bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative anatomical studies of the composition of the pig at 50, 68 and 92 kg. carcass weight I. Experimental material and methods
Authors: Cuthbertson A. , Pomeroy R. W.
Published: March 2009

1. The object of the experiment was to make a detailed investigation of the carcass composition of Large White hogs at 68, 91 and 118 kg. live weight (i.e. 50, 68 and 92 kg. carcass weight). Ten hogs were dissected at each stage.

2. A dissection technique suitable for this investigation is described, involving the dissection of one side into individual bones and muscles, subcutaneous and intermuscular fat deposits, skin, tendon, glands and blood vessels. Some possible modifications of the method for future investigations are also discussed.

3. The complete dissection of one side took approximately 110 man-hours and the average weight loss in dissection was 0·798%.
Quantitative anatomical studies of the composition of the pig at 50, 68 and 92 kg. carcass weight II. Gross composition and skeletal composition
Authors: Cuthbertson A. , Pomeroy R. W.
Published: March 2009

1. Results are presented concerning the gross composition of pig carcasses at 50, 68 and 92 kg. carcass weight in ten litters. They show that during the periods under consideration the proportion of muscle in the carcass exceeded that of the other tissues. However, while the rates of growth of muscle and bone were similar the growth rate of fat was markedly greater. The result was that at 92 kg. the proportions of muscle and fat in the carcass were 43·53 and 41·37%, respectively.

2. Results are also presented dealing with the relative development of the different parts of the skeleton. Of the five major anatomical regions of the skeleton the sacrum grew relatively fastest between 50 and 68 kg. carcass weight while the cervical vertebrae grew fastest in the second period. In both periods the bones of the thorax and loin grew at rates intermediate between the fastest and slowest growing regions.
Comparisons between methods of measuring soluble phosphorus and potassium in soils used for fertilizer experiments on sugar beet
Authors: Warren R. G. , Cooke G. W.
Published: March 2009

Eleven years of field experiments on manuring sugar beet were used by the late E. M. Crowther to compare methods of analysing soils for soluble P and K; this paper reports his work.

The experiments were divided by soil analyses into groups of equal numbers of sites; average crop responses were used to value the analytical methods. Such tables of average data overvalue soil analyses because each method was misleading in a small proportion of the fields used. A quantitative way was developed of assessing the gains from using soil analysis in planning fertilizing and of comparing analytical methods. The total profit from uniformly manuring all the soils examined was compared with the profit made by using analyses to select a proportion only of the soils to be manured; the total amount of fertilizer used was the same with each way of planning manuring. The most efficient analytical method gave the most profit.

For phosphate, differential manuring of sites selected by soil analysis was more profitable than uniform manuring, with all the methods of measuring soluble P that were tested. The best method used a rapid extraction with dilute hydrochloric acid, but extracting with water (calcium bicarbonate solution was used for calcareous soils), or with citric acid solution, was nearly as effective. These three methods, using little solvent relative to soil, were more useful than methods using larger volumes of dilute sulphuric acid, dilute acetic acid, and a lactate solution.

The sugar beet responded more often to K than to P manuring, so there was less chance of making extra profit by using analyses to detect the richer soils where either no K fertilizer, or small dressings only, should have been given. Using the citric acid method of measuring soluble-K to separate the soils into groups for differental manuring was more profitable than giving uniform dessings to all fields; acetic acid was less effective than citric acid, and the hydrochloric acid method gave no advantage over uniform manuring with the heavier rate of potassium. Water-soluble K measurements were worse than acid-soluble values; using them to predict responses and manuring would have given less profit than uniform manuring at the heavier rate used.
Studies on the cutting management of grass-clover swards. III. The effects of prolonged close and lax cutting on herbage yields and quality
Authors: Reid D.
Published: March 2009

1. The effects of two heights of cutting—down to either 1 in. or 2–2½ in. from ground level—on herbage yields were studied for five seasons with a perennial rye-grass-white clover mixture and for three seasons with a timothy-white clover mixture. Superimposed on these height-of-cutting treatments were treatments simulating strip grazing with and without a back-fence, and also three fertilizer nitrogen treatments.

2. Over the 5-year period the rye-grass mixture consistently gave greater dry-matter and crude-protein yields of herbage when cut to 1 in. than it did when cut to 2–2½ in. from ground level, the mean dry-matter yield difference being 34%. The decline in the total yield per season with increasing age of the grass sward was similar under both heights of cutting.

3. The effects of the height-of-cutting treatments on the timothy mixture were similar to those noted on the rye-grass mixture in the first three seasons of the experiment, but in the third year the beneficial effects of close cutting were much reduced. It is suggested that this resulted from the rest period between cuts being insufficient for timothy to recover fully from the close defoliation.

4. The effects of the height-of-cutting treatments on the botanical composition of the sward were slight, particularly on plots of the rye-grass mixture.

5. Possible factors leading to the observed effects of the height-of-cutting treatments are discussed with reference to the results of other workers and to the results from a preliminary study of the differential effects of the treatments on stem and leaf formation in perennial rye-grass.

