ALBERT

Beschreibung: Between 60,000 and 40,000 B.P., northeastern Queensland, south New South Wales, and southeastern South Australia were drier than at present. From 40,000–30,000 B.P. a colder climate than at present is indicated from one New Guinea area. Dryness became even more accentuated in northeastern Queensland, whereas many lakes filled up in the southern mainland, probably because of increasing precipitation effectiveness there. Before the end of this period colder conditions than now were already giving rise to slope instability in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.The period of 25,000–15,000 B.P. saw the greatest lowering of the New Guinea treeline, reaching an extreme at 17,000 B.P. when glaciers also achieved their maximum extent. This was the time of extensive glaciation in Tasmania and small glaciers formed in the Snowy Mountains. Estimates of the lowering of mean annual temperature range from 6°–10°C. Northeastern Queensland experienced its driest Late Quaternary climate; lakes were contracting throughout the southern mainland and the final phase of substantial desert dune building took place before the period ended.In the Snowy Mountains ice retreat began before 20,000 B.P., as did the construction of clay dunes in the southern semi-arid belt, a process demanding higher temperatures. However, in New Guinea and Tasmania ice retreat and treeline rise did not begin till after 15,000 B.P. Temperatures rose rapidly and everywhere most of the ice had gone by 10,000 B.P., when some lakes filled up in southern Australia, implying an increase in absolute precipitation.In the last 10,000 years climate has been relatively stable although there are some indications that temperature and rainfall were marginally higher than now between 8000 and 5000 B.P. Since then, lake levels have oscillated; a brief, limited resumption of periglacial activity took place in the Snowy Mountains and there were small glacier advances in New Guinea.

Beschreibung: 1. Three groups of mature ewes were fed during pregnancy and lactation on rations differing in their calcium content. The mean daily intakes of calcium were 1·4 g. (group A), 4·5 g. (group B), and 7·4 g. (group C). Blood samples were analysed monthly for calcium and inorganic phosphorus. The ewes were killed at approximately 100 days after parturition and the skeletons isolated. Individual bones, either whole or divided into definite fractions, were analysed.2. The level of calcium intake was without effect on the number of lambs born, birth weight, or growth while milk fed.3. Blood calcium was significantly lower in group A than in groups B and C, but blood inorganic phosphorus was unaltered.4. The resorption of bone substance was greater in group A than in groups B and C.5. The severity of resorption varied between bones, and in regions within certain bones. Resorption was most severe in the vertebrae and pelvis, and only slight in the metacarpal, the metatarsal and the shafts of other long bones. Resorption of intermediate magnitude was found for the remainder of the skeleton.6. Resorption was accompanied by reductions in the percentages of ash in bones, but this effect was proportionately less than the ash weight reduction.7. Radiological observations made on flesh-free bones at the end of the experiment gave a picture of resorption similar to that presented by the data for ash weights and percentages of ash, namely that resorption was much greater in group A than in groups B and C.

Beschreibung: 1. The relationship existing between the gross digestible energy content and the chemical composition of 24 hays has been studied with nine Cheviot wether lambs over a period of 8 months.2. Each hay was fed to a group of three lambs for a 10-day preliminary and 10-day collection period. Faeces and urine were collected in metabolism crates.

Beschreibung: 1. When Cheviot ewes were fed a daily ration containing about 5 g. of calcium during pregnancy and lactation there was a loss of 6·5% of skeletal mineral by mid-lactation. Two months after the end of lactation this loss was fully replaced.2. When the daily calcium allowance was about 2 g. the loss was 18·2% by mid-lactation and was not replaced by 2 months after the end of lactation. However, if the calcium intake was raised to about 5 g. at mid-lactation the skeleton was fully recovered by 2 months after the end of lactation.3. Resorption was always more marked in certain bones than others, the cervical vertebrae, skull and mandible being more sensitive than the ends of the radius and metacarpal and these ends more sensitive than the shafts. This follows the pattern of resorption reported in Part I of this series.4. In sheep on low calcium intakes the serum calcium levels rose in early lactation and then fell. If extra calcium was given from mid-lactation onwards serum calcium levels rose to normal. If extra calcium was not given the fall in serum calcium levels continued until the end of lactation, when they rose. Serum phosphate levels had a strong tendency to vary inversely with serum calcium levels.5. The differences in the mineral status of the skeletons, provoked by differences in dietary provision of calcium of the order used in this experiment, were readily seen in radiographs of flesh-free bone. Differences of this magnitude could not be accurately identified in radiographs of live animals.

