen
of an animal can be measured by the total nitrogen excretion in the urine after the
endogenous level is attained. On this basis the endogenous urinary nitrogen excretion
of mature Merino wethers was determined. The nitrogen-free diet consisted of dextri¬
nised starch, agar, cod-liver oil, bone ash and salt. A constant level of endogenous
nitrogen excretion, viz. 0.041 gm. per kg. body-weight was reached in from 6-15 days of
nitrogen free feeding, the length of this period depending on the protein content of the
diet on which the animals were kept prior to nitrogen free feeding. The distribution of
the urinary end products, e.g. creatinine, total sulphur and neutral sulphur at endogenous
level was also determined. On the result of this experiment the maintenance require-
ment of a 100 lb. sheep for digestible protein was calculated to be 23 gm. ; this figure
is rather less than that advocated in the usual standards.
(b)
In this study an experiment similar to that in (a) was conducted on young Merino
wethers with a view to establishing their maintenance requirement. The animals were
put for three weeks on a 14 per cent protein ration previous to nitrogen free feeding.
In this experiment it was found necessary to include some wheat straw and to reduce the
agar in order to ensure an adequate energy intake. The endogenous level was reached
on the 5th or 6th day of experimental feeding, in contrast with 14 days with mature
sheep. The endogenous nitrogen excretion was found to be 0.051 gm. per kg. for four months
old wethers. This corresponds to a requirement of 29 gm. digestible protein for a 100 lb.
sheep. A formula for determining the maintenance requirement of sheep was suggested
by the authors and its application tested. Moreover, it was shown that the basal meta-
bolism of sheep can be predicted from the endogenous nitrogen, and that the figures
arrived at agree very well with the values published in the literature.
[R. M.]
Dry skim milk in rations for growing, laying and breeding fowls. W. H. OTT.,
H. C. KNANDEL AND R. V. BOUCHER (1939). Pennsylv. Agri. Expt. Sta.
Bull. 381, 1
A LTHOUGH the value of skim milk in. poultry rations is widely recognised, there
is comparatively little information regarding the optimum amounts which should
be fed to various classes of poultry. This bulletin gives the results of an investigation
carried out to test whether or not the addition of dry skim milk improves an already
high grade and well balanced basal ration, and to ascertain the optimum amounts neces-
sary.