bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The fruiting of trees in consecutive seasons
Authors: Pickering Spencer
Published: March 2009

Points of considerable interest, both scientific and practical, are raised by the question as to whether a tree which fruits exceptionally well as compared with its fellows in one season, will tend to fruit exceptionally well, or the reverse, in the following season. We know of no definite reason why the behaviour of a tree as regards fruiting should alternate in consecutive years, and no such behaviour has been observed in the case of animals. Its doing so would imply that fruiting is due to the gradual accumulation of some substance in the tree, which becomes exhausted whenever heavy bearing occurs, and that the stock of this substance does not become properly replenished till after another season has elapsed. This is quite possible, but quite unproven. Indeed it seems to be actually opposed to the well established fact that growth and fruiting are antagonistic to each other; for the exceptionally feeble growth which accompanies exceptionally heavy cropping, must tend, as all restriction of growth does, to the formation of an increased number of blossom-buds for the following season, and probably, therefore, to heavy cropping also, during that following season; unless of course, the cropping has been so heavy as to seriously impair the vigour of the tree; but this is an excessive condition which need not be considered here. We might also expect similar behaviour as regards fruiting in consecutive years, on the general grounds that individual trees must differ from each other in fertility, as in every other respect. On the other hand, there is a strong belief amongst horticulturists that a tendency to alternate fruiting, as it may conveniently be termed, does really exist; so much so, that the recommendation is often made, to severely thin the fruit from a tree which is bearing heavily, with the object of destroying this tendency, and of obtaining moderate and more uniform bearing in future years.
The Effect of Climate on Soil Formation
Authors: Leather J. Walter
Published: March 2009

In a recent volume of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Russell deals with some of the effects of climate, and weather on soils.
Eriophyes ribis (Nal.) on Ribes nigrum
Authors: Taylor A. M.
Published: March 2009

The life history of the black currant mite, Eriophyes ribis, Nal. is of a simple character from the month of May, when the buds of the current year's growth are entered, till March of the following year. During this time the mites live and multiply in the embryonic leaves producing the abnormal growth familiar to fruit growers as “big-bud.” From the end of March onward, however, the buds so attacked gradually die, and the mites which have lived in them for the past nine months are forced to find other plant food. At this time the buds of the black currant which the mites will eventually live in are rudimentary and it is the end of May before they are sufficiently developed for the acarids to enter.
Hydrolysis of the soluble protein of swede turnips
Authors: Williams Gwilym
Published: March 2009

In the Agriculture Returns published by the Board of Agriculture, the figures for swedes and turnips are given together. Taking the figures for 1913, we find that swedes and turnips were grown on 1,757,000 acres of land in the United Kingdom, and that the total weight of crop obtained was 25,319,000 tons. No other green crop occupied so large an area, and no other crop of any kind produced as great a weight of fodder.
The celery-rot bacillus
Authors: Wormald H.
Published: March 2009

1. A bacillus isolated from celery affected by soft-rot reproduced the disease when inoculated into celery plants.

2. Other vegetables commonly grown as garden crops are susceptible to attack by the same organism.

3. The bacillus is very sensitive to the action of antiseptic and germicidal reagents.

4. It is typically bacilliform but under certain conditions may be almost isodiametric and coccus-like, or it may develop into very long filaments.

5. It is capable of growing in a synthetic medium containing a sugar or pectin as the sole carbon compound.

6. Its group number is 221·1113522 and since B. carotovorus Jones proves to be a yellow organism the latter must also be included under that number. The two organisms appear to differ slightly on minor points, e.g. vigour of growth in Uschinsk's solution and on celery extract agar.

7. Like B. carotovorus the celery-rot organism is very sensitive to desiccation.
On forms of the hop (Humulus lupulus L.) resistant to mildew (Sphaerotheca humuli (DC.) Burr.).
Authors: Salmon E. S.
Published: March 2009

In certain seasons very severe losses are caused to the hop-crop by the depredations of the mildew Sphaerotheca Humuli (DC.) Burr. Among hop-growers in England this mildew is commonly spoken of as “mould” when it occurs on the leaves or the female inflorescences (“burr”) of the hop-plant, and as “red mould” when it attacks the stipular bracts and bracteoles of the strobiles (“hops”) (1).
The electrical conductivity of extracts from soils of various types, and its use in detecting infertility
Authors: Atkins W. R. G.
Published: March 2009

1. The electrical conductivity of aqueous extracts of soils, in the proportion of one of soil to five of water, varies according to the time of extraction. In the more fertile soils extraction for three to four hours gives less than half as great a conductivity as is given in 4 to 11 days.

2. In peat the maximum value is reached almost at once, the extract having a high conductivity. The maximum value is also reached quickly in certain infertile soils, which give an extract of very low conductivity, closely similar to that of the purest upland streams.

