PALM KERNEL CAKE TESTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3044, 3 April 1917, Page 10

PALM KERNEL CAKE TESTS

Satisfactory results with CATCT7E "37>1i SHEISI'. [ (From tTie '"'"Morning Post.") I 'An mteresting bulletin from th« | Couidy Experiment Station at Cockle | Park (England) discusses several tests made with tlio nower feeding stuffs, i Professor Gilchrist presents tbe result's in considerablo detail. Palm | kernel cakc, palm kernel meal, and | coconut' cako are contrasted with | Egyptian cotton cakc and Soya cake. Cattle of varying ages wero chosen for the purposes of tTTe uemonstration. It may'bo recalled tliafc the palm kernel prior to the war went very largely to Germany. Thus in 1913 over 234,000 tons of palm kernels were exported from British West Africa, and of this quantity. 181,000 lons were consigned to Germany and about 40,000 tons came to this country. Germany also absorbed 43,000 tons of the 50,000 tons which were dispatched from French I West Africa in 1912. The industries dependent upon these kernels were' [formerly practically in German hands. It is important, therefore, that a market should be created in this country, and to this end a number of tho colleges have been carrying out feeding tests to familiarise the farmer with the merits of this now feeding stuff. A summary of the tables'presented in this bulletin indicates that, iviiile there , are individual variations, the averages are nearly equal. Tlius on the standard ration, which included cotton cake, the bullocks increased by' the weekly weight of 16.501b. each, and the heifers 8.021b. On the palm kfiiTiol cake ration the bullocks ' added l'J.-Mi!)., and the heifers 10lb., and oil the palm kernel meal ration 14.181b. vrftro added to the weight of the bullocks weekly and 9.291b. to the heifers. The coconut cake ration resulted ia an arertge weekly gain of 15.701b. in the case of bullocks and 7.421b. in the case of heifers. -' Studying tile financial side of the question palm kernel cake and meal come out of tho contrast very vrell. • They had , the merit of being_ choppcr than cotton cake.' It is pointed out that larger gains were secured by wintering cattle indoors, but at the end. of March practical men valued the outwintered cattle at 30s. more per head. Palm kernel meal gave better, results than the cake with these' young cattlo. The sheep used in the trial wore . three-parts bred hoggs. All made satisfactory gains, the kernel meat again doing very well. I' 1 on cattle and sheep, therefore, the conclusion may be acoepted that the new feeding stuff is very satisfactory. I