Intensive fattening of beef cattle by stall feeding on the Lilongwe plain,Malawi I. Type of forage and level and type of supplementation

Summary Experiments were undertaken with Malawi zebu steers over three wet seasons to investigate the effects of feeding improved forages (zero grazed) and supplements on animal performance. The forages fed were Guinea grass and pearl millet and the supplements maize: madeya (maize bran) or maize: madeya: cottonseed cake. The daily allowance of supplement was, on a DM basis, liveweight equivalent to 0·6, 1·1 or 1·5 per cent of cattle (1973, 1974). In 1975 the supplementation treatments were nil, maize: madeya or leucaena fed at 0·6 per cent liveweight. Daily gains of steers were similar with both forages except in 1975 when those fed on pearl millet grew 19 per cent faster than those on Guinea grass. The performance of steers was increased with supplementation only where forage quality declined. The significance of the results are discussed.

---

Engorde Intensivo De Ganado De Carne En Confinamiento, En Los Llanos De Lilongwe, Malawi. I. Tipo De Forraje, Nivel Y Tipo De Suplementacion

Resumen Se llevaron a cabo experimentos con novillos Malawi Cebú en tres estaciones lluviosas con el propósito de investigar los efectos de la alimentación a base de pastos mejorados y suplementos, en el rendimiento de los animales. Los pastos utilizados en la alimentación fueron pasto Guinea y Pearl Millet y de suplemento maíz: madeja (salvado de trigo) o máíz: madeja: torta de algodón. La ración diaria de suplemento fué, sobre bases de MS equivalente a 0·6, 1·1 ó 1·5 por ciento del ganado (1973, 1974). En 1975 los tratamientos de suplementación fueron escasos, salvado de maíz o leucaena dados a 0.6 por ciento del peso vivo. Las ganancias diarias de los novillos fueron similares con ambos forrajes excepto en 1975, cuando aquellos alimentados con Pearl Millet crecieron 19 por ciento más rápido que los que se alimentaron con pasto Guinea. El rendimiento de los novillos aumentó con la suplementación, a medida que la calidad del forraje declinaba. Se discute el significado de los resultados.

---

Engraissement Intensif De Bovins De Boucherie Par Embouche En Stabulation Dans La Plaine De Lilongwe, Au Malawi. I. Type De Fourrage, Niveau Et Type De Complementation

Résumé Des expérience ont été conduites avec des bouvillons Zébu Malawi durant trois saisons des pluies pour réchercher les effets de l'alimentation avec des fourrages améliorés (distribués à l'auge) et des compléments sur les performances des animaux.Les fourrages étaient constitués par duPanicum maximum, duPennisetum americanum et le complément par du maïs/son de maïs additionnés ou non de tourteau do coton. En 1973 et 1974, la quantité journalière de complément a été de 0,6, 1,1 et 1,5 p. 100 en M.S. du poids vif du bétail. En 1975, les complémentations ont été nulles, maïs/son de maïs ouLeucaena leucocephala à 0,6 p. 100 du poids vