DISEASE RESEARCH

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21525, 13 September 1941, Page 9

DISEASE RESEARCH

PROGRESS AT RUAKURA FARM COMMITTEE MEETS In their quarterly inspection of field experiments at the Ruakura Animal Research Station yesterday, the Ruakura Farm Advisory Committee visited the dairy, piggery and an area where ensilage trials are being conducted. The progress of the experimental work in regard to artificial insemination was explained to the committee by a research officer, and the proposed pig feeding trials were outlined by Mr C. E. Ballinger. The progress of the various experiments at the station was reviewed during the afternoon meeting of the committee by the chairman, Mr P. W. Smallfield, and there was a long discussion on the incidence of grass staggers and milk fever. It was explained that the field work for a cooperative trial, arranged by the Wallaceville Animal Research Station, had been carried out by the Ruakura staff on a Waikato farm. In this trial 13 cows had been divided into three groups—(l) a group inoculated with vitamin D concentrate; (2) a control group; (3) a group drenched with magnesium silicate. The experiment was still proceeding. Present at the meeting were:—Mr P. W. Smallfield (superintendent of the Ruakura Animal Research Station), Dr. J. F. Filmer (actingdirector of the Animal Research Division), Messrs W. T. Collins (fields superintendent, Department of Agriculture), T. E. Rodda (farm manager), Dr. H. E. Annett, Messrs E. F. J. Peacocke, G. T. Crawley, A. Hayward, H. J. Finlayson, E. Zeisler and C. E. Ballinger (secretary).