6. A simulation of strip grazing with and without a back-fence showed that the herbage yields from both seeds mixtures under both height-of-cutting treatments were considerably reduced by the removal of the regrowth which could take place in the absence of a back-fence.

7. The effects of delaying the first nitrogenoua fertilizer application of the season noted in an earlier experiment were fully confirmed in this experiment.
Genetic variability in time to germination of sugar-beet clusters
Authors: Battle J. P. , Whittington W. J.
Published: March 2009

An analysis of germination characteristics of progeny from a diallel cross between five sugar-beet plants showed that the genotype of the maternal parent controlled to a marked extent the behaviour of the progeny. This may be related to the presence in the fruits of inhibitory substances.

Some evidence was found for genie and maternal interactions but these were always of less importance than the maternal effects. Heritability estimates from parent, off spring regression and analysis of half-sib family variances demonstrated that genetic variation for germination characteristics had not been eliminated during the improvement of sugar beet from the wild form.
Evaluation of phosphate fertilizers. III. Immediate and residual values of potassium metaphosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate for potatoes, radishes, barley and ryegrass
Authors: Mattingly G. E. G. , Penny A. , Blakemore Marie
Published: March 2009

Triple superphosphate (21.6% P), potassium metaphosphate (25.0% P) and magnesium ammonium phosphate (19.0% P) were compared as phosphate fertilizers alone and in combination, and as powders and granules, in two experiments on acid soils. Basal nutrients were adjusted to allow for the amounts of N, K, and Mg in the test fertilizers. Immediate effects of the fertilizers were measured by early potatoes and barley, and residual effects by radishes and ryegrass.

All powdered fertilizers, alone or in combination, were equivalent to powdered superphosphate for early potatoes. The value of granular fertilizers for potatoes increased with the proportion of superphosphate in the mixtures. Superphosphate equivalents of the granular fertilizers were: magnesium ammonium phosphate, 14%; potassium metaphosphate + magnesium ammonium phosphate, 36%; potassium metaphosphate, 53%; superphosphate + potassium metaphosphate + magnesium ammonium phosphate, 54%; superphosphate + magnesium ammonium phosphate, 60%; superphosphate + potassium metaphosphate, 81%.

Residues from powdered fertilizers, applied to potatoes, were equivalent, for radishes, to residues from powdered superphosphate. Residues from granular fertilizers were more effective for radishes than residues from powders.

All powdered fertilizers were equivalent to powdered superphosphate for barley cut green. Granular magnesium ammonium phosphate, either alone or mixed with potassium metaphosphate, was slightly less effective than powder.

Residues from all powdered fertilizers applied to barley were equivalent for ryegrass. Residues from granular fertilizers, especially potassium metaphosphate and magnesium ammonium phosphate, produced more grass than residues from powders.

Apparent recoveries of P by the four crops ranged from 24% to 32% and were more from granules than from powders. Residues from all fertilizers increased 0.5M-NaHCO3-soluble P in soils, and mean yields of ryegrass, the final test crop, increased by 3.2 to 5.1 cwt dry matter/acre/ppm NaHCO3-soluble P in the soils.
Field trials on hexoestrol implantation of steers on New Zealand farms
Authors: Everitt G. C. , Carter A. H.
Published: March 2009

Field trials on hexoestrol implantation were conducted in the Waikato area of the North Island of New Zealand during 1958–59, involving 260 two and three year old Aberdeen Angus steers from nine farms. Two levels of hormone implantation were studied, namely, 30 and 45 mg. The trials ranged in duration from three to five months with an average of four months.

Pronounced differences were apparent between farms in the overall growth rates and carcass quality scores of the cattle.

Hexoestrol implantation led to a significant increase in carcass weight, estimated at approximately 22 lb., with little evidence of real differences between farms in the average response to the hormone.

Response to the higher as compared with the lower dose of hexoestrol varied markedly among the separate farms. In general, the lower dose of 30 mg. tended to yield the greater increase in carcass weight.

A small, but consistent, depression of carcass quality scores was manifest under hormone treatment, with no real differences between the two dosage levels.
The digestible energy content of some tropical forages
Authors: Butterworth M. H.
Published: March 2009

1. The content of gross and digestible energy of twenty-four forages grown in Trinidad was determined using samples of food and faeces from previously described digestibility trials.

2. The content of gross energy of the forages ranged from 4-13 to 5-02 kcal./g. and that of digestible energy, from 2-23 to 3-20 kcal./g. The corresponding regression equations could be used for the prediction of digestible energy.

4. The calorific equivalent of TDN was calculated in each case and the mean value was found to be 2114 kcal./lb. Highly significant differences in this parameter existed among diets.
A simple instrument for the measurement of low air speeds, with special reference to pig housing
Authors: Mount L. E.
Published: March 2009

1. A simple inexpensive anemometer is described; the instrument is intended for general husbandry use.

2. The essential part of the apparatus is a 1 in. diameter electrically heated duralumin sphere
capping a mercury-in-glass thermometer.

3. Charts are given relating wind-speed to sphere temperature, ambient temperature and heat input to the sphere. No further calibration is required.
Leys and soil organic matter
Authors: Clement C. R. , Williams T. E.
Published: March 2009

1. The increase in soil carbon has been assessed in arable land sown to different leys variously managed.

2. Under swards cut for herbage conservation, carbon in the top 15 cm. of soil increased by about 0-05 % each year. Although an increase of 0-3 % was found immediately under drills of cocksfoot grown for seed production, there was no increase midway between the drills and, for a given area of land, the carbon increment under such row-crops is probably similar to that under cut swards.
Studies on the muscles of meat animals
Authors: Lawrie R. A. , Pomeroy R. W. , Cuthbertson A.
Published: March 2009

1. The contents of moisture, intramuscular fat and total nitrogen in various muscles of boars at 200 and 260 lb. live weight have been compared with corresponding data from hogs.

2. Although total nitrogen was higher and moisture and fat lower in the muscles of boars than those of hogs at 200 lb. live weight the converse tended to apply when comparisons were made at 260 lb.
Some results of multiple-mating; and superovulation in sheep
Authors: Slee J.
Published: March 2009

Thirty-two ewes (of which 22 were P.M.S.- treated) were individually mated, each one either
to two different rams or to four different rams successively, at predetermined intervals of time during a single oestrus period. The onset of heat was determined by a raddled vasectomized ram with free access to the ewe flock. Since each ram used was of a different breed the genotypes of the resulting lambs denoted which of the matings on each ewe had been effective.
Objective appraisal of intact lamb and mutton carcasses
Authors: Thwaites C. J. , Yeates N. T. M. , Pogue R. F.
Published: March 2009

An objective appraisal system for intact lamb and mutton carcasses utilizing a fleshing index to relate carcass weight and length is presented. Gross fleshing index is defined as the number of pounds by which any carcass is heavier or lighter than the average carcass of its particular length. Penalty for overfatness is made when necessary by an estimation technique involving measurement of fat status at the level of the first lumbar vertebra on the intact carcass with the aid of a steel probe. The net fleshing index, a simple numerical expression of carcass fleshing, is arrived at by deducting the penalty for overfatness (when necessary) from the gross fleshing index. The greater the net fleshing index the greater the relative merit of the carcass.
The relationship between the serum magnesium concentration of grazing ewes and their dry matter intake and milk yield
Authors: L'Estrange J. L. , Owen J. B. , Wilman D.
Published: March 2009

1. A group of six lactating ewes, rotationally grazed a low-nitrogen treated plot (40 lb nitrogen applied in early March) and a similar group a highnitrogen treated plot (1001b nitrogen applied in early March and 60 lb at monthly intervals thereafter, all as Nitro-chalk) from mid-April to early July, and the concentrations of serum magnesium and calcium along with food intake and milk yields of the ewes were studied.
Factors affecting magnesium absorption in relation to the aetiology of acute hypomagnesaemia
Authors: Care A. D. , Vowles L. B. , Mann S. O. , Ross D. B.
Published: March 2009

The absorption of28Mg from the gastro-intestinal tract of sheep has been measured on both hay and spring grass diets, each of which supplied approximately the same amount of magnesium daily. A hypomagnesaemic response to the latter diet was accompanied by a reduction in the efficiency of magnesium absorption and was not merely due to the presence of bound magnesium in spring grass.
A Comparison between the effects of ryegrass and white clover on the iodine values and melting points of some depot fats of sheep
Authors: Shorland F. B. , Czochanska Z. , Barton R. A. , Rae A. L.
Published: March 2009

1. The mean iodine values and melting points of the fats from 16-month-old Romney wethers grazed on different pasture species including: perennial ryegrass or short-rotation ryegrass alone or admixed with white clover were as follows perinephric, i.v. 41.3-46.1, M.P. 47.7-49.4°C; omental, i.v. 43.2-47.4, M.P. 46.6-47.4°C; subcutaneous, i.v. 46.4-50.4, M.P. 44.2-46.0°C and 1. dorsi muscle, i.v. 57.5-60.3, M.P. 39.7-41.5°C. The iodine values were several units higher than those obtained previously (Shorland etal. 1962) for corresponding fats from mature Romney ewes.
Non-sward densities for the assessment of yield in italian ryegrass:I. Comparison between sward and non-sward densities
Authors: England F.
Published: March 2009

An experiment was conducted to compare the relative performance of fourteen populations of Italian ryegrass at sward and three non-sward densities. The non-sward densities were 3 in sown rows, 6 in square planting and 3 in square planting.Seven of the populations were commercial cultivars and seven were 50:50 mixtures of two cultivars.
High level cereal diets for the growing/finishing pig:I. The effect of cereal preparation and water level on the performance of pigs fed diets containing high levels of wheat
Authors: Lawrence T. L. J.
Published: March 2009

1. In a 3 x 2 x 2 factorial experiment forty-eight Large White type pigs (twenty-four hogs and twenty-four gilts) were individually and restrictedly fed, at either a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio of water to dry food, a diet containing 70% wheat prepared in either crimped, rolled or ground form. A further six litter-mate Large White type hog pigs were used in digestibility and nitrogen retention studies.
Field experiments on the fertilizer requirements of maincrop potatoes
Authors: Birch J. A. , Devine J. R. , Holmes M. R. J. , Whitear J. D.
Published: March 2009

1. Fifty-one experiments on the nitrogen, phosphate and potash requirements of maincrop potatoes were carried out in Great Britain in 1956–62. Each experiment tested four rates of each nutrient in all combinations and both total and riddled yields and quality data were obtained.