3. A high electrical conductivity in the extract may only indicate the presence of an excess of salts, and does not necessarily indicate a good soil. It seems, however, that a rapid increase in conductivity as extraction is prolonged indicates increased solubility, partly through bacterial action and may be considered as a useful indication of fertility. A low conductivity, which remains low on continued extraction, denotes a soil so insoluble as to be unfertile.
Investigations on yield in the cereals. I
Authors: Engledow F. L. , Wadham S. M.
Published: March 2009

Final yield of grain and straw reflect, or are functions of, the combination of processes conveniently designated “growth.” A successful analysis of “growth” would afford an analysis of “yield” and it is quite patent that “yield” must continue to be imperfectly understood so long as growth remains unanalysed. But although the full solution of the “yield problem” thus rests with plant physiology, it seems within the bounds of possibility that comparative studies upon varieties may bring to light distinctive (varietal) features of “growth” which are correlated with distinctive (varietal) features of “yielding power.” One or more of these may possibly serve as an “index” of yielding power, as the touchstone which is so urgently needed in plant breeding. The reliability of comparative studies of this kind rests fundamentally upon accuracy of “sampling.” For all the experimental attributes of freely tillering cereals, sampling is extremely difficult and the difficulties are most acute for “weight” attributes. Clearly then, a test of accuracy of sampling at all stages of growth is an indispensable preliminary. It was this consideration that determined the lines of the investigation to be recorded here and it is in the light of it that the results will be discussed.
Maize silage. I
Authors: Woodman Herbert Ernest , Amos Arthur
Published: March 2009

It has been shown that maize silage of good quality can be produced with losses of dry matter which are not necessarily much greater than those which characterise the production of oat and tare silage.

Excessive drainage of juice consequent on immaturity of crop contributes materially to the total loss of dry matter.

The main reason for the comparative failure of attempts in this country to produce maize silage successfully from the points of view of quality and economy lies probably in the general use of the late maturing variety, American Horse Tooth. Success will probably depend on growing a variety of maize which is able to reach a desirable stage of maturity under English conditions before being cut for the silo. Preliminary trials have indicated that the necessary qualities may be found in certain varieties like Saltzer's North Dakota, Longfellow, Compton's Early and White Cap, all of which mature at least a month before American Horse Tooth.
Studies in crop variation. I. An examination of the yield of dressed grain from Broadbalk
Authors: Fisher R. A.
Published: March 2009

In Part I is given a survey of the results of a statistical examination of the yield of the plots of Broadbalk “Wheat field during 67 years. The main features of the comparison of mean yields are well known; the comparative rates of decrement, shown in Section 5, supply a class of facts well worthy of further study. Particularly striking are the relatively slow rates of decrement of plots 2b and 8, compared with plot 7, which would seem to show a permanent advantage in very high nitrogenous dressings, and to emphasise the need for caution in the application of the principle of diminishing returns. The evidence of the influence of potassium sulphate and its substitutes, sodium sulphate and magnesium sulphate, shown in Table V, is also very striking. An unsuspected feature of the changes of mean yields, which precludes the possibility of obtaining from these data true curves of exhaustion has appeared in the slow changes which have taken place in all the plots in a similar manner. In Part II the mathematical methods by which the variation has been analysed has been discussed, partly as a justification of novel procedure, partly, to make clear that the three types of variations found have been genuinely distinguished. In Part III such evidence as is available has been presented, in order to throw light upon the possibility that the changes in mean yield have been caused by variations in the prevalence of weeds at different periods.

One point of importance which should be emphasised is that average wheat yields, even over long periods, from different fields or for different seasons cannot approach in accuracy the comparison of plots of the same field in the same seasons. The advantage of the method adopted by Lawes in the permanent experiments which he instituted is very evident. The effects of weather clearly require that the seasons should be identical, unless the series be very long, but the slow changes in mean yield show that even comparatively long series of different years from the same field cannot be accurately compared. Within the same field, however, the slow changes have almost proportional effects, and comparison between the mean yields of neighbouring plots may be made with great accuracy. The only case in which changes in mean yield sensibly affect the comparison of averages is that of plots 17 and 18. In comparing these with plots 3 and 4, 5, 7, and 10, it would be more accurate to confine attention to high yielding periods, at which the disturbing causes are at their minimum.

It is believed that the deviations from the smooth curves, which have been freed, for the most part, from the effects of exhaustion and weeds, form statistically homogeneous material for the study of meteorological effects.
The effect of movement of soil salts on standardization values of electrodes used in moisture determinations
Authors: Deighton Thomas
Published: March 2009

In my previous paper on the electrical determination of moisture in soils (1) I reserved the question of possible effects of soil salt movement in vitiating the conclusions therein reached as to the usefulness of the electrical method in practice. The present communication contains an account of some experiments carried out with a view to settling this point.
The effect of basic slag upon grassland, and upon the corn crops obtained when that grassland is ploughed up
Authors: Oldershaw A. W.
Published: March 2009

In the year 1904, a grass field at Saxmundham Experiment Station was taken in hand by East Suffolk County Council. At that time the herbage in the field was very poor and consisted chiefly of weeds—largely Wild Carrot.

The soil is a typical chalky boulder clay of a poor type very stiff to work, but capable of producing good crops of wheat and beans when well drained.
The determination of clay in heavy soils
Authors: Joseph A. F. , Martin F. J.
Published: March 2009

1. The Sudan method for clay determination worked out by Dr Beam in 1911 has been critically examined and compared with the methods in general use in England and America.

2. The essential points of the method lie in (a) the use of sodium carbonate instead of ammonia as the deflocculating agent, and (b) the use of a camel-hair brush for puddling the clay. It differs from the English (and resembles the American) method in that no preliminary acid treatment is used, the height of the sedimentation column is 10 cms. and the time of subsidence 8 hours.

3. It can be applied to a sedimentation or centrifugal process: the results agree well with each other and with those obtained by the American method.

4. When modified by inclusion of acid treatment, by increasing the time of sedimentation from 8 to 24 hours and reducing the height of the column to 8·6 cms., the results agree well with those obtained by the English method.

5. Treatment with acid either in the preliminary operations or for deflocculating clay suspensions may lead to uncertainty in the results in some cases as it causes loss of “clay” by solution.

6. The Sudan sedimentation method can be carried out in about one-eighth the time required for the English method, and the centrifugal in about one-third the time required for the American. For general use the sedimentation method is preferred as requiring less attention.
Composition and variation of the milk of Egyptian sheep
Authors: El-Sokkary A. M. , Sirry I. , Hassan H. A.
Published: March 2009

In this study samples of the mixed milk from a herd of sheep were taken weekly for analysis throughout a season of approximately 7 months. The following are the mean values obtained: sp.gr. 1·0350, S.e.m. 0·0002; acidity 0·226%, S.e.m. 0·003; fat 8·00%, S.e.m. 0·07; S.n.f. 11·35%, S.e.m. 0·06; and total N 0·920%, S.e.m. 0·007.

Samples were also taken at 2-week intervals throughout the lactation period of six individual ewes of the Rahmany breed and of the same number of the Awsemy breed. The variation in the composition of their milk throughout lactation and also the variation due to individuality are discussed.
The non-persistence of bacterio-toxins in the soil
Authors: Hutchinson Henry Brougham , Thaysen Aage Christian
Published: March 2009

The experimental results submitted in the preceding pages may be summarised as follows:

Seven English soils have been examined in order to ascertain the validity of Greig Smith’s claim that partial sterilisation effects may be due to the destruction of bacterio-toxins in the soil. The results obtained with six of these soils show that:

1. The untreated extracts of these soils varied largely in their suitability for the growth of the test organism (B. prodigiosus). In some instances vigorous growth occurred; in others the numbers of introduced organisms fell to a minimum.

2. Treatment of the extracts by heat (which was supposed to result in the destruction of “toxins”) invariably led to still further bacterial decreases.

3. Extracts of soils treated with antiseptics (which are not supposed to destroy “toxins”) were on the whole more favourable for growth than those of untreated soils. Such extracts were found to have appreciably more organic nitrogen compounds than extracts of untreated soils.
On the decomposition of cellulose by an aerobic organism (Spirochaeta cytophaga, n. sp.).
Authors: Hutchinson Henry Brougham , Clayton James
Published: March 2009

From the foregoing account the following summary may be given:

1. Examination of Rothamsted soils on different occasions has revealed the presence of an organism capable of breaking down cellulose with comparative ease.

2. This organism presents a number of features of morphological and physiological interest. Morphologically, the organism appears to possess greater affinities with the Spirochaetoideae than with the bacteria and the name Spirochaeta cytophaga is, therefore, suggested.

3. While the spirochaet is capable of considerable vegetative growth as a sinuous filamentous cell, it also appears to pass through a number of phases which terminate in the production of a spherical body (sporoid) which differs in a number of respects from the true spores of the bacteria. Germination of the sporoid again gives rise to the filamentous form, which possesses perfect flexibility and is feebly motile. The latter does not apparently possess flagella.

4. Spirochaeta cytophaga is essentially aerobic; its optimum temperature is in the region of 30°. Both the thread and sporoid stages are killed by exposure to a temperature of 60° for ten minutes.

5. The nitrogen requirements of the organism may be met by a number of the simpler nitrogen compounds—ammonium salts, nitrates, amides and amino-acids. Peptone is also suitable in concentrations up to 0.025 per cent. Stronger solutions, e.g. 0.25 per cent., lead to marked inhibition of growth. The organism fails to grow on the conventional nutrient gelatine or agar.
Observations on soil protozoa
Authors: Cutler D. Ward
Published: March 2009

1. It has been shown that the direct counting method for soil protozoa devised by Kopeloff and Coleman for use in liquid media gives results entirely comparable with those obtained by a dilution method.

2. The factors governing the relation between the protozoa and the soil particles are those of surface action, and the capacity of various substances, sand, soil and clay, for retaining these organisms is specific and constant.

