AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17748, 27 April 1923, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH.

FEED VALUES. MERINOS FOR GREAT BRITAIN. (niOM OTTR. OWH CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, March 17. Some interesting experiments are being carried on by the Royal Agricultural Society which a year ago voted £2OOO to form the nucleus of a research fund. The administration of the fund was placed in the hands of a committee, under the chairmanship of the Duke of Devonsliire. In a pamphlet just published tho results of the first year's work is summarised. The first investigation undertaken by the Committee was the profitable utilisation of whey, which was taken up in conjunction with the Ministry of Agnoulture and Mr Dampier Whethain, who placed his lactose factory in Dorset at the disposal of the Society, and superintended the experimental work. Three points were assigned to the Society for investigation, viz., tho extraction of milk sugar (lactose) from fresh whey; the production of some soluble form of lactalbumin; and the consideration ot the best means of transporting whey from cheese factories to a oentral lactose factory. These three problems have been satisfactorily solved. Certain patent rights on the processes worked out for the treatment of whey are held by the Society, and the Council have decided to license anyone putting forward an approved scheme to utilise these processes. Pig and Cattle Feeding.

Professor T. B„ Wood and his staff at Cambridge University are. carrying out for the Society an experiment on the effect of grinding, soaking, aad cooking on the nutritive value of maize as food' for pigs, fed in combination with other foods (such as middlings and white fish meal) which are less deficient in protein and ash constituents. It is proposed to compare the digestibility of maize fed dry, wet, and cooked. No accurate experiments have been carried out upon the feeding value of silage for dairy cows in this country. Tower silos are expensive to erect, and the Society's Research Committee have decided to undertake an investigation to test the economic possibilities of silage, both in towers and in clamps. Mixtures of crops, including tares, oats, and beans are being grown, and these will be ensiled end clamped in July, and the feeding experiment will be conducted during the winter months. The main point will be to test the relative value of silage with a small ration of mangolds against a full mangold ration, each ration being properly balanced with other foods. Another experiment is being undertaken in Leicestershire to test the feed- , ing value of typical grazing land for j the production of beef and mutton in | the Midlands, both manured in various | ways and unmanured. The cattle and sheep will be weighed at intervals. The Society has made a grant towards this experiment and the Leicestershire County Council ate providing the rest of the money. A local fund has also been guaranteed in case expenditure exceeds tho amount provided by the Society and the County Council.

Experiments with- Merinos. Under the chairmanship of Sir Daniel Hall, Chief Scientific, Adviser to the Ministry of Agricurture, a meeting was held thif week at the Leeds .University to discuss a scheme for the importation of merino rams. The first scheme referred to was for the importation of 50 merino rams from Peru, offered by Colonel Stordy. The chairman said Mr Walter Runciman had offered to convey these rams to this country free, of cost. The Ministry, however, was not really oonvinoed that the importation of these rams would' be effective, and could not conceive that the grading up of wool, which was the object, could be effected by any kind of indiscriminate use of rams. There was a possibility of it casting discredit on the whole idea of experiment in cross breeding. They could not, for instance introduce fine wool at the expense of the carcase. The Ministry suggested that instead of any indiscriminate trial being made, some oarefully designed experiment should be substituted. The point was to get a sufficient number of sheep to experiment upon, and they suggested that, two flock-owners should come forward with one hundred ewes for this purpose. He also suggested that they might obtain from the Industrial Research Association a promise that they would take the wool from the experiments off the hands of the flock-owners. Professor Barker, head of Leeds University Textile Department, said there could be no doubt about the possibilities which had been revealed. The difference in value between merino and the breeds in this country was two and even three times afe great. There were prospects of shortage in merino wools and prices were advancing. Everything went to show that there was a world, shortage, which would tret worse.

Resolutions in support of the proposed experiment were carried.