2. Nitrogen requirement was influenced by previous cropping and the rainfall during the preceding winter. 50–80 lb/acre of N are recommended in mixed farming rotations depending on winter rainfall, and 120–150 lb/acre of N in arable rotations.

3. Yield increases from phosphate were usually larger on soils with low citric-soluble phosphate. Nevertheless, irrespective of soil phosphate status, optimum rates of application were at least 120 lb/acre of P2O5 which was the highest rate tested in most of the experiments.
The effect of nitrogen fertilizers on the water-soluble carbohydrate content of grasses
Authors: Jones D. I. H. , Griffith G. Ap , Walters R. J. K.
Published: March 2009

The effect of nitrogenous fertlizers on the watersoluble carbohydrate content of pure grass swards has been studied in three experiments.
Cation-anion relationships in crop nutrition:V. The effects of soil temperature, light intensity and soil-water tension
Authors: Cunningham R. K. , Nielsen K. F.
Published: March 2009

The effects of soil temperature, light intensity, soil-water tension and amount and form of N, on cation-anion relationships in Italian rye-grass were tested by growing grass in a clay loam in three experiments under glass. The grass had six levels of NO3-N or NH4-N with a uniform dressing of P, S, K, Ca and Mg; NH4-N was treated with 'NServe' to prevent nitrification. In the first experiment the grass was grown at 11°, 19-5° and 28° C, in the second in 100, 68 and 44% glasshouse ' daylight', and in the third at three soil-water tensions. Yields were greatest at 19-5° C, 100% glasshouse
Some observations on reproduction, weight change under lactation stress and the mothering ability of British and crossbred-Zebu cattle in the tropics
Authors: Lampkin G. H. , Kennedy J. F.
Published: March 2009

Data on the performance of British, Africander cross British and Brahman cross British females were examined. Of the animals mated only 56-0% of the homebred British cows produced live calves compared with 77-3 and 73-8% from Africander and Brahman cross cows respectively. Evidence was found that the low calving percentage for the.British females was connected with breeding stress, the British females being frequently unable to maintain weight if pregnancies occurred in two successive years. Under similar stress conditions crossbred-Zebu cows could thrive and breed and crossbred Brahmans in particular would normally maintain their weight.
Statistical research on the fate of water in the adult cow. II. The lactating cow
Authors: Paquay R. , De Baere R. , Lousse A.
Published: March 2009

Statistical tests were made on the data obtained from 100 non-pregnant lactating cows, whose milk production ranged from 4 to 22 kg/day. The cows were kept in metabolism stalls and fed 37 different rations.

The authors have studied the correlation between total water intake, faecal and urinary water losses, absorbed and available water and the numerous other factors which were analysed in each of the 37 rations.

Total water intake is closely related to the dry-matter intake and the dry-matter content of the diet; it is related also to the composition of the ingested dry matter but is unrelated to the daily milk production.

Faecal water losses are closely related to the dry-matter intake and the dry-matter content of the diet; increase of pentosans and crude-fibre intake enhances the losses.

Urinary water excretion is related to the amount of absorbed water and to the dry-matter content of the diet; a highly significant correlation exists also between urinary water and urinary nitrogen and potassium. Daily milk production and urinary water are negatively correlated.

Water secretion in the milk depends on the dry-matter intake and on its composition; but there is no significant correlation between total water intake and milk water.
Carcass composition of fattened rams and wethers of Sudan Desert sheep
Authors: Osman A. H. , Shafie S. A. El , Khattab A. G. H.
Published: March 2009

Carcass yield and chemical composition of edible meat of fifteen fattened yearling rams and fifteen fattened yearling wethers of Sudan Desert sheep were studied. The animals studied were random samples from groups which had been fattened for 2 months on three different rations. They were about 14 months old at slaughter, and their weights at slaughter ranged from 25 to 52 kg. The average dressing percentage for rams and wethers was 53·0 and 52·2% respectively. Warm carcass weights were 20·22 kg for rams and 19·64 kg for wethers, and these carcasses lost 4·2 and 3·1% of their weight respectively, after 48 h storage in the cold room at 0°C. The bone content of carcasses of rams and wethers was 23·4 and 21·3% respectively. The longissimus dorsi ‘loin eye’ area at the 12th rib was 8·6 cm2 and 8·3 cm2 for rams and wethers. The proportions of wholesale cuts in ram and wether carcasses were comparable, whereas the proportions of slaughter by-products varied between the two ‘sexes’. Mean weight of kidney fat in wethers was 50% greater than in intact rams, but the mesenteric and caul fat was heavier in rams than in wethers.

Ram carcasses had higher specific gravity than those of wether carcasses. Specific gravity was negatively correlated with fat content and positively correlated with protein, moisture and ash content of the edible meat of the carcass. The regression equations relating specific gravity to the major chemical components of meat had too high standard errors to be of predictive value in a practical sense.
The voluntary intake by sheep and cattle of silages differing in free-acid content
Authors: Mcleod D. S. , Wilkins R. J. , Raymond W. F.
Published: March 2009

The free-acid content of grass silages was reduced by the addition of sodium bicarbonate to the silage and increased by additions of lactic acid. In each of four comparisons the addition of sodium bicarbonate to increase pH from about 4·0 to about 5·4 resulted in significant increases in intake of dry matter which ranged from 9·7 to 20·7%. Intake of organic matter was consistently increased by this partial neutralization treatment, but the increases were not significant in all experiments. The addition of sodium as sodium chloride rather than sodium bicarbonate did not alter the intake of a highly acid silage. Addition of lactic acid to reduce the pH of a silage feed from 5·4 to 3·8 resulted in a decrease in dry-matter intake of 22%. The correlation between dry-matter intake and the silage characteristics: titratable acidity, total organic-acid content, lactic-acid content and pH were all significant.

It is concluded that the acids produced during the normal silage fermentation can limit the intake of the silage and it is suggested that chemical treatments to preserve wet grass without the presence or formation of large quantities of acids be investigated.
Mother–offspring relationships in Awassi sheep:I. The effect of different suckling regimes and time of weaning on the lactation curve and milk yield in dairy flocks
Authors: Folman Y. , Volcani R. , Eyal E.
Published: March 2009

Ninety-seven Awassi ewes were included in three experiments. The ewes were milked twice daily, and also suckled lambs. Three different suckling regimes (12 hours per day, 4hr. and residual milk only) and three weaning times after lambing were compared.
The influence of age of lambs on the ketogenicity of butyrate and tolerance to exogenous glucosein vivo
Authors: Manns J. G. , Boda J. M.
Published: March 2009

The blood ketone body response to butyrate (2-5mM. butyrate/kg.) and glucose tolerance (1.25 mM. glucose/kg.) were studied in lambs as a function of age. Ketonemias produced by butyrate increased with age. This finding is compatible with an increased mass of ketone body synthesizing tissue, and by an increased activity per unit of tissue weight. In the period shortly after birth, blood glucose levels and glucose tolerance were high, but both of these measurements declined with increasing age and associated development of rumen function.
The effect of roughage to concentrate ratio in the diet on protein and energy utilization by the non-pregnant ewe
Authors: Robinson J. J. , Forbes T. J.
Published: March 2009

Thirty-six Border Leicester x Scottish Blackface ewes were separated from their lambs after approximately 12 weeks lactation and brought indoors. They were allocated at random to nine dietary treatments comprising three dietary ratios of chopped roughage to concentrate, each offered at three levels of feeding. During the course of the experiment digestibility and nitrogen balance trials were carried out using three ewes from each dietary treatment.

The daily nitrogen intakes required for nitrogen equilibrium were calculated from the regressions of nitrogen intake on nitrogen retained for each of the three ratios. The intakes increased from 0·47 g/kg W0·75 on the diet containing the lowest proportion of roughage to 0·59 g/kg W0·75 on the diet containing the highest proportion of roughage. The corresponding digestible organic matter intakes did not differ significantly from the pooled value of 18·8 g/kg W0·75.

The daily digestible organic matter intakes required for the maintenance of live weight on the three ratios did not differ significantly from the pooled estimate of 26·9 g/kg W0·75 which is in close agreement with other published results. The nitrogen intakes required for the maintenance of live weight increased from 0·70 on the diet containing the lowest proportion of roughage to 0·84 g/kg W0·75/day on the diet containing the highest proportion of roughage.

The coefficients for live-weight change in the regression equations relating digestible organic matter to live weight and live-weight change for each ratio did not differ significantly from the pooled estimate of 2·0 g DOMI/g live-weight change.

The significance of the results are discussed in relation, to the nutritional status of the ewe and other research findings.
The effects of subtoxic concentrations of 2,4–D in combination with mineral nutrients on the potato (Solarium Tuberosum)
Authors: Thompson A. K.
Published: March 2009

The application of 2,4-D in combination with certain mineral nutrients was shown to produce a wide range of results on yield of the potato crop. Several variables were studied for their effects on the response of the crop to a commercially available compound of the above constituents (NCL).

While no environmental factors were shown to influence the response of the crop to NCL, the following factors did: time of application, potato variety, time of harvest, plant population and the presence or absence of the parent tuber. NCL was shown to modify the growth pattern of the crop and to increase the efficiency of the leaf canopy.
Studies in the evaluation of pasture quality with young grazing sheep:Observations on wool production, carcass appraisal and reticulo-ruminal characteristics
Authors: Gallagher J. R. , Watkin B. R.
Published: March 2009

1. The rate of clean wool production, carcass apparisal and reticulo-ruminal development of grazing sheep were used to evaluate differences in pasture quality. Perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot and tall fescue pastures were assessed as pure stands and also white clover.
The effect of seedling age, depth of planting and fertilizer placement on the growth and yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Authors: Enyi B. A. C.
Published: March 2009

1. Early transplanting of seedlings resulted in the production of rice plants with greater total tiller and leaf number, greater total leaf area, leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina, greater height, greater total fresh weight yield and yield of grain than late transplanting.

2. Early transplanting reduced the number of days from seeding to ear emergence.

3. Deep transplanting favoured greater leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina and greater maximum tiller number and reduced the percentage tiller mortality.

4. Deep placement of fertilizer resulted in the production of plants with greater tiller and total leaf numbers, greater height, greater total leaf area, leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina and greater total fresh weight and grain dry weight than surface placement.

5. Deep placement of fertilizer hastened the time of ear emergence of late transplanted seedlings.

6. The practical significance of these findings is that early transplanting of seedlings (30 days old), shallow transplanting, and deep placement of fertilizer will lead to greater yield of the rice variety BG 79.
Experiments comparing yield, and residual effects on winter wheat, of 1-year clover, rye-grass and clover-rye-grass leys
Authors: Widdowson F. V. , Penny A. , Williams R. J. B.
Published: March 2009

1. In 1958, leys of late flowering red clover (S. 151) and of Italian rye-grass (S. 22) were undersown in barley. In 1959, yield and N and K uptake by clover, and by rye-grass given 0·0, 0·75 or 1·5 cwt. N/acre, were compared; rye-grass, given 1·5 cwt. N/acre, yielded most dry matter and removed three times as much K, but rather less N than did clover.

2. In 1960, wheat given 0·0, 0·25, 0·5 or 0·75 cwt. N/acre as a top-dressing measured residual effects of the N left by each ley. When no N was given to wheat, most grain and straw was obtained after clover ley and least after rye-grass given no N. The residual N from clover was equivalent to 0·14 cwt. N/acre as a fresh top-dressing; N given to rye-grass left only a small residue. When the wheat had 0·5 or 0·75 cwt. N/acre as a top-dressing, N given to rye-grass in 1959 decreased yield, probably because the rye-grass removed much K, but K uptake at harvest was independent of ley.

3. In 1960, leys of early flowering red clover (Dorset Marl) and of Italian rye-grass (S. 22) and a mixture of the two were under-sown in barley. In 1961, yields and N and K uptakes of clover, and of rye-grass given 0·0, 1·0 or 2·0 cwt. N/acre and of clover-rye-grass given 0·0 or 1·0 cwt. N/acre were compared. Rye-grass given 2·0 cwt. N/acre yielded most dry matter and removed one-third more K than did clover, but clover yielded one-third more N.
Yield-density relations and Jarvis's lucerne data
Authors: Nelder J. A.
Published: March 2009

1. Methods of fitting certain yield-density relations are given which are appropriate when the proportional rather than the absolute standard error of the yields is constant.

2. These methods are applied to relations discussed by Jarvis in connexion with his data on lucerne, and it is shown that no clear advantage can be claimed for any of the relations.

3. The role of significance tests in the interpretation of the data is briefly discussed.
Sources of nitrogen and methods of application for flooded rice: I. Comparison of two methods of applying slow release and standard fertilizer materials
Authors: Simsiman G. V. , De Datta S. K. , Moomaw J. C.
Published: March 2009

Field experiments with rice were conducted on a flooded soil comparing two standard fertilizers with N fertilizers with various release rates. For each of these fertilizer materials two methods of application were compared: broadcast and incorporated, and placement at 15 cm depth. The .slow release materials resulted in a lower grain yield than did fast or medium release rate or standard fertilizer materials. They released N too slowly during the early growth of rice to permit optimum plant growth and development.

Placement of 80 kg/ha N at 15 cm depth increased the plant N content at all stages of growth and significantly increased the grain yield compared with the broadcast-and-incorporated fertilizer treatment. The highest grain yield in the experiment (7701 kg/ha rough rice) was obtained from a medium release material, which was 88 % more efficient in increasing grain yield per unit of N when placed at 15 cm than when broadcast-and-incorporated.

The recovery of fertilizer N was 68% when deeply placed and 38 % when broadcast-andincorporated.
The relationship of circulating glucose, ketones, and F.F.A. to milk production in Awassi ewes
Authors: Adler J. H. , Lotan E.
Published: March 2009

The relationship between milk production, blood glucose, blood ketones and free fatty acids (F.F.A.) were studied in lactating Awassi ewes. Increased milk production in ewes was associated with diminished blood glucose and increased serum F.F.A. Clinical cases of ketosis were not observed.

The ewes studied here could be divided into two metabolic populations depending on their blood ketone levels. Those with blood ketone levels of 11 mg % or more, did not show a significant increase in serum F.F.A. or a decrease in blood glucose values with increased milk production. The group of ewes with less than 11 mg % blood ketones showed a significant decrease in blood glucose and a significant increase in serum F.F.A. as milk production increased. Ketonemia of the high ketone group of ewes, was associated with relatively low serum F.F.A. levels. It is suggested that these ketones not originate from depot fat via serum F.F.A. These ketones and/or their precursors, acetic and butyric acids probably participate in caloric homeostasis and are associated with a glucose sparing serum F.F.A. suppressing mechanism.