3. Coarse sand is capable of withdrawing per gram approximately 145,000 amoebae and flagellates per c.c. from a suspension of any strength. Fine sand withdraws approximately 980,000 per c.c: soil and partially sterilised soil 1,650,000, ignited soil 1,500,000 and clay 2,450,000.

4. These figures are constant for given material and organisms and are independent of the concentration of the suspension, the time of action, or whether the suspension contains cysts or active forms of the amoebae and flagellates investigated. Also the action is the same when the experiment is performed with a suspension of living or dead organisms.

5. Experiments with the ciliate—Colpoda cucullus—show that coarse sand per gram retains 27,000 per c.c.; fine sand per gram 185,000 per c.c; soil and partially sterilised soil 280,000 per c.c; ignited soil 270,000 per c.c. and clay 450,000 per c.c.
The chemistry of the strength of wheat flour
Authors: Woodman Herbert Ernest
Published: March 2009

It is well known that different flours vary enormously in respect of the size and shape of loaf they yield on baking. The factor which determines the quality of flour in this connection has been termed “strength” and the latter has been denned as “the capacity of flour for making large well-piled loaves”(1).

Many views have been held from time to time regarding the explanation of flour strength from the chemical standpoint. The earliest view was that strength was determined by the gluten content of the flour, which by virtue of its tenacity was able to retain in the bread the carbon dioxide produced as a result of the activity of the yeast. Many cases, however, were investigated where flours possessing a high gluten content were not so strong as a flour with a low content of gluten. Furthermore, no accepted regularity has been found to exist between the strength of flours and the water-holding or gas retaining capacity of their glutens.
The effect of change of temperature on the basal metabolism of swine
Authors: Capstick J. W. , Wood T. B.
Published: March 2009

It has long been generally accepted that an animal requires more food in cold weather than in hob weather, that, in fact and within certain limits, an animal's food requirement increases as the temperature falls. The number of precise measurements however of the effect of change of temperature on food requirement is very small, and it was with the object of extending the knowledge of this important subject that the following investigation was undertaken.
Studies on soil reaction: III. The determination of the hydrogenion concentration of soil suspensions by means of the hydrogen electrode
Authors: Crowther Edward M.
Published: March 2009

A hydrogen electrode apparatus for soils is described. Similar or adjacent soils may show considerable differences inpH value, with no changes in their degrees of buffer action, as shown in titration curves with lime water. In such cases the conventional “lime requirements” are correlated with thepH values, but no such relation holds in dissimilar soils. ThepH value of a soil suspension is intimately connected with the nature and amount of the cations present. Neutral salts markedly increase the hydrogen ion concentration of both acid and slightly alkaline soils. Sodium salts, including the hydroxide, give lower hydrogenion concentrations than the corresponding potassium or calcium salts, and chlorides give lowerpH values than sulphates. The degree of buffer action (slope of titration curve) is unaffected by the addition of a neutral salt. Previous extraction of a soil with water causes a considerable increase i n thepH value of its suspensions. A number of soils showed a regular increase of about 0·1 inpH. value for twofold dilution. The “salt effect” and “dilution” effect appear to be of the same type. It is recommended that the soil-water ratio of 1:5 be generally adopted. The indicator methyl red gives erroneouspH values in turbid soil suspensions owing to the absorption of the red form, which is apparently a cation capable of undergoing “base exchange” with the soil.
The determination of ammonia in soil
Authors: Matthews Donald J.
Published: March 2009

Ammonia can be recovered from soil with an efficiency of 98·5 to 99·5 per cent, in six hours in the apparatus described.

For most purposes it is sufficient to aerate the soil for three hours.

Highly dunged glasshouse soils undergo partial decomposition in the cold with magnesia. In such cases the soil should be aerated with magnesia and strong sodium chloride solution for a definite time, say three hours.

The complete recovery of added ammonia from a calcareous soil is difficult unless the soil is finely ground.
The inter-relationships of grazing method and stocking rate in the efficiency of pasture utilization by dairy cattle
Authors: McMeekan C. P. , Walshe M. J.
Published: March 2009

1. A large-scale grazing management study comparing rotational grazing and continuous grazing with dairy cows at two stocking rates over four complete production seasons is described.

2. The four treatments were: (i) controlled grazing, light stocking rate; (ii) controlled grazing, heavy stocking rate; (iii) uncontrolled grazing, light stocking rate; (iv) uncontrolled grazing, heavy stocking rate.

Each treatment involved 40 cows for a first 2-year phase and 42 cows for the following 2 years. Each herd had a normal age distribution pattern and seven 2-year-old first lactation heifers (17% of total herd) were introduced each year to maintain this pattern.

3. Stocking rate was the more important factor affecting the efficiency of pasture utilization as measured by per acre output of milk and butterfat. In general, high stocking was associated with higher outputs per acre despite lower yields per animal.

4. Grazing method was of less importance. In general, controlled rotational grazing was superior to uncontrolled continuous grazing, both per animal and per acre, but the average influence even of these extremes of management was only half that of stocking rate.

5. Significant interactions between stocking rate and grazing method existed. Under continuous grazing a point was reached where production per acre declined to the vanishing point with increased stocking rate due to excessive depression of per cow yield: this point was not reached under rotational grazing at the same high stocking levels.

6. The results suggest that optimum stocking rate under rotational grazing occurs at a level some 5–10% higher than under continuous grazing. A depression of 10–12% in per cow yield, compared with more lenient grazing, corresponds with optimum stocking level irrespective of the grazing system. This estimate is suggested as a guide line in applying the principles involved.
Some effects of primary cultivations on crop yields in a four-course rotation
Authors: Barker M. G.
Published: March 2009

A long-term experiment designed to study the effects on crop yields of different basic methods of cultivation used in the preparation of seedbeds is described and the results of the first completed cycle of 4 years are discussed. Four basic methods of cultivation were compared, namely, ploughing, rotary cultivating, cultivating and discing. Each one of these was done, early and late, for each crop in two four-course rotations which differed only in the cropping of 1 of the 4 years when potatoes were used in one case and a 1-year ley in the other. Each crop in the rotation (winter wheat, sugar beet, barley, ley or potatoes) was grown at two levels of fertilizer application and provision was made in the design of the experiment for two different weed control régimes. The soil was fairly easy to work, being of the Milton series of river gravels.

As a result of the work described, the following conclusions have been drawn:

1. Ploughing was the most consistent method of providing a satisfactory basis for the final seedbed preparation but in some circumstances other methods were equally good. On average, ploughing led to the highest yields and discing the lowest, with rotary cultivating second and cultivating third in order of merit.

2. The yields of cereals grown after root crops were not dependent on the method of basic cultivation used.

3. The effects of the cultivations on the yield of winter wheat after the ley appeared to be due to the extent to which the regrowth of rye-grass was controlled, the plough being most effective in this respect.
On the relative growth and development of various breeds and crosses of cattle
Authors: Hammond J.
Published: March 2009

Atthe present time no exact records exist (except those given inBritish Breeds of Live Stockpublished by the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries and by McConnell in hisNotebook of Agricultural Facts and Figures) which show the relative qualities of the various British breeds of cattle in respect of their ability to grow, fatten and increase in weight. Also there exists no estimate as to the actual average amount of food produced by the different breeds on slaughter and the average proportion of consumable meat and offal in the dead body.
Studies of a Scottish drift soil. II
Authors: Ogg William Gammie , Hendrick James
Published: March 2009

1. Craibstone soil—a glacial drift soil which has not undergone very profound weathering and is free from calcium carbonate—has a considerable absorptive power for ammonia from a solution of sulphate of ammonia.

2. It was found possible to make a mechanical analysis of a large quantity of this soil without the use of acid and alkali, and although the separation into fractions was by no means perfect, a very fair comparison was obtained of the absorptive capacities of the different fractions.

3. The absorptive power per unit weight of the fractions, as would be naturally expected, increases with the decrease in size of the particles, reaching a maximum in the case of “clay.”

4. “Fine silt” and “silt” have also a high absorptive power. This may be partly due to the presence of organic matter, but allowing for that, these fractions have a high power of absorption.

5. It was not the object of these experiments to draw any detailed conclusions as to the relation between surface and absorptive power, but it seems probable, from the results obtained, that the absorptive power is not determined by surface alone, and that the chemical composition of the fractions has an influence on the absorptive power.
Studies in soil cultivation. III. Measurements on the Rothamsted classical plots by means of dynamometer and plough.
Authors: Haines William B. , Keen Bernard A.
Published: March 2009

Maps of soil resistance to ploughing have been drawn up from the dynamometer readings over several seasons for the Rothamsted classical plots, carrying wheat, barley and roots respectively.

The conclusions as to the effect of manurial treatment are only of a general nature at the present stage of the work. Such differences are certainly small in comparison with the natural variations in the soil.

In the case of the Broadbalk wheat plots the drawbar pull values have been shown to have a close relationship with the clay content of the soil and with certain aspects of the soil drainage.
Studies in Crop Variation VII. The Influence of Rainfall on the Yield of Barley at Rothamsted
Authors: Wishart J. , Mackenzie Winifred A.
Published: March 2009

VI. Summary

The conclusions of an earlier study of the yield of dressed grain from Hoos Field over the period 1852–1921 are recalled, and the method of conducting an examination of the influence of rainfall on the yield is described. The method yields a series of curves showing at any given period of the year the benefit or loss to the final yield in bushels per acre due to an additional inch of rain over the average at that period. Thirteen plots are considered, and the curves are found to fall roughly into groups corresponding to the system of manuring adopted. The main effects noted are these: (1) Excess of rain is beneficial to the barley crop for a short period in summer, and, in the case of certain plots, over the autumn and winter period. This is in contrast to the corresponding result for wheat on Broadbalk, where excess of rain was found to be beneficial only on a few plots and over a very limited period. (2) Rainfall over the six months when the barley is not in the ground is just as important as rainfall in spring and summer, and the time at which the rain falls in winter is important. Excess of rain in autumn benefits plots 1–A, 3–A and 7–2, and in winter continues to benefit 1–A and 3–A. (3) The curves for 2–O and 2–A are essentially different in character from those of the other plots, and point to the important effect of excess of winter rain in reducing the yield of the plots having phosphate but no alkali salts (i.e. no potash, soda, magnesia). (4) Excess of rain at time of sowing is harmful in all cases. (5) The curves of the “O” series (without nitrogen) are much flatter than those of the “A” series, which have a nitrogenous dressing in addition. (6) The indication of summer benefit is not inconsistent with the conclusions of Hooker that a cool summer is desirable for barley. (7) The farmyard manure plot 7–2 bears certain resemblances to the curve for the corresponding plot 2 b on Broadbalk.
Investigations into the Intensive System of Grassland Management.
Authors: Greenhill A. W.
Published: March 2009

1. Herbage from pastures managed under the Intensive System of Grassland Management, and representing three to five weeks’ growth, from three centres in three seasons, was closely comparable with that obtained by other workers from “pasture cuts” at one- to three-weekly intervals from unmanured pastures, in respect of the chemical composition of its dry matter, which is, in fact, a concentrated feeding stuff of narrow nutritive ratio and low in fibre content.

2. The nutritive ratio is somewhat wider in a dry than in a wet season, but the average fibre content is not markedly different.

3. During the grazing season, drought or the early summer flush period produce some reduction in protein content and an increase in fibre content, with a recovery following the cessation of the drought or after the flush period respectively.
Nutritive value of lucerne. III. The composition, digestibility and nutritive value of lucerne hay, lucerne meal (English and American) and lucerne leaf meal (American)
Authors: Woodman H. E. , Eden A.
Published: March 2009

In this paper, which is the third of a series dealing with the nutritive properties of the lucerne crop, an account is given of the results of an investigation into the composition, digestibility and nutritive value of lucerne hay, lucerne meal and lucerne leaf meal.

Three samples of lucerne hay were dealt with, the first two having been made by baling direct from the field and the third by the usual procedure of filling into the stack. It is shown that by baling from the field, it is possible to conserve forage at a higher moisture content than would be considered safe when filling the material into a stack. In such circumstances, however, too tight a compression of the bales should be avoided, since if the process of partial drying-out during storage be retarded by over-compression, there is danger of extensive mould development and spoiling. It is advisable that the bales should be stored under good cover and in such a manner as to permit of free circulation of air between them. The hay from the bales was of much poorer quality than that made in the stack.
Studies on the relationship between nutrition and wool production of merino sheep. I. The technique employed for determining the utilisation of foodstuffs and for estimating the wool produced over short periods by Merino sheep
Authors: Marston Hedley R.
Published: March 2009

Feeding stalls of the Lehmann type, which are generally employed when sheep are used for digestibility trials, are useful if wethers act as experimental animals. The wether, however, is not an ideal subject for investigations in which it is desired to estimate the utilisation of individual nutriments, for the portion of the ration which is retained usually constitutes but a small part of that ingested and, in consequence, when attempts are made to draw up a true balance considerable errors are often encountered through the difficulty of ascertaining the total volume of urine excreted during the feeding period. This uncertainty may be overcome, for if the ewe is used a catheter may be passed into the bladder and the urine completely drained at the will of the experimenter.
Developmental changes in beef steers as influenced by fattening, age and type of ration
Authors: Luitingh H. C.
Published: March 2009

1. The effect of fattening, age and the ratio of concentrates to roughage in a ration on the development of beef steers was investigated. The specific purpose was to study developmental patterns during the short-term fattening of beef steers of different ages in order to ascertain to what extent beef steers improved in the proportions of the various body parts, offals, organs and tissues.

2. The experimental material consisted of 104 beef steers of three age-groups, namely, ± 8, ± 20 and ± 32 months old, fed on rations differing in the ratio of concentrates to roughage and 36 control steers of the same age-groups, slaughtered at the start of the experiment.

3. When the weights of the parts of the carcasses were expressed as a percentage of the carcass weight, it was found that with the exception of a few parts, the percentage which the parts constituted of the carcass remained remarkably constant in the various groups. The effect of age in both the fattened and unfattened groups was comparatively small, whilst the effect of fattening was of slightly greater magnitude. The effect of the ration concentration per se was negligible.

4. The parts where fat was deposited formed a significantly (P < 0·01) larger percentage of the carcass of the fattened than of the unfattened steers (kidney and channel fat, thin flank and cod, brisket, plate and neck).

