MORE PRODUCTION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1931, Page 14

MORE PRODUCTION

DIET OF ANIMALS

NEW ZEALAND ACTIVITY

THE EOWETT INSTITUTE

Among the passengers who arrived yesterday by the!Monowai. from' Sydney was Dr. I. J. Cunningham, M.Sc, Ph.D.; A.1.C., of the "Department of Agriculture, who returned-to Wellington after having spent two and a half years in research wort on the mineral nutrition of animals. ' ' ... . 'As the result of the visit to New Zealand in 1928 of Dr. Orr, Director, of the Rowett Institute,' Aberdeen, arrangements were made for an exchange, ..-,0f.-./Scientific,, workers'. between the :lustitu'te and New Zealand. As a consequence, Miss . Simpson^ from the jEowett litjstitute,';.spent two years, in..ijew. Zealand, and- Dr. Cunninghani, analystl^^ in the ■: chemical laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, went to the Rowett Institute for a considerable period.',;: \-: ' The main work : Jjf the Eowett "Institute relates . :: tojt.he.__inineral content of pastures''find its efieet. upon the nutrition and general health of stock, had this class of work is alsq-.aji important branch' of. the'; scientific work being done by; agrieuitur^r'scientists in New Zealanij.f'' ■ .""• '"::"'^"■[''■':' '■'■- . The^principal 'work of the chemistry section of; the Department of Agriculture has been the continuation- of in-, vestigation into the'mineral content of New Zealand pastures. "In addition to the work>.under..the Empire Marketing Board'sscherae, of "research, other lines of investigation are being carried out in co-oparation with the officers of the Live .Stbcjf; Division. has been. gi*en to tlw I?otorua pumice lands, where demonstrations have-been carried out in the medicinal treatment of animals and the topdressing of pastures; "Waitorco country, where malnutrition troubles in ' sheep have been investigated; Poverty Bay, in which district there was, shown to be some evidence:-, of correlation between ' the iron -,conte.at of .the pasture and the health >-of ,th'B stock'jwaJid ■ Wairarapa, where further :.work-in the analysis of soils andpastures has been carried out. The administration of, supplementary rations to, animals on rnineral r deficient areas by-means of licks]..or feeding pellets containing the' necessary mineral elements:.; has. also.been- investigated. Work.Related".1 to- the foregoing has been the subject of research by Dr. Cunningham, who, in "addition to participating^ dv the -work' ■; -.at- the Rowett Institute,.yYisj.tett o.thftr. 'institutes in England iSeotland. Low. production front animals'grazing on pastures of faulty mineral content is well recognised as an important problem in °a primary producing country, ;and the .object-of ;tha-,work at the Rowett InstitutEr'ajidoin :New.: Zealand is cbrrec*i ve^ Jft> f Qirecting;,.the .deficiencies in the pastures, ~ y thereb"y iifcreasing proAEISTOOBATIC EATS. Dr. Cuiiniiigham brought with him five white rats which are to be used fo_r^f eeding experiments" iri: connection with.tlie. feseareh worTC'Th'cy are.the blue-'blqgdea' "aristocracy -of, tho 'rodent worldj-.atfd.havg a' known pedigree ex-tending-back sixteen generations in Scotland and many more-in America Ihe stock originally, came from the Wistar Institute in America, and when tliey •left.-'.Englaacl .they, were nine in n'i^,er v ..._ - Unjisuallv, ; ;.]iqt'. ; weather was experienced in the Red Sea; and four •of them cUed. They wero fed with special foods, and in charge of the ship's >utcherfrey-we7e'"carea'for as pampered children ~ throughout the wholo; of ■ the :six week's at sea to Syd-' ney, and every precaution' was taken to keep their cage at an'even temnerature. : It has '.discovered in" research -eii-cles.-that.if rats'are'inbred for many. g,enei;ations':they:preserv^ certain characteristics which are essential for some, work, and these rats'.have been industriously anbred for as Iqng as posThey should platan'impo\C part, m the cspenmental work in New «Gftl32lCl« ■, ... -.■-,-