ANIMAL NUTRITION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 30 August 1927, Page 5

ANIMAL NUTRITION

RESEARCH |N DOMINION.

AMERICA’S INTEREST. Progress that is being made at Madison, Wisconsin, in connection with the nutrition of stock, is referred to in a recent letter received from Mr. T. Rigg, a member of the Dominion Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Mr. Rigg represented New Zealand at the Soils Conference in the States, and has now gone to England. “The work,” writes Mr. Rigg, “is being conducted under the leadership of Professor E. B. Hart, who has associated with him Professor Morrison, a specialist in animal husbandry, and Dr. Steenboch- Much valuable work has already been done, and several mysterious ailments of stock in Wisconsin have been shown to be due to deficiencies of lime or phosphate. In addition, they have shown that the lack of sufficienecy of lime in pastures and fodders fed to stock causes quite frequently a tendency towards aboration. This abortion, however, is distant from that known as ‘contagious abortion,’ which is said to be due to bacertial infection. It seems possible, however, that unless great care were taken the two types of abortion might be confused. It might well happen that in certain parts of New Zealand where serious lime deficiencies in pasture occur, that abortion in cows is directly influenced by this lime deficiency.

“The farming community of Wisconsin has been so impressed with the valuable work done by the Animal Nutrition Department of the University that a special grant oi 50,000 dollars has been placed at the disposal of Professor Hart to enable him to determine whether the incidence of contagious abortion is influenced by poor nutrition of stock. The Rowett Institute (Scotland) apparently appreciate the work being done by Professor Hart, since they send certain of their workers for special experience on certain lines oi animal nutrition work being carried out at Wisconsin.

“Professor Hart is greatly interested in the proposal of the New Zealand Research Council to investigate the mineral content of New Zealand pastures, and the start that has already been made in connection with animal nutrition. He thinks that we have exceptional opportunities in the Dominion for securing results both of practical and fundamental importance to our knowledge of stock nutrition in New Zealand.”