ALBERT

Description: The brickearth of Pegwell Bay in Kent is identified as a true loess. It rests on solifluction deposits and frost-shattered rocks.

Description: In regions periodically subjected to falls of snow, major obstacles to the movement of men and vehicles are caused rather by the formation of drifts than by the uniform deposition of snow. Even in countries where snow-fall is not heavy, drifting can occasionally cause a breakdown of transport over a large area. Drifts form when snow-bearing winds meet obstacles which cause eddies in the wind stream and a local reduction in wind speed. The snow is deposited out of the wind stream into these regions of comparative calm, and the process continues for as long as an obstacle is effective in reducing wind speed.

Description: 1. Experiments are described demonstrating a technique for raising sugar beet seedlings under glass during the winter to provide plants for seed production after transplanting into the field.2. The use of 24 hr. illumination for this purpose is discussed, and the effect of this illumination in resolving a heterogeneous population is described.3. The association between the growth habit of the seeding plant and root characters, glomerule yield, weight and size, and the time of anthesis is considered in relation to the recognition of types showing B. maritima and B. vulgaris characteristics.

Description: The Penny Ice Cap on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baffin Island, N.W.T., Canada, was studied during the summer of 1953. This ice cap has an area of some 5900 sq. km. and rests on a 2000 m. high mountain range. It has ten major outflowing glaciers, three of which reach the sea in fjords. The progress of snow accumulation and ablation and the net annual loss or gain of water at various altitudes on the ice cap are recorded. The firn line is at about 1550 m. and the outflowing glaciers are noticeably retreating.

Description: Fourteen pairs of monozygous twin cows of mixed ages were used to determine the effect of underfeeding from the 3rd to the 8th week inclusive after calving on milk and butterfat production and on the composition of the milk.Those cows which were well fed over the 6-week period produced more milk and a larger weight of butterfat than their sisters which had been poorly fed. The milk from the well-fed cows had a lower percentage of butterfat, but higher percentages of solids-not-fat and total protein, than the milk from the poorly fed cows.The complete lactation averages failed to show statistical significant differences in all characteristics except in the case of solids-not-fat percentage. The mean difference between the two groups for solidsnot-fat was found to be highly significant.In general, the results support the conclusions of other workers, that underfeeding dairy cows may depress the solids-not-fat content of the milk.It appeared that differences between the two groups in butterfat percentage over the 6-week experimental feeding period were strongly correlated with differences in weight changes and that the small amount of variance associated with milk yield differences was not significant.

Description: 1. During the course of investigations on the influence of High- and Low-nutritional planes on the growth, reproduction and production of heifers, sexual activity was studied by recording oestrus data. A total of 239 observations were recorded for fourteen maiden heifers for each nutritional plane; 161 for the High-plane individuals and 78 for those on the Low plane. The investigation included four breeds, viz. Beef Shorthorn, Afrikaner, Friesian and Jersey.2. The average length of the dioestrous cycle was 20·16 days for the High-plane animals, and 20·83 days for their Low-plane counterparts, the difference of 0·67 days not being statistically significant. Breed differences were not very marked, but a tendency was revealed for the Friesians of both planes to have slightly longer cycles on an average than any other breed studied.3. The modal length of the cycle for both groups was found to be 19 days, with 95·6% of the cycles falling within the normal range of 17 to 23 days. Cycles exceeding 33 days in length were, however, excluded from these calculations.4. A tendency was revealed for the initial postpubertal cycles to be longer on an average than what is usually considered the normal length. Although the High-plane heifers settled down to a regular rhythm sooner, observations showed that differences existing between individual animals is probably of greater significance in this regard than any other factor.5. Whereas the majority of the High-plane heifers reached puberty during winter, 85·7% of the Lowplane heifers came on heat for the first time in summer. It is suggested that with the approach of favourable nutritional conditions, animals in a low condition first restore depleted body tissues before the sexual cycle returns to normal activity.6. A slight tendency was noticed for cycle length to vary with the season in the case of the High-plane animals, longer cycles being recorded in summer than in winter. On the Low plane, however, the heifers concerned invariably experienced an anoestrous condition during winter, lasting anything up to 218 days. Only after they regained the losses in live weight, was sexual activity restored as previously pointed out.7. Sexual activity was shown to be greatest in late summer with little variation over the remainder of the year under normal conditions of nutrition and management, while in the Low-plane individuals it fluctuated from complete inactivity in midwinter to a peak in summer.8. Post-partum oestrus was considerably delayed by lactation in the beef animals. The High plane heifers came on heat only after weaning their calves while the Low-plane individuals required nearly a year in addition to regain depleted body reserves before sexual activity was restored. The Low-plane dairy heifers showed a longer post-partum anoestrous period also, the difference between the two groups being 20·77 days.9. The results for the number of services required per conception demonstrated that the Low-nutritional plane caused no detrimental influence on this factor. In fact, the difference existing between the two groups studied was in favour of the Low plane animals. This is in agreement with Asdell's (1952) findings. It was shown that season had no effect on the results obtained.