5. The shoulder, chuck and buttock and rump, formed a significantly (P < 0·01) lower percentage of the carcasses of the fattened than of the unfattened steers.
Correlation of yield in oats with meteorological observations at the University College Farm, Bangor, for the period 1903–1926.
Authors: Roberts R. Alun
Published: March 2009

The fact that the findings of various workers on the influence of weather on yield in oats are seldom in agreement on all essential points suggests that the requirements of the crop varies from province to province, and warrants investigation within regions of relatively narrow compass.
Calorific value of soluble carbohydrates in feeding stuffs
Authors: Allen L. A.
Published: March 2009

Since the soluble carbohydrates constitute a large proportion of most feeding stuffs and are in many the preponderating factor it is desirable that as much information as possible should be known about them, particularly with regard to their energy values in relation to feeding.
The improvement of winter oats
Authors: Hunter H.
Published: March 2009

The original object of the breeding investigations described above was to secure a new variety of oats exhibiting the resistance to winter conditions and the grain quality characteristic of Grey Winter, in combination, if possible, with straw of better standing power.

The characters of the hybrids studied in the course of the investigations were accordingly resistance to winter conditions, standing power of the straw, quality of the grain, and the early growth habit, particularly in relation to these three features.
The action of viscogen (calcium saccharate) on milk and cream
Authors: Pyne G. T.
Published: March 2009

The mechanism by which viscogen (calcium saccharate) brings about an increase in the viscosities of milk and cream has been investigated.

The primary reaction appears to be the formation of a precipitate of insoluble (tri-calcium) phosphate. Considerable quantities of casein are carried down by the precipitate, and this co-precipitation of casein is probably the single factor which most influences the viscosity.

Casein is not directly precipitated by viscogen, but the viscosity of its solutions is slightly increased as a result of their higher alkalinity due to this reagent. This action of viscogen is relatively unimportant in influencing the viscosity of milk or cream.
The availability of the potassium in some scottish soils
Authors: Stewart Robert
Published: March 2009

(1) The solubility of the potash in 34 soil samples from 13 soils typical of large areas in the East of Scotland has been determined by the methods of chemical analysis using (a) hot concentrated hydrochloric acid, and (b) 1 per cent, citric acid solution, and the values obtained compared with the quantities of potash existing in the exchangeable form. The total mineral potash has been determined for six samples and Neubauer's method of analysis has been applied to 10 samples and again compared with the exchangeable potash.

(2) The average value of the total mineral potash in the soils examined was 2·04 per cent., which indicates the presence of comparatively large reserves of potash in these soils. No relation was found to exist between the total potash, and the quantities soluble in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid.

(3) The average value of the HCl-soluble potash was 0·50 per cent, and in the profile samples there was generally an increase in solubility with increase in depth of soil.
The Fertilising Value and Nitrifiability of Humic Materials Prepared from Coal (With Three Text-figures.)
Authors: Crowther E. M. , Brenchley Winifred E.
Published: March 2009

1. Humic acids and ammonium humates prepared by a patented process of gentle oxidation of coal were examined as fertilisers by laboratory nitrification experiments and pot-culture tests on four soils and by a number of field experiments on a range of soils and crops during a single season.

2. In all tests the effects of ammonium humate could not be distinguished from those of ammonium sulphate of equal ammonium content. The nitrification tests and the pot cultures afforded some evidence of a slow production of nitrate or available nitrogen from the humic acid.

3. In the field experiments as in the pots there was no clear evidence of any fertiliser value apart from that due to the ammonium present.
The ‘easily reducible’ manganese of soils
Authors: Dion H. G. , Mann P. J. G. , Heintze S. G.
Published: March 2009

1. In studying the factors influencing the ‘easily reducible’ manganese in soils, results were obtained to indicate that the estimation is dependent on the pH of the system, the nature of the salt solution, the nature of the reducing agent and the time of contact, in addition to the amount and nature of the higher oxides of manganese present.

2. Pyrolusite (MnO2) and a synthetic preparation of manganite hydroxide are ‘easily reducible’ oxides, while manganite (MnO(OH)) and naturally occurring hausmannite (Mn Mn2O4) are apparently ‘difficultly reducible’ forms.

3. Since pyrolusite occurs in the easily reducible fraction, those deficient soils which contain only a small proportion of their manganese in the easily reducible form must contain the larger part in a form less reactive than pyrolusite.
Protein-bound iodine, erythrocytes and haemoglobin in the blood of beef steers and their relation to rate of gain
Authors: Luitingh H. C.
Published: March 2009

The serum protein-bound iodine concentration in the blood of beef steers varied between animals and was not correlated with the daily gain during the fattening period. The data, however, are insufficient to arrive at a definite conclusion.

The average erythrocyte counts of the blood were 7·86 (range: 5·89–8·75), 8·59 (range: 6·55–10·15), and 8·54 (range: 5·23–9·62) million per mm.3 for steers of 14, 26 and 38 months of age. The difference between the counts of the yearlings and that of the other age groups was statistically significant. The red cell fraction increased with live weight over the range 700–1230 lb. Although a significant (P < 0·01) correlation was found between the number of erythrocytes in the blood and the daily gain of the steers, the erythrocyte count cannot be employed to predict the possible gaining ability of single beef animals.