The suggestion that ketones derived from rumen (R.D.K.) should be distinguished from those derived from adipose tissue (A.D.K.) is discussed.
The evaluation of an improved artificial rumen technique for the study of rumen fermentation
Authors: Griffiths T. W.
Published: March 2009

1. An improved artificial rumen apparatus of the dialysis type with multiple fermentation units was built and a method for its operation was evolved. Biochemical criteria of validity were used and particular reference was made to the molar percentage of the volatile fatty acids produced.

2. It was found that the apparatus was best used in a comparative manner, to measure treatment differences produced between individual fermentation units.

3. A series of experiments was carried out to measure the effects of a range of dietary treatments on rumen fermentation. In each case anin vivocomparison was also made using a cow with a permanent rumen fistula.

4. Correlation coefficients for treatment differences of 0·43 and 0·46 were found for ammonia T.V.F.A., and 0·73, 0·90 and 0·70 for the molecular proportions of acetic, propionic and butyric all the latter being significant.

5. The results were discussed with particular reference to the advantages and limitations of apparatus and the most suitable application of technique.
Voluntary intake of low-protein diets by ruminants: II. Intake of food by sheep
Authors: Elliott R. C.
Published: March 2009

1. A study was made of the voluntary intake of hay of low nutritive value by sheep when given four different amounts of concentrate foods (9, 18, 27 and 36 g/kg W0.73/day) each providing three levels of protein (1·3, 2·6 and 3·9 g DCP/kg W0.73/day). Hay alone was offered as a separate treatment. The trial was designed as an incomplete Latin square with thirteen treatments, thirteen sheep and four replicates.

2. Voluntary intake of low-protein hay by sheep was invariably lowered when they were given increasing amounts of concentrates. Hay consumption was also affected by level of supplementary protein; intakes increasing sharply from the lowest level provided (1·3 g DCP/kg metabolic body weight) to maximal intakes when about 3 g DCP/kg W0.73 were given to the sheep.

3. Total food and digestible energy (DE) intakes were similarly affected by changes in dietary protein level. Successive increments in concentrate allowances, except at the highest level of concentrate input, caused corresponding reductions in hay intake so that total food consumption remained similar (when protein level was kept constant). In consequence, DE intakes rose to maxima when approximately 30 g concentrate/kg W0.73/day were fed to the sheep.
Soyabeans in Tanzania: II. Seasonal variation and homeostasis in soyabeans
Authors: Auckland A. K.
Published: March 2009

1. Investigations of individual soyabean families over a 5-year period showed in some famines that the strain compounded in theF5generation had a more stable environment × genotype interaction than the daughter strains compounded in theF6generation.

2. Regression of each strain yield on an ‘environmental’ mean gave values for the slope of the regression line (bi), and the mean square of the regression (s2d) gave a value of deviations from the regression line. The valuesbiands2dwere used as estimates of stability.

3. Groups ofF5andF6compounded strains were compared. Analysis of variance for yield over 5 years for twenty-fourF5compounded strains and twentyfourF6compounded strains gaves2dvalue of 166·4 for the former and 289·1 for the latter. With 72 degrees of freedom for each group they differed from each other at the 1 % level ofP.

4. Multiple correlation analyses were also done on the two groups of strains. It was concluded, all else being equal, that theF5strains over a period of years would be less liable to give low yields in a bad year than theF6strains.
The effect on nitrogen retention in lambs of feeding protein supplements direct to the abomasum. Comparisonof liquid and dry feeding and of various sources of protein
Authors: Ørskov E. R. , Fraser C.
Published: March 2009

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the influence on nitrogen retention of feeding protein supplements to early weaned lambs direct to the abomasum via the oesophageal groove. In Exp. 1 the lambs received a basal diet of barley and a protein mixture consisting of soyabean meal, sunflower meal and fish meal which was given either in a liquid suspension from a bottle or as dry feed incorporated with the barley. The results showed that the regression coefficients of nitrogen retention on intake were 0.48 and 0.33 with liquid and dry feeding respectively. The regressions of urinary nitrogen on intake were with liquid and dry feeding respectively 0.26 and 0.44.

In Exp. 2, various sources of protein were compared isonitrogenously as substitute for part of a barley concentrate ration. The nitrogen intakes and retentions were 14·28 and 5·09, 20·16 and 9·39, 20·53 and 8·19, 19·00 and 7·80, and 18·87 and 7·86 g/day for the control diet and fish meal, yeast, soyabean meal and sunflower meal supplemented diets respectively.

