December, 1954 ]
N.
D.
KEHAR
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per cent of the deleterious potassium oxalate in the straw as a result of which the
assimilation of calcium from a ration containing treated rice straw is materially
improved. It was also shown that the feeding of treated straw affects greater uti-
lization of protein.
In view of the above findings, a developmental scheme was undertaken to study
by simple feeding experiments, the practicability of using alkali-treated wheat and
paddy straws under field conditions.
These feeding experiments were carried out in the paddy straw area at the
pinjrapole at Sodepur in Bengal and gowshala at Puri in Orissa. In the wheat straw
area the two dairy farms selected were those of Sir Datar Singh at Montgomery
(Punjab before partition) and Messrs. Govin Brothers at Rampur (Uttar Pradesh).
It was decided that during the course of experimentation, except introducing
the particular straw, untreated and treated for the control and experimental groups
respectively, the routine practice in these places, in regard to feeding and manage-
ment of animals, should remain undisturbed.
Feeding trials showed that the palatability of the treated and untreated straw
was almost the same with the only difference that the alkali-treated straw was
preferred by the animals and they always took less time in eating their quota.
Interesting observations were obtained on the change in live-weight of the
calves of the experimental group as compared with those of the control group. It
was found that of the two rice straw stations the rate of growth of the calves of the
alkali-treated group at Puri was significantly higher than that of the control group,
the difference between the two rates being as high as 77 per cent. It was also cal-
culated that the number of days required to gain 100 lb. weight was 452 and 256 for
the control and experimental groups respectively. Thus under conditions of feeding
operating at Puri there was saving of 196 days in the time for the gain of 100 lb. in
body weight. At Sodepur also the difference was approaching the 5 per cent level
of significance.
Among the wheat straw stations the results at Montgomery showed that the
feeding of alkali-treated straw accelerated the rate of growth by about 19 per cent,
the difference between the two rates being significant. The animals of the experi-
mental group took 76 days to gain a weight of 100 lb. as against 90 days by the
control group.
At Rampur the animals suffered from an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
It is likely that due to high variation that existed among the different growth rates
on account of this disease, the rate of acceleration as a result of feeding the treated
straw was not found to be significant.
Economics of the feeding trial on growth rate indicated that with the nutritional
level as existed at Puri, the feeding of the alkali-treated straw should be expected to
make a saving of 13 per cent in cost for the same gain in weight. At Montgomery,
however, where the plane of nutrition was high and corresponded to Morrison stan
dard, the cost of feeding and management for the same gain in weight both for the
control and alkali-treated group worked out to be of almost the same order.
The feeding of the alkali-treated straw was found to be, in general, beneficial
to the growth of animals. The extent of its effect was, however, not found to be