The haemoglobin content of the blood was found to be 14·02 (range: 9·8–17·4) in the case of the yearlings, 14·68 (range: 11·8–18·5)and 14·61 (range: 7·95–16·85) g./100 ml. blood in the case of the 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds respectively. These differences between age groups were not significant.

A correlation of 0·31 was found between the haemoglobin content and live weight of steers within the weight range of 600–1230 lb. The data suggest that for every 100% increase in weight, the haemoglobin in the blood increased by 17%. No correlation was found between the haemoglobin content and the rate of gain of the steers.
Water loss at Wad Medani. Part I
Authors: Peto R. H. K. , Greene H.
Published: March 2009

The severe climatic conditions under which cotton is grown in the Gezira make it desirable to establish relations between meteorological data and irrigation practice. By means of a rapid and fairly accurate balance it is practicable to measure water loss when small boxes containing moist soil are exposed for short periods and under different conditions. The scope of this method has been ascertained by preliminary experiments as to (1) the dependence of water loss on moisture content of the soil, (2) the distribution of water loss through the day, (3) the comparison of water loss from sand and from. Gezira soil, and (4) the comparison of water loss from shaded and unshaded soil. The application of data so obtained to field problems is facilitated by the fact that in respect to distribution and amount losses from soil are related to loss shown by a Piché evaporimeter. Within the canalised area alternation of irrigated and fallow land is responsible for local variations in atmospheric conditions. A daily fluctuation in the moisture content of surface soil from fallow land is recorded and may be instrumental in favourably modifying its physical properties. The heat of wetting of Gezira soil has been measured.
Chick rearing: V. The influence of diet on epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease)
Authors: Mann T. Barton
Published: March 2009

Evidence is presented, based on feeding tests, that at Hanns Hall Farm it has been impossible to control bacillary white diarrhoea of chicks (pullorum disease) by blood testing when foods of c. 20% protein content have been fed as the sole diet of chicks.

Evidence is presented, based on feeding tests, that at Hanns Hall Farm epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease) has occurred in brother chicks when fed foods of c. 20% protein content and that epidemic bacillary white, diarrhoea has not occurred in sister chicks which have been fed crushed oats for the first 72 hr. and thereafter have been fed a diet of c. 14% protein intake.

Evidence is presented, based on feeding tests, that at Hanns Hall Farm epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea (pullorum disease) not only did not occur in sister chicks in which B. pullorum had been demonstrated to be present in one of their number, but also epidemic bacillary white diarrhoea failed to develop despite the lack of hygienic precautions when these chicks had been placed in an uncleansed brooder from which the survivors of a severe epidemic of this disease had just been removed, and when they were brooded adjacent to chicks which suffered severe mortality from the disease, thereby undergoing all the chances of infection by wide dissemination of B. pullorum within a small area.
The effect of rate of gain during the growing and finishing periods on the feed efficiency and carcass composition of the pig: II. Contrasting patterns of growth produced by different rates of gain from 20 to 55 kg and 55 to 87 kg live weight
Authors: Walker N. , Holme D. W. , Forbes T. J.
Published: March 2009

Pigs were grown at controlled rates of live-weight gain from 20 to 55 kg and from 55 to 87 kg live weight, at which weight they were slaughtered. Six growth-rate treatments were compared and were referred to as High-High (HH), High-Moderate (HM), High-Low (HL), Moderate-High (MH), Moderate-Moderate (MM) and Low-High (LH). The right-hand side of each carcass was divided into the four primary jointsand each joint was physically dissected into bone, skin, subcutaneous fat and lean meat. The boneless tissue of each joint was analyzed for moisture, ether extractable fat and nitrogen.

It was found that an increase in the rate of live-weight gain in the first growth period, tended toimprove the efficiency with which feed was converted into live weight. In the second growth period the efficiency of feed conversion was dependent on the rate of gain both in that period and in the preceding period. Restricted growth in the first period improved the efficiency of feed conversion both in the second period and over the entire experimental period compared with rapid early growth. The implications of compensatory growth are discussed.

There was no treatment effect on carcass length, but hindleg length and ham circumference measurements showed that the proportion of gammon in the side was lower in the HH pigs compared with the other five treatments. This was confirmed by the weight of the gammon joint expressed as a percentage of the trimmed side. There was also a decrease in the proportion of shoulder and an increase in the proportion of middle in the HH pigs. Differences between the other five treatments were small. The changes in conformation were due largely to the effect on fat distribution throughout the side particularly in the gammon and back regions.

The HH treatment resulted in a significant increase in the percentage fat in the side compared witheach of the other five treatments. Within these five treatments there was no significant difference in the percentage fat in the side. This suggests that equal importance may be attached to the rate of live-weight gain in both the growing (20–55 kg) and finishing (55–87 kg) periods in determining the fatnessof the bacon weight carcass.

The treatments had little effect on the chemical composition of the fat-free boneless meat.

The results are discussed in relation to current growth theory.