12
REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY.
Table XII gives the average yield per calf for the whole year and the
large increase of 2.6 grammes or nearly 50 per cent. is seen.
An attempt was also made to find out why the results got with any particular
batch of seed lymph were so variable in the case of calves. Table XI shows that
the yield may vary from 19 to 2 grammes, besides which there are total failures
amounting to about 6 per cent. The time of ripening varies also within wide
limits 72—120 or more hours, and this with the same lymph applied in exactly the
same way. From a certain date every calf admitted into the Institute was classi-
fied under the following headings :—Admission number, Serial number, Sex, Size,
Colouration of skin, Texture of skin, and Surface feel of skin. On vaccination and
pulping, the period, quality and appearance of the lines together with the yield per
calf were noted in corresponding columns. Over 500 calves were so examined.
The texture of the skin being considered as probably the most important the
average yield per animal was calculated in the following groups :—
Thin and soft skin—that is having little subcutaneous tissue but the actual
skin of loose texture.
Thin and hard—having little subcutaneous tissue but the skin of dense firm
texture.
Thick and soft—Thick and hard—having subcutaneous tissue and with the
actual skin of loose and dense texture, respectively.
19.
TABLE XIII.
Skin thin and soft ...
„
hard ...
Skin thick and soft ...
„
hard ...
Animals.
169
150
186
20
Average yield
in grammes.
6.98
5.62
6.06
6.82
Failures.
6
4
17
0
Percentage of
failure.
3.55 per cent.
2.6
„
9.1
„
0.0
„
The average yield over the whole series was 6.5 grammes. It must be admit-
ted that these figures do not afford much support for a system of selection. Special
features are the high percentage of failures in thick and soft skins, contrasting
with no failures in thick and hard ones. The latter are however too few in number
to compare with the others. It would almost appear as if a skin can be too soft as
well as too hard. In group 2 the yield is definitely the lowest, while in group 3
the yield is also below the general average and the percentage of failure is high.
In group I with no subcutaneous tissue but a loose textured skin and in group
IV with soft subcutaneous tissue but a loose textured skin the yields are approxi-
mately the same, and well above the average.
20. Further analyses were made with regard to the varying points of the
animals, but in these it was endeavoured to test the virtue or the reverse of any
particular point by its effect on the percentage of animals showing—
(1) specially good vesiculation (that is selected for seed lymph). Quality
good.
(2) Total failure of vesiculation.
(3) Yield more than three grammes above the average, i.e., good quantity.
(4) Yield more than three grammes below the average.
21. Table XIV gives these results :—
TABLE XIV.
—
Cow
...
...
...
...
Bull
...
...
...
...
Large
...
...
...
...
Medium ... ... ... ...
Smal
...
...
...
...
Specially
good
quality.
PER CENT.
5.4
7.7
4.5
5.3
10.7
Failure.
PER CENT.
5.0
7.7
5.7
4.1
18.0
Specially
good
quantity.
PER CENT.
13.0
3.85
17.0
12.0
7.1
Yield small.
PER CENT.
4.2
0.0
3.4
4.4
0.0