In Exp. 3 the fish meal supplement was compared with a high lysine, bloodmeal and with casein as liquid supplements to a basal diet of barley concentrate. The intake and retention of nitrogen were for bloodmeal, casein and fish meal respectively 23·41 and 7·48, 22·56 and 9·11, and 21·88 and 8·31 g/day. It appeared that the protein sources high in methionine resulted in the highest nitrogen retention. The implications of these findings in relation to the nutrition of young ruminants is discussed together with an evaluation of the experimental method as a technique to study postruminal digestion.
Some observations on endogenous loss of calcium in the sheep
Authors: Field A. C. , Suttle N. F.
Published: March 2009

Estimates of endogenous loss of calcium have been obtained from balance studies with growing lambs and adult sheep given diets containing deficient and adequate amounts of calcium and phosphorus. The values were generally lower than those obtained for sheep by methods employing radioactive calcium and it was concluded that the endogenous loss by sheep is considerably less than the figure used by the Agricultural Research Council (1965) and is probably of the same order as that of cattle (16 mg/day kg live weight).
Fleece shedding, staple length and fleece weight in experimental Wiltshire Horn-Scottish Blackface sheep crosses
Authors: Slee John
Published: March 2009

1. A crossing experiment was carried out between two breeds of sheep: the Wiltshire Horn—a breed with a short-stapled fleece which is normally shed both in lambs and adults, and the Scottish Blackface—which has a long-stapled carpet type of fleece. Animals of F1, F2 and both backcross generations were studied for gross characteristics of the fleece.

2. The influence of the Wiltshire genotype caused a high incidence of fleece-shedding animals amongst all the crosses. Three separate components of the shedding process were distinguished: (a) the ability to shed, (b) the extent of shedding—or proportion of the body area denuded, (c) the time of onset of shedding. Attributes (a) and (b) were determined genetically; control was probably on a multifactorial basis, although there may have been fewer genes involved than for the other characters studied. Given the genetically determined existence of (a) and (b), (c) was apparently controlled by the environment. Seasonal change in day length was postulated as a major operative factor.

3. The mid-side staple length of Wiltshire crosses was less than that of the Blackface parents. The decrease resulted partly from shedding and partly also from a reduction in the average growth rate of some fibres. When corrected for shedding the mean staple lengths of the crosses were about equal to the values theoretically expected on the basis of multifactorial inheritance without directional dominance.

4. The mean fleece weight of the Wiltshire crosses was less than that of the Blackface parents, due, about equally, to: (a) loss of wool by fleece shedding, (b) reduced wool production—probably caused, at least partly, by the decreased average growth rate of some of the component fibres of the fleece. Differences in wool production appeared to be inherited multifaetorially.
The availability of iron on certain grass, clover and herb species Part II. Alsike, broad red clover, kent wild white clover, trefoil and lucerne
Authors: Raven A. M. , Thompson A.
Published: March 2009

1. The availability of iron in five species of legumes has been investigated, using the rat as the experimental animal.

2. Two procedures were employed, namely, the increase in blood haemoglobin concentration, and the gain in total grams of haemoglobin, by nutritionally anaemic rats.

3. Inorganic iron, as ferric chloride, was shown to be significantly more available than the iron contained in the five legumes.

4. A significant difference in iron availability between alsike and wild white clover was obtained with both methods of expressing the results. Differences between other species were not significant.

5. The data are compared with those obtained for three species of grass in an identical experiment reported previously.
Observations on the use of plasma free fatty acid concentrations in the determination of maintenance requirements of sheep
Authors: Russel A. J. F. , Doney J. M.
Published: March 2009

The objective of the investigations reported in this paper was to examine the possibility of using plasma free fatty acid concentrations as a means of estimating food requirements for maintenance purposes in sheep. Estimates derived in these investigations are considered to be less satisfactory than those based on live-weight change. It is concluded, however, that the technique merits further consideration, and that, with more precise knowledge of FFA concentrations in maintenance-fed sheep and of the FFA: food intake response curve, it could provide a useful alternative means of estimating maintenance requirements.
Body composition of young sheep: I. Body composition in merino and Border Leicester × Merino hoggets in relation to and at common empty body weight
Authors: Gharaybeh H. R. , McManus W. R. , Arnold G. W. , Dudzinski M. L.
Published: March 2009

Flocks of 9-month-old Merino and Border Leicester & Merino sheep were sampled over the full range of body weights present within flocks. Six pairs of ewes and wethers of equal body weight were taken. The sheep were weighed and slaughtered after a 36 h fast. Total weights of blood, skin, head, feet, internal organs and carcasses were obtained for each animal. Each component was analysed for ash, crude protein, ether extract and total energy. Half of each carcass was dissected into bone, muscle, fat and waste.

The compositions of the sheep were compared by regression analyses of weights of body components on empty body weight (EBW) between the four groups and by means of percentages of EBW. There were highly significant linear relationships between both fresh and dry weights of body components, carcass components, and chemical components with EBW; moisture content was not related to EBW. Rates of change with EBW in weights of body components, or in amounts of ash, crude protein, ether extract and energy were the same for all groups of sheep with the exceptions of bone and skin ether extract (EE) weight. However, intercepts of regression lines frequently differed, indicating that body composition differed between groups at the same EBW.

All groups had the same dry weight of blood, internal organs and muscle, weight of ether extract, and total energy in the whole body at the same EBW. Border Leicester × Merinos had lighter skins with less wool, but their carcass weights were higher than Merinos. There were other differences between breeds in the chemical composition of individual components. Wethers had heavier head + feet weights and carcass bone than had ewes. There were also some sex differences in chemical composition of body components. In general, there were fewer sex than breed differences in body composition. The breed differences cannot be explained on the basis of early and later maturing types.