Beschreibung: 1. Growth and feed conversion efficiency of pigs between weaning and 100 lb. live weight were improved by adding a vitamin B12 a supplement to simplified all-plant rations containing, principally, barley and groundnut meal. This response was obtained with less than one-third of the U.S. recommended allowance of vitamin B12 in the rations of growing pigs.2. No such response was obtained when a vitamin B12 supplement was added to rations containing milling by-products and grass meal.3. When pigs were fed to a scale based on live weight, those that received an all-plant ration (containing milling by-products and grass meal, and relying on groundnut meal as the main source of supplementary protein to give a total content of 18·4 to 18·8% crude protein) gave 90–93% as good growth as pigs that were fed rations of similar total digestible nutrient content containing 14·5–15·5% crude protein and 3·6 or 7·0% white fish meal. Calculations suggest that such groundnut meal rations may be slightly deficient in lysine, but probably not deficient in tryptophan or ‘cystine + methionine’.4. When pigs were fed to appetite, those that received rations containing 3·6% white fish meal and no milling by-products or grass meal, ate significantly more than those that had either ‘milling by-products + grass meal’ or no fish meal in their rations; they grew proportionately faster, with no improvement in the efficiency of feed conversion.5. The carcasses of pigs that had received all-plant rations from weaning to bacon weight were of good quality, and their measurements did not differ from those of pigs that had received fish meal to 100 lb. live weight.

Beschreibung: 1. The relationship existing between the gross digestible energy content and the chemical composition of twenty-four silages has been studied with nine Cheviot wether lambs over a period of 8 months.2. Silages were made from grassland herbage and varied widely in the chemical composition of the ingoing material.3. Each silage was fed to a group of three lambs for a 10-day preliminary- and a 9-day collectionperiod. Faeces and urine were collected in metabolism crates.4. The silages were analysed for volatile acids and bases, for proximate nutrients and for some of the more precise chemical constituents as suggested in the scheme of analysis of Ferguson (1948).5. A close relationship existed between the gross digestible energy contents of the silages and the lignin (Ellis) content.6. The most accurate prediction of gross digestible energy was obtained by taking into account the content of lignin (Ellis), cellulose (Crampton & Maynard) and crude protein, in the silage.7. In the case of hays (Walker & Hepburn, 1955) no increase in the accuracy of predicting gross digestible energy was obtained by estimating the lignin and cellulose content, rather than crude fibre alone. However, with silages the results give support to the opinion of Mitchell (1942) and Schneider et al. (1951) that analysis for more precise chemical constituents will increase the accuracy of predicting digestibility.8. Crude fibre and cellulose were not related in any fixed way with the digestibility of energy. Crude fibre itself was digested to some 80% compared with 62% in hays.9. Metabolizable energy was closely related to digestible energy.10. The starch equivalents of the silages were calculated by conventional methods and also from the content of gross digestible energy.

Beschreibung: 1. Two groups of Rhode Island Red × Light Sussex pullets were housed respectively in batteries and in a fold unit.2. Samples of the eggs produced were collected monthly and weights of egg fractions, quality tests on yolk and thick white, and porosity coefficients were determined.3. The tests were continued for a 9-month period and no consistent differences were found in the quality of the eggs produced under the two systems of housing.4. Colours of yolks produced by battery pullets were paler than those produced in the fold unit on grass. Yolk colour was improved by increasing the proportion of grass meal in the diet of battery birds.

Beschreibung: 1. Twelve lambs varying in age from 5 to 35 days in age were slaughtered and their carbohydrate-digesting enzymes studied for any change in activity with increase in age.2. Results are given for the changes in weight of different parts of the digestive organs and their contents, and for the content of NaCl and of total acidity in the abomasum contents.3. Pancreatic and small intestine amylase showed only a slight increase in activity up to 5 weeks of age.4. Lactase and maltase activity in the small intestine were almost constant from 1 week to 5 weeks of age.5. No sucrase activity was measurable in any of the lambs slaughtered in either the small intestine wall or its contents.6. A comparison was made between the carbohydrase activity of the young pig and the lamb.7. Calculations based on the enzyme activities of the tissues showed the theoretical amounts of different carbohydrates which can be digested by lambs and young pigs of varying age groups.8. The results suggest that the young lamb is dependent on the early development of its rumen fauna and flora for the utilization of all other carbohydrates except lactose and glucose.

Beschreibung: 1. The digestive organs and contents of twelve lambs, varying in age from 1 to 5 weeks, have been examined for their proteolytic enzyme activity at pH 1·8, 3·5 and 8·5.2. Enzyme activity at 1·8 was present only in the abomasum and its contents.3. All tissues and contents examined were active on haemoglobin at pH 3·5.4. Small intestine contents and pancreas alone were active on azocasein at pH 8·5.5. The majority of tissues and contents increased their proteolytic activity with increase in age. The abomasum wall, however, increased in activity up to 21 days and thereafter decreased, both at pH 1·8 and 3·5.6. Milk-clotting action was measured on abomasum wall and contents. There was an absence of milk clots in the abomasum after 21 days, by which time rumen function had commenced.