bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Levels of first winter feeding in relation to performance of Cheviot hill ewes: VI. Life-time production form the hill
Authors: Gunn R. G.
Published: March 2009

The effects of different levels of first-winter nutrition over 3 years were studied on the subsequent life-time production from the hill of groups of North and South Country Cheviot ewe hoggs (sheep between 6 months and 1½12 years).

Lamb production was examined in terms of the percentage of lambs born and reared per ewe alive at each lambing and was expressed as a mean of five lamb crops. An overall measure of flock life-time production was calculated from the data on lamb production. This was the total number of lambs weaned at a mean 15 weeks in each treatment group over five lamb crops expressed as the mean per experimental animal alive at 6 months.

All productive components were analysed for differences between breeds, treatments, and weight-classes, i.e. those animals above or below average weight at 6 months.

There were no significant treatment differences in life-time production, although the treatment groups showed different trends with increasing age. Higher production in early life following higher levels of first-winter nutrition was associated with less efficient later production and poorer ewe survival in a hard hill environment.

It is concluded that improvement in first-winter nutrition above that available on the hill is undesirable and uneconomic without equal improvement in adult nutrition.
Lipid composition of lymph and blood plasma of the cow
Authors: Leat W. M. F. , Hall J. G.
Published: March 2009

Samples of prefemoral, thoracic and intestinal duct lymph have been collected under acute conditions from three cows grazing pasture and the lipid composition compared with that of plasma.

The concentration of lipids in peripheral lymph was 16–36% of that found in plasma; the fatty acid compositions of peripheral lymph lipids were similar to those of plasma.

Of the fatty acids present in intestinal and thoracic lymph 86 and 76% were esterified as triglycerides, 10 and 13% as phospholipids and 3 and 5% as cholesterol esters, respectively. Saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids were preferentially esterified as triglycerides whereas di- and tri-unsaturated acids were associated more with phospholipids. The content of di- and tri-unsaturated fatty acids was greater in the triglycerides and phospholipids derived from the intestine than in those found in plasma.

The di- and tri-unsaturated fatty acids in intestinal and thoracic lymph were transported mainly in the form of triglycerides (45–62%) and phospholipids (21–33%). Cholesterol esters were quantitatively of minor importance in the transport of these fatty acids in lymph. The intestine does not appear to play any major role in the formation of the high concentration of cholesterol ‘linolenate’ found in bovine plasma.

The process of lipid digestion in the cow appears to be similar to that found in sheep.
The influence of intake of dietary energy in pregnancy and lactation upon sow productivity
Authors: Elsley F. W. H. , MacPherson R. M. , McDonald I.
Published: March 2009

Fifty-two Large White gilts, arranged in thirteen groups of four litter sisters, were allocated at mating to one of four treatment groups. These treatments, arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial, allowed daily energy intakes in pregnancy of 8·3 Meal (H(e)) or 5·2 Meal (L(e)) and of average daily intake during lactation of 20 Meal (h(e)) or 13·8 Meal (m(e)). Daily intakes of protein, minerals and vitamins were similar for all treatments. There were no consistent differences in health or breeding regularity between the treatments.

The H(e) sows had a net gain in pregnancy 22 kg greater than the L(e) sows. Feeding the higher level in lactation (h(e) resulted in a reduced sow weight loss during lactation of 20, 12 and 10 kg in the first, second and third parities respectively, as compared with the m(e) sows. There were no consistent effects on the numbers of pigs born apart from the first litter in which L(e) sows produced significantly larger litters at birth. The higher energy intakes in pregnancy and lactation led to very similar increases in the weights of the piglets, of the order of 0.1 kg at birth, 0.4 kg at 3 weeks of age, and 1.1 kg at 8 weeks of age. Sowsgiven the same overall energy intake throughout their reproductive life (H(e) m(e), L(e) h(e)) at the end of the third litter had similar live weights and had produced a similar total weight of weaned pigs. The practical implications of these results are discussed.
The effects of different levels of food intake on fattening pigs in the humid tropics
Authors: Houghton T. R. , Buttbrworth M. H. , King D. , Goodyear R.
Published: March 2009

1.Two experiments were carried out to investigate the possibility of sustaining good growth rates and high feed conversion efficiency on restricted levels of feed under conditions of high temperature and humidity.

2. Large White pigs were used over the weight ranges 50-90 lb. and 90-160 lb. live weight.

3. In Exp. 1, three groups each of eight pigs were fed on three planes, high, medium and low, the aim being to restrict energy intake while providing adequate protein intake for good growth. In Exp. 2, two groups each of eight pigs were fed on the medium plane from 50-90 lb. live weight and thereafter one group remained on the medium plane, while the other was fed a very low plane. The very low plane consisted of a daily feed allowance of 31b. 4oz. from 90 to 1601b. live weight. All the pigs were individually fed.
A study of the composition of Clun Forest ewe's milk
Authors: Ashton W. M. , Owen J. B. , Ingleton Jean W.
Published: March 2009

Little information is available on the composition of the milk of British breeds of sheep under conditions prevailing in this country.

1. This paper presents results of the analysis of milk from 46 Clun Forest ewes suckling lambs during 1961 and 1962. Three groups of ewes were used, two of which grazed while a third was fed indoors. Milk samples were obtained by handmilking one quarter while the lamb sucked the
other, after a period of 5 hours during which suckling was prevented by means of udder covers.
Cation-anion relationships in crop nutrition: I. Factors affecting cations in Italian rye-grass
Authors: Cunningham R. K.
Published: March 2009

The chemical composition of plants depends on many things, the species, the type of soil, the climate, the manuring, and it also changes during the growing season as different results can be obtained from samples of the same plant taken at different times. For plant analysis to be used in assessing the nutrient status and manurial requirements of crops there is need for knowledge not only about the above factors which can affect the chemical composition of crops but also about others that are less obvious, such as ion interactions. Ions can interact in two ways called antagonism and synergism; antagonism means that the uptake of one ion decreases the uptake of another ion and synergism that uptake of one increases the uptake of another.
Cation-anion relationships in crop nutrition: III. Relationships between the ratios of sum of the cations: sum of the anions and nitrogen concentrations in several plant species
Authors: Cunningham R. K.
Published: March 2009

The ratios of sum of the cations: sum of the anions (R) of sixty-two agricultural and horticultural crops and pasture herbs were measured or calculated and found to be negatively correlated with % N in the plants. This suggests that the proposal that Italian rye-grass has a mechanism regulating the proportion of cations to anions taken up may also apply to other plant species. Dicotyledons had greater B values than monocotyledons at the same N level, but this is probably not because their roots have greater cation exchange capacity.
The utilization of the energy of artificially dried lucerne
Authors: Bateman J. V. , Blaxter K. L.
Published: March 2009

The nutritive value of a sample of artificially dried lucerne was determined calorimetrically in twelve experiments with three sheep.
Studies on lucerne and lucerne-grass leys V. Plant population studies with lucerne
Authors: Jarvis R. H.
Published: March 2009

1. An experiment designed to investigate the growth and yield of lucerne over a wide range of plant populations is described and the results discussed.

2. The mean yields of lucerne per plant were fitted to three different equations relating yield per plant to plant population, and the ‘goodness-of-fit’ of these equations was compared.

3. As plant population increased, the yield of lucerne per acre increased very rapidly up to a certain level, but further increases in plant population led to much smaller increments in yield. It is argued from theoretical considerations that the yield per acre would reach a maximum only when the plant population is infinite.
The influence of terephthalic acid on the efficiency of oxytetracycline in chick rearing
Authors: Trail J. C. M.
Published: March 2009

An experiment using 528 day-old chicks was conducted to determine the nutritional effects of terephthalic acid, when added at the rate of 0·4% to a ration containing 100 g. oxytetracycline per ton, in the rearing of chicks to 30 days of age in East Africa.

No significant gains were produced in the growth rates or feed-conversion rates, of male and female chicks of four cross-breeds, over the periods 0–10, 0–20 and 0–30 days of age.
The establishment of faecal nitrogen—digestibility regressions for animals grazing irrigated pasture
Authors: Pearce G. R. , Vercoe J. E. , Freer M.
Published: March 2009

A regression for feed-to-faeces ratio on faecal nitrogen percentage was formulated from trials in which perennial irrigated pasture cut to ground level was fed to cattle and sheep at various times over several years.

Similar data derived from ‘top’ (mainly leaf) and ‘bottom’ (mainly stem) cuts of a spring and of an autumn stand of pasture from the same vicinity did not conform with the ‘whole’ cut relationship and the three regressions which were established were heterogeneous.

It is suggested that due to selectivity, the application to grazing animals of a regression derived from pasture cut to ground level may result in considerable error.
The response of breeding sows and gilts to two levels of protein and food intake over several parities
Authors: Frape D. L. , Wilkinson J. , Chubb L. G. , Wolf K. L.
Published: March 2009

An experiment, involving 68 female pigs, was undertaken to measure the effects of two diets differing in protein content, and of two patterns of feeding. The animals were housed in an enclosed building. The experiment extended through several parities; culled sows were replaced by gilts during the experiment, the whole course of which lasted 5 years.

The diets were given at the rate of 1–8 or 2–3 kg per day throughout gestation, but the rate was reversed during the 5-week lactation so that, for litters of eight to nine pigs sows in each treatment group received the same quantity of food per parity. As a result of unsatisfactory performance, dietary composition was changed after 2 years so that for the last 3 years the digestible energy contents were higher.

Treatments significantly influenced gestation live-weight gain, lactation weight loss and gestation backfat gain. The lower rate of gestation feeding was associated with low or negative gestation weight increases after the third to fourth litters, and a greater apparent rate of decline with increasing age in birth and 3-week weight per piglet. The high gestation, low lactation, rates of feeding led to slightly greater litter size and lower weaning weights per pig. A daily intake of 208 g crude protein and 8'3 g lysine appeared to meet the sow's requirements throughout gestation.

In the pregnant sow feeding area, winter air temperatures were on average 16 °C below those in the summer, but were rarely below freezing point. Winter backfat gain was lower than, and gestation gain only half that in the summer. Litter size was also greater following summer pregnancies and 3-week weight per pig was greater following winter pregnancies. Independent of litter size, birth and 3-week weight per pig were positively correlated with gestation gain within treatment and season. The apparent positive correlation of litter size at 3 weeks with gestation backfat and weight gain was not found at birth. Litter size at birth was negatively correlated with gestation gain within season. The percentage of fertile matingswas less for matings between 1 September and 31 January. This coincided approximately with the reduced litter size (alive) which occurred following winter gestations.

Lactation weight loss and 3-week weight per pig declined with increasing age of sow and the degree of weight loss was unrelated to subsequent litter size.

The apparent effect of seasons and treatments on litter size at birth appeared not to be an obvious function of changes in live weight, which were also marked between seasons and treatments, but level of food intake in early gestation may have affected litter size independently. It was concluded that birth weight especially in the older sows, was associated with the rate of food intake in gestation, and possibly also in lactation, and with gestation empty weight gain.
Lime and fertilizer requirements for the establishment and growth of grass on deep peat
Authors: Reith J. W. S. , Robertson R. A.
Published: March 2009

Field experiments were carried out in central Scotland to assess the lime and fertilizer dressings required for the establishment and growth of grasses and clovers on deep acid peat. Without lime, the sown grasses and clovers failed when ammonium sulphate and mono-ammonium phosphate were used, but with Nitro-Chalk and single superphosphate a poor establishment was obtained. With adequate P, lime at rates as low as 0–25 metric ton Ca per ha produced a marked improvement. The yields obtained with 1, 2 or 4 metric tons Ca per ha were similar, but the herbage from the last treatment contained the highest Ca percentage.

Even with adequate lime, the grasses and clovers failed in the absence of applied P. Superphosphate and basic slag gave similar establishments but the former produced higher yields. Ground mineral phosphate was inferior to basic slag in the first and second years but in the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons it was equal to superphosphate and superior to slag. After establishment the 98 kg P rates were always better than the 49 kg levels. The 490 kg P treatment of superphosphate did not produce a bigger yield than the 98 kg rate, but it did give a higher percentage of P in the herbage.

Dressings of N and K had appreciable effects on establishment and growth, especially on the botanical composition of the sward and yield of herbage produced in the second year.

The effects of treatment on the pH value of the peat and on the Ca, P and K extracted by 2·5 % acetic acid were measured. To get a satisfactory establishment of grasses and clovers on deep acid peat it is suggested that about 3 metric tons Ca, 35 kg N, 100 kg P and 140 kg K per ha should be applied.
A comparison of pigs slaughtered at three different weights I. Carcass quality and performance
Authors: Buck S. F.
Published: March 2009

The following conclusions were obtained from a comparison of growth and carcass characteristics of pigs slaughtered at 150, 200 and 260 lb. liveweight.

(a) The ranking of boars at the three weights, according to the quality of their progeny at each weight, was similar for the carcass characteristics, i.e. percentage of lean meat, length, backfat and eye muscle area—but was not associated for the efficiency factors, i.e. daily gain and food conversion. Results from singly-penned progeny pigs confirm that food consumed up to 150 lb. live weight is not indicative of the food consumed between 150 and 200 lb. live weight. A similar result is true for daily gain. It thus does not appear that the results obtained at 150 lb. live weight could be used to represent results at heavier weights and this is particularly true for performance testing when only one animal is concerned. Rather it would appear that if the pigs were raised to a given weight, carcass information at an earlier weight could be obtained on the live pig by ultrasonic means and by subjective estimates, whilst food conversion and daily gain could be calculated exactly at any live weight.

(b) The weights of the different cuts as a percentage of the side weight does not appear to change much between slaughter weights. The carcass becomes less lean as the slaughter weight increases and this difference in leanness is more observable between the 200 and 260 lb. weights than between the 150 and 200 lb. weights. In these ranges at least as much lean as fat is put on in the shoulder and ham but more fat than lean is put on in the back and in the streak. For example, between 200 and 260 lb., 5 lb. of lean to 9 lb. of fat is added in the back cut.

(c) For all cuts and for both sexes, the percentage of lean meat added in the range 200–260 lb. live weight is less than that for the range 150–200 lb. live weight. This difference is more severe for hogs, especially in the back cut. The sex difference (in favour of the leaner gilt) becomes more pronounced at the heavier weight range. This is not so obvious in the ham but is marked in the shoulder and streak and particularly in the back. 3·9 lb. of food is required to put on 1 lb. of live weight between 150 and 200 lb., whilst 4·3 lb. of food is needed for each 1 lb. gain between 200 and 260 lb. live weight.

(d) Percentage of lean meat prediction equations fitted to the data at the three weights are of equal accuracy. In all cases the reduction in variance is highly significant and the percentage of lean meat of a pig can be estimated with a standard error of approximately 2% of carcass weight.
The induction of pregnancy in the anoestrous ewe by hormonal therapy V. Progesterone-pregnant mare's serum therapy on Clun forest maiden sheep and general conclusions
Authors: Gordon I.
Published: March 2009

This trial concerns the induction of pregnancy in two flocks of Clun maiden yearling ewes and involves seventy-six animals. Previous observations suggested that treatment of this particular category usually gives rise to a higher conception percentage than is found with drypost-partumor lactating sheep. The trial sought to elucidate some factors of animal and environment which may be associated with this response.

In flock 45, during the period 10 February to 29 March, observations were made on the incidence of spontaneous breeding activity in forty-seven ewes; hormonal therapy was first applied at the latter date. Treatment for all ewes consisted of three doses of 50 mg. progesterone (in oil) given at 3-day intervals; a single dose of 750 i.u.p.m.s.was administered 2 days after final progesterone.

Nineteen of the forty-seven ewes (40%) in flock 45 showed spontaneous oestrus in February or March. Three (16%) of those ewes previously mated came in oestrus after treatment; forty-nine of the fiftyseven unmated ewes (86%) showed oestrus 3–5 days after the end of injection. Of the nineteen sheep that mated spontaneously, ten (53%) produced autumn lambs. Twenty-six of the fifty-two sheep (50%) served in response to the progesterone-p.m.s.therapy conceived. 1·25 lambs were born per ewe that lambed. Some evidence for total embryonic or foetal loss in the ewes during pregnancy was obtained. Results indicate that conception in these maiden ewes may have been facilitated by the presence of corpora lutea or recent luteal activity, which maintained the oestrogen-progesterone balance necessary for providing an adequate uterine environment. For this reason, maiden ewes of breeds with short breeding seasons (e.g. Scotch Half-Breds) may not give such satisfactory response when injected at times comparable to long season breeds, such as the Clun.
Selection criteria in grass breeding III. Chemical composition
Authors: Lazenby Alec , Rogers H. H.
Published: March 2009

1. An examination was made of four chemical components of herbage—nitrogen, crude fibre, acid-soluble ash and acid-insoluble fraction—from different genetic populations of Lolium perenne, grown in two trials at various related densities, some plots being irrigated. Dates of the frequent harvests were determined by the growth stage of the herbage.
Mineral balances in European and Zebu steers
Authors: Horrocks D. , Phillips G. D.
Published: March 2009

1. Sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium balances in seven Hereford and seven Zebu steers have been determined during two 10-day trials. Values for phosphorus, omitting urine excretion, were also determined.

2. No breed differences were found apart from a tendency for Zebu steers to excrete less potassium in their faeces and more in their urine than Herefords.
Piesma Quadratum (Fieb.) in East Anglia
Authors: Kershaw W. J. S.
Published: March 2009

In East Anglia Piesma quadratum is rare on wild beet and absent from sugar beet; it lives on wild plants and is confined to the coast. Larvae of P. quadratum which hatched from eggs laid on sugar beet in the laboratory died in an early instar, but older larvae and adults survived on the plants. There is little prospect that crinkle disease will become established in England.
Protein and energy nutrition of the bacon pig
Authors: Robinson D. W. , Morgan J. T. , Lewis D.
Published: March 2009

1. A feeding trial involving sixty-four individually fed pigs was carried out to assess the effect of reducing the protein content of the diet at different live weights. The effect was examined at two planes of protein intake, 19 % falling to 14 % in the finishing stages, and 16 % falling to 12 %.

2. High protein levels improved growth rate and food conversion efficiency during the growing phase, and also improved carcass quality in terms of the lean content of the carcass, eye muscle area and length.
Seasonal changes in the inner root sheath of the primary follicles in Herdwick sheep
Authors: Priestley G. C.
Published: March 2009

The histology of the skin follicles of a small group of Herdwick ewes was examined in midwinter and again in midsummer. In the primary follicles which remained active (about 9 % of the total follicle population) the ‘winter thinning’ in the fibre was accompanied by a thickening of the Huxley layer in the inner root sheath. In heterotype fibres (from primary follicles) a poorly defined crimp and a bilaterally differentiated cortex were present only in the thin length of fibre grown in winter.

The author is grateful to Dr. Marca Burns for permission to sample her Herdwick flock, and to Dr K. M. Rudall for helpful advice. This work was carried out while the author held a grant from the Agricultural Research Council.
Effects of 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)-pyridine on the nitrification of ammonium sulphate and its recovery by rye-grass
Authors: Gasser J. K. R.
Published: March 2009

Ammonium sulphate alone and treated with the nitrification inhibitor 2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)- pyridine, at rates equivalent to 1 and 2% of the weight of N applied, was applied to sandy- and clay-loam soils. Ammonium sulphate was given in November 1962, and soil samples, taken in spring 1963, down to 36 in. on the sandy-loam and 18 in. on the clay-loam, were analysed. When the ammonium sulphate was broadcast on the soil surface, 2% of the inhibitor, inhibited nitrification of the ammonium-N more than 1%, but when it was placed in the soil both rates were equally effective.
Levels of first winter feeding in relation to performance of Cheviot hill ewes:III. Tissue and joint development to 12 and 18 months of age
Authors: Gunn R. G.
Published: March 2009

1. During the winter of 1956-57, three levels of indoor feeding, high, mid, and low, were imposed on groups of North and South Country Cheviot ewe hoggs (sheep between 6 months and 1½ years) born 1956. During the winter of 1957-58, only two levels, high and mid, were fed indoors to groups of hoggs born 1957, with the low level being represented by hill wintering. After 12 months of age in each year, all were grazed together on the same hill pasture.
The effects of undernutrition and re-alimentation on the Romney ewe
Authors: Hight G. K. , Barton R. A.
Published: March 2009

1. A study of the effects of live-weight loss and recovery on the physical and chemical composition of 4- and 5-year-old Romney ewes is described. Six treatment groups each of eight ewes were involved. The diet consisted of chaffed lucerne alfalfa) hay. The treatment groups were:

(i) control (C);

(ii) low plane of nutrition for 21 days (LPS);

(iii) as for (ii) then changed to a high plane LPS: HP);

(iv) low plane of nutrition for 42 days (LPL)

(v) as for (iv) then changed to high plane for a short period (LPL:HPS); and

(vi) as for (iv) then changed to high plane for a long period (LPL:HPL).

Because of mortalities in the LPL:HPS and LPL:HPL groups, data on the carcasses and internal organs of the animals surviving to slaughter date in these treatments were not statistically analysed.
Efficiency of the utilization of the energy of casein in fowls
Authors: Burlacu Gh. , Ionila Dumitra , Baltac Margareta
Published: March 2009

The efficiency of the utilization of the energy of casein in adult fowls at different feeding levels both for maintenance and for lipogenesis, was studied. The casein was utilized for maintenance with an efficiency of 66·6 ± 1·3% of the gross energy and of 83·7 ± 1·4% of the metabolizable energy. For lipogenesis efficiencies were 51·6 ± 2·15%, and 61·3 ± 2·6% respectively.
The extent of selection for milk yield among cows of the Jamaica Hope breed
Authors: Roache K. L. , Wellington K. E. , Mahadevan P.
Published: March 2009

Using data (1950–64) from the government-owned herd of Jamaica Hope cattle at Bodles, Jamaica, it was estimated that the fraction of cows called on the basis of their milk production in any given lactation was of the order 0·00 to 0·05. Using data (1967–68) from ten high–and ten low-producing farmer herds of the same breed, it was found that the level of calling was low and that cows proceeding from one lactation to the next had a yield superiority over the total population of only + 4 gallons. It is suggested that one of the principal reasons for the apparent lack of response to selection in dairy herds in the tropics may be that little or no selection for production is in fact practised.
An evaluation of Jamaica Hope bulls
Authors: Mahadevan P. , Wellington K. E. , Roache K. L.
Published: March 2009

The contemporary comparison method of evaluating the progeny test of sires has been employed in estimating the breeding values of bulls used in the development of the Jamaica Hope breed. The need to test a larger number of bulls by combining the programme at the national level is stressed.
The effect of nitrogenous fertilizers on white clover
Authors: Low A. J. , Armitage E. R.
Published: March 2009

The comparative effects of very heavy dressings of ammonium sulphate and urea on the growth of established plants of white clover (S100) have been studied in pot culture. Five applications each of 263 kg N/ha were applied over 9 months in 3 different ways (i) direct contact of the fertilizers with the leaves, (ii) only with the stolons or surface roots or (iii) applied 12·5 cm below the soil surface.

The ammonium sulphate broadcast over the leaves reduced the growth of the clover whilst urea under the same conditions caused temporary damage with very little reduction in dry weight compared with the control. When the ammonium sulphate was applied to the soil surface or 12·5 cm below, there was appreciable reduction in dry weight but less than when the fertilizer was in contact with the leaves. Under the same conditions, urea did not reduce growth.

The pH of the soil fell to about 4·6 with ammonium sulphate (control 6·1) but only slightly with urea.

Root development was not affected by urea but greatly reduced with ammonium sulphate. With both fertilizers the root nodules were very pale in colour and few in number compared with the control.
A study of the composition of Clun Forest ewe's milk:III. Ewe's milk fat: a preliminary study
Authors: Yousef I. M. K. , Ashton W. M.
Published: March 2009

1. Milk fat obtained from six Clun Forest ewes was analysed in the 1st, 4th, 8th and 12th weeks of lactation for fat constant values and fatty-acid composition.
Fodder conservation in Northern Rhodesia
Authors: Davies T.
Published: March 2009

1. The problems involved in conservation of fodder in Northern Rhodesia are discussed in relation to climate and present day practices. Special reference is made to the conservation of grassland herbage.

Climatic conditions do not appear suitable for haymaking.

2. A number of silage samples were collected from dairy farms in the territory and from Mount Makulu Research Station. Chemical analyses of these samples are given and their nutritional value is discussed with special reference to their crude protein contents. The majority of the silages were found to have low crude protein.

3. A type of miniature tower silo designed for experimental work is described.

4. Three crops commonly used for ensilage, i.e. maize, maize with legume and Napier grass, were compared with giant Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana Kunth.) when ensiled in these miniature silos. The type of fermentation and loss of nutrients was studied. Rhodes grass ensiled at the early flowering stage was found to compare favourably with the other three. Napier grass (Pennisetum purpurem) cut when over 6 ft. high did not ensile well and had a low crude-protein content.

5. Giant Rhodes grass was ensiled in miniature experimental silos at two different stages of growth. Cutting the grass at a height of 20 in., three times during the season, resulted in a higher yield of dry matter and crude protein per acre than cutting once at a height of 40 in. even when the resultant aftermath growth was included.
Liquid manure as a grassland fertilizer: II. The response to winter applications
Authors: Drysdale A. D.
Published: March 2009

1. The effect of applications of liquid manure during the winter months was studied and compared with the application of dry artificial fertilizers on six different swards in two experiments in each of the years 1960, 1961 and 1962.

2. The liquid manure supplied an average of 69 lb. N and 114 lb. K/acre at each application and plots received one dressing only applied in November, December, January, February or March. Further treatments consisted of applying conventional dry fertilizer supplying the same weight of nitrogen and potassium as the liquid manure and applied on the same day. A control plot received no added fertilizer or liquid manure.

3. All plots were cut in May and a second cut was made 8–10 weeks later to measure residual effects of treatments.

4. The maximum increase in dry-matter yields at cut 1 occurred with the February application although the January and March applications gave only slightly lower yields. The dry-matter yield/lb of N applied even from some November applications was comparable to the response obtained from applications of inorganic nitrogen made in summer in earlier experiments by other workers.

5. The production of crude-protein followed a similar pattern to that of the dry-matter, and the maximum increase was from the March application.

6. With similar rainfall conditions but different winter soil temperatures a mixture of Italian and perennial rye-grasses under average fertility conditions gave the highest response to liquid manure. This was followed by the later growing cocksfoot sward and the permanent pasture, on both of which yields were increased by all the monthly applications. The two swards containing grass and clover mixtures showed a response to the later dressings whereas a vigorous Italian rye-grass ley in the mild winter of 1961 was unaffected by treatment.
Leaf strength studies of pasture grasses II. Strength, cellulose content and sclerenchyma tissue proportions of eight grasses grown as single plants
Authors: Evans P. S.
Published: March 2009

1. Leaf strengths and cellulose contents of eight grasses grown as single spaced plants were compared over a period of 14 months. From some of the samples the proportion of sclerenchyma tissue in the leaves was compared with leaf strength.

2. The leaf strengths of individual plants were measured and the strengths of the six strongest and six weakest plants in each species compared with their cellulose contents.

3. There were significant differences between species, between seasons, and between regrowth ages within seasons in both leaf strength and cellulose content. There were also significant species × regrowth age interactions, particularly in leaf strength.
An association between variegation of the inflorescence and growth habit in lucerne
Authors: Fyfe J. L.
Published: March 2009

In crosses segregating 1:1 for normal: variegated inflorescences there was a consistent and statistically significant tendency for individuals with variegated inflorescences to be less erect than those with normal.
Levels of first winter feeding in relation to performance of Cheviot hill ewes: IV. Body growth and development from 18 months to maturity
Authors: Gunn R. G.
Published: March 2009

1. The effects of different levels of first winter nutrition over 3 years were studied from 18 months to maturity on the growth and development of groups of North and South Country Cheviot ewe hoggs (sheep between 6 months and 1½ years).

2. Differences in live weight amongst treatment groups within breeds and years were not significant at 30 months or any subsequent age. Live weight increase continued up to 54 months. Although leg growth had virtually ceased in all treatment groups by 18 months, body growth continued beyond 27 months and differences between treatments, although not always significant, were still present at that time.

3. The effects of first-winter treatment were also studied on the heavy and light hoggs (i.e. those above and below average weight) prior to treatment. Differences in weight and size between treatment groups were less persistent in the heavy animals, disappearing by 30 months, while in the light animals they were still present at that time. Regardless of treatment the within-group differences between heavy and light animals increased up to 54 months, the light animals showing relatively slower rates of gain.

4. The difficulty of interpreting data on liveweight change due to age, state of maturity, level of feed, and season interactions is commented on. The probable effects of differential productivity resulting from treatment on growth and development from 18 months onwards are discussed.
Levels of first winter feeding in relation to performance of Cheviot hill ewes V. Dental development and persistence
Authors: Gunn R. G.
Published: March 2009

1. The effects of different levels of first-winter nutrition over 3 years were studied on the subsequent dental development of groups of North and South Country Cheviot ewe hoggs (sheep between months and 1½ years) by recording the time eruption of each of the four pairs of permanent incisors. High-plane first-winter feeding resulted earlier eruption of the first pair of permanent incisors. Later pairs were affected to a lesser extent, with low-plane/hill-wintered groups consistently the latest to erupt. Breed and year deviations from the general pattern were small and were largely due variations in growth rate both prior to and during treatment.

2. The effects of first-winter treatment were also studied on the heavy and light hoggs (i.e. those above and below average weight) prior to treatment. Although there was only a very limited difference the time of eruption of the heavy and light within each treatment group, the effects of treatment were greater in the heavy-weight class than they were the light.

3. The effects of first-winter treatment on dental efficiency and long-term persistence were also studied. There was little difference amongst treatments at 5½ years of age in the bite position, or looseness, wear, or condition of the teeth. Brokenmouth, i.e. the loss of one or more permanent incisors, did not appear in significant proportions until 7½ years of age, when considerable treatment, breed, and year differences were present. The incidence of broken-mouth was lowest in the high-plane and hill-wintered groups and highest in the lowplane and mid-plane/away-wintered.
The efficiency of utilization of grass by lactating ewes
Authors: Owen J. B. , Davies D. A. R. , Ridgman W. J.
Published: March 2009

1. A study of grazing intake and efficiency was carried out on eighty-one ewes suckling twin lambs during early lactation.

2. A method of estimating comparative grazing intake is described involving the administration of Cr2O3 and sampling from the pasture with the minimum of labour. The results indicated that reasonable precision was achieved with a method suitable for studying large numbers of animals. 3. The efficiency of production of lamb up to 5 weeks of age was not associated with the body weight of the ewe nor with the wither height. It was, however, negatively associated with grass intake by the ewe and to some extent with the gain in body weight by the ewe during lactation. Only in two of the four experiments was efficiency associated with lamb production up to 5 weeks.
Studies of the chemical composition of kales and rapes III. The minor elements
Authors: Jones D. J. C.
Published: March 2009

1. Four varieties of marrow stem kale, three of thousand headed kale, Hungry Gap Kale, Rape-Kale and five other rape varieties were sampled at two centres in mid-Wales and separate leaf and stem samples analysed for manganese, molybdenum and boron. Similar samples of four varieties of marrow stem kale, two of thousand headed kale, Hungry Gap Kale, Rape-Kale and two other varieties of rape were taken from two further centres and prepared with the most stringent precautions to prevent contamination. Iron, copper, zinc and lead were determined in these samples.
Nitrogen metabolism in the lactating sow
Authors: Lodge G. A.
Published: March 2009

1. Each of three litter sister sows was fed one of three levels of crude protein in the diet during two 8-day periods in the fourth and seventh weeks of lactation. The three protein levels were 11, 15 and 19% of the diet on an air-dry basis. The scale of feeding was varied to maintain each sow at constant weight throughout the 8-week lactation period.

2. During two 3-day collection periods following 5-day preliminary periods, intake of nitrogen from the diet and outputs of nitrogen in faeces, urine and milk were measured.

3. The sow receiving the medium level of protein in the diet was in positive nitrogen balance during both collection periods.

4. The major effect of increasing the protein level of the diet was an increase in the output of urinary nitrogen. Neither milk yield nor output of protein in the milk appeared to be affected over the limited period studied.

5. Apparent digestibility of dietary protein was 75% on the low level and 85% on the medium and high levels of intake.
The effect of pregnancy and fatness on the volume of rumen contents in the ewe
Authors: Forbes J. M.
Published: March 2009

Twenty-seven ewes in various states of fatness, and either non-pregnant or between 72 and 144 days pregnant, were slaughtered and the volumes of digesta and abdominal organs were measured. There was a significant negative relationship between the volume of rumen contents and the volume of uterus plus abdominal fat plus other abdominal organs.
Self- and cross-fertility in field beans (Vicia faba Linn.)
Authors: Drayner Jean M.
Published: March 2009

1. Controlled self- and cross-pollinations were performed on field bean plants. It was found that while manipulation of the flower stimulated seed setting, both self- and cross-pollination were equally effective.

2. Estimations of pollen germination on artificial medium, to which had been added extracts of styles or ovaries from the same or a different plant, gave some slight evidence of a specific inhibition by ‘self’ extracts. No analogous effect was detected on pollen tube growth.

3. Experiments in which the style was cut at varying intervals after pollination detected no difference between self- and foreign pollen in rate of growth through the style. Pollen placed on stigmas of immature flowers began growth at once although the fertility achieved was less than when mature flowers were used.

4. The composition of seed from mixed self- and cross-pollination was examined. Early application of foreign pollen increased the proportion of crossfertilization but the results were similar in hybrids and inbreds.

5. Flower manipulation was more effective in stimulating seed setting than shaking the plants. Spraying with hormone solution was ineffective.

6. It was found that plants varied in their capacity to set seed without flower manipulation (autofertility). Hybrid plants were more autofertile than plants from inbred lines.

7. X-ray pictures of unopened flowers suggested that the pollen may be more abundant and less diffuse in hybrids than in inbreds.

8. The expression of autofertility was affected by many genetic factors.

9. Seed produced by open pollination of F1 hybrids contained a much higher proportion derived from self-pollination than did seed from inbred plants grown in the same plot. Possible explanations for this difference, and some consequences for the population genetics of the species, are discussed.
The agronomic properties of urea-containing compound fertilizers:I. High-nitrogen type
Authors: Collier P. A. , Hood A. E. M. , Powell R. A. , Templeman W. G.
Published: March 2009

This paper reviews extensive work at Jealott's Hill and elsewhere in England and Wales on the agronomic effects of including various levels of urea in 2:1:1 NPK fertilizers combine-drilled with spring cereals.

Little evidence of phytotoxicity was found with fertilizers containing up to 12% urea and providing about 0·6 cwt N/acre. The inclusion of 20% urea reduced braird more frequently on soils of high pH than did lower proportions although grain yields were seldom affected adversely. Such soils are not uncommon, especially in the barleygrowing areas of Southern and Eastern England, where perhaps a quarter of the cereal acreage may be located on soils of pH 7·7 and above.
Nutritional stress and pre-implantation embryonic mortality in Merino sheep, 1965
Authors: Edey T. N.
Published: March 2009

Of 120 mature Merino ewes, balanced groups received the following treatments from days 8 to 15 after fertile mating: 1, submaintenance nutrition plus 10 mg/day progesterone; 2, submaintenance without progesterone; 3, maintenance nutrition plus progesterone as above; 4, maintenance nutrition without progesterone.

The ewes were in light condition, they lost some weight before mating, they had an ovulation rate of 108·3% and they barely maintained their mating weight during the first 3 months of pregnancy. The percentages of ova shed not represented by lambs at term were 60·6, 58·1, 48·5 and 62·5 for groups 1–4 respectively. There were no significant treatment differences or interactions.

The high overall loss of ova could have been due in part to depressed fertilization rate: however, the general environmental conditions and low body weight of the ewes seems likely to have made an important contribution to the high basal loss. There was a significant regression of prenatal mortality on body weight at mating, but no detectable relationship between prenatal mortality and condition score.

Sixteen oestrous cycles of over 21 days were distributed through all groups, indicating that considerable mortality occurred after day 13.
The mean velocity and velocity distributions of normal bull spermatozoa at different hydrogen-ion concentrations, derived from photo-electric measurements
Authors: van Duijn C. , Rikmenspoel R.
Published: March 2009

1. The mean velocity ῡ and the velocity frequency distribution f(υ) of bull spermatozoa with normal motility have been determined in standardized eggyolk—citrate buffers at different pH values, ranging frompH 5·70 to 8·35.

Under assumed approximately anaerobic conditions at37·0 ± 0·1° C. the mean velocity was found to show a straight-line relationship -with pH in the physiological region pH 5·70–7·50, according to the general equation

Statistically, k was shown to be a linear function of a, namely,

Consequently, the dependence of the mean velocity of the spermatozoa from any ejaculate can be characterized by the one parameter a = dῡ/dpH. (dimension μ/sec./pH), determining the slope of the ῡ υs. pH curve.

The mean velocity of all individual spermatozoa (measurements of all ejaculates at the same pH value pooled together) could be described accurately by the equation:

For some ejaculates the linear relationship was found to hold up to pH 8·00.

2. The velocity frequency distribution curves were found to change with pH. At pH 5·70 the curves are skew with a relatively high top value. At increasing pH values both the top value and skewness decrease. The mean standard deviation of the velocity distribution f(υ) was found to be proportional to pH and could be described by the equation

This means that the variability in swimming speeds of the individual spermatozoa of any ejaculate increases proportionally with pH, indicating a strain effect of increasing alkalinity on the population, irrespective of the general stimulation of motility in the region up to pH 7·50.

3. At each pH value the mean velocity decreases with time. Under assumed approximately anaerobic conditions at 37° C. the speed of velocity decrease as a function of pH was found to differ so much between different ejaculates that no generalization could be derived from the available material. The same holds for the effect of pH on the number of normally moving spermatozoa in the diluted ejaculate.

4. The total number of spermatozoa moving normally depends on pH, but the optimum varies with the individual ejaculates.
Studies on goat nutrition Part II. Digestible protein requirements for maintenance from balance studies
Authors: Majumdar B. N.
Published: March 2009

1. The crude protein requirement of goats for maintenance has been determined from balance studies. The requirement per kg., as found by three different methods of treatments of the balance data, is practically the same, viz. 2·63 g. crude protein.

2. The digestible crude protein requirement also has been calculated, again by two different methods, and is estimated at 1·12 lb./1000 lb. body weight. This value is undoubtedly very much higher than the value (0·65 lb./1000 lb.) obtained previously from the endogenous urinary nitrogen determinations alone.

3. The dry-matter requirement of goat per 100 lb. live weight has been determined. Calculated on the basis of live weight raised to the power 0·734, the requirement was found to be 2·6 lb./100 lb.
A study of milk production of the grazing ewe, with emphasis on the experimental technique employed
Authors: Coombe J. B. , Wardrop I. D. , Tribe D. E.
Published: March 2009

1. Milk yields of grazing ewes with single lambs were estimated using two methods—the traditional lamb-suckling technique, and a technique involving hand-milking following stimulated let-down by intravenous injection of posterior pituitary gland extract (known as the oxytocin technique).

2. The oxytocin technique gave significantly higher figures for milk production than did the lamb-suckling technique (P< 0·01), and this persisted throughout lactation. Variation between ewes was similar for both techniques.

3. The two techniques are discussed in relation to the errors involved, and their accuracy and convenience of application to field conditions.

4. Differences in milk yield between Border Leicester x Merino ewes, and Romney Marsh x Merino ewes, estimated by either technique, were not significant. Correlation coefficients between lamb growth rate and milk yield of the ewe, measured by either technique, were high up to 7 weeks of age.

5. Where the ewes were under the same nutritional conditions before and after lambing, milk yield was not related to the live weight of the ewe, or birth weight of the lamb.