Description: The histochemical localization of acid and alkaline glycerophosphatase (phosphomonoesterase) has been determined throughout the reproductive tract in the bull. Sections were incubated in a buffer substrate containing sodium β-glycerophosphate at pH 4·5 and pH 9·4. Duplicate sections were incubated for progressive lengths of time ranging from ½ hr. (alkaline phosphatase) to a maximum of 48 hr. (acid phosphatase).Evidence of the presence of both enzymes has been obtained in the tissues which compose the reproductive tract. In the case of acid phosphatase the reaction was predominant in the nuclei of the lining epithelial cells. In addition, a positive cellular reaction was found in the distal portions of the epithelium lining the epididymis, the ampulla of the vas deferens and the seminal vesicles. The reaction obtained in the testis appeared to vary with the stage of activity of the tubule.In the case of alkaline phosphatase the reaction was predominantly shown by the basement membrane and the capillaries throughout the tissues with a cellular reaction in the distal portions of the cells lining the epididymis, the ampulla of the vas deferens and the seminal vesicles. In the seminal vesicles the type ‘A’ cells reacted strongly while the periphery of the osmic staining vacuoles of the type ‘B’ cells also gave a positive reaction. The only activity present in the prostate was in the capillary endothelium. The spermatogenic epithelium showed a positive reaction, but no reaction was given by the interstitial cells.

Description: Part I1. Reasons are given for expressing the evaporative loss of the resting fowl in the following way:where C is a constant, f(tr) is a function of rectal temperature, ps is the vapour pressure of a saturated atmosphere at the temperature of the evaporative surfaces, and pa is the vapour pressure of the ambient air.2. It was found that for practical physiological purposes the rectal temperature may be taken as that of evaporation, from which ps, is deduced. The real temperature of evaporation is probably a few degrees below this, as would be expected.3. It is concluded from this, that atmospheric humidity hinders the evaporative cooling of fowls less than that of men. Therefore, a farmer cannot estimate the comfort of his fowls in hot weather from his own subjective impressions. The experiments also explain theoretically, why evaporative coolers for poultry houses are successful in practice.PART II1. The evaporative loss over a wide range of rectal temperature is plotted in Fig. 1. By applying formula (ii) it was possible to prepare curves for 28 and 5 mm. Hg atmospheric vapour pressure. These vapour pressures are near the extremes of absolute humidity, which fowls naturally encounter in hot climates. Brown Leghorns were used, and it is pointed out that the results with other breeds might not be quite the same.2. It was calculated that part of the increase in evaporative cooling in hyperthermia is due to the rise in temperature of evaporation. At high rectal temperatures its importance is comparable with that of increased pulmonary ventilation.3. There was no significant sex difference in the relation between evaporative loss and rectal temperature (Fig. 2).4. The maximum possible evaporative cooling of fowls in equilibrium with their environment was 41 Kg.cal./sq.m./hr. at a humidity of 28 mm. Hg atmospheric vapour pressure and 64 Kg.cal./sq.m./hr. at 5 mm. This is much less than the maximum attained by man and somewhat less than that of the dog. Although evaporation per unit surface area was less than in the cow, it was much the same in relation to metabolic requirements.5. Next, certain discrepancies are considered in the relation between rectal temperature and evaporative loss (Tables 3–5). At rectal temperatures near the panting threshold evaporation was found to be greater at high air temperatures and during the night. For the night tests fragmentary data only were available. These findings are tentatively attributed to a lower normal body temperature, which lowered the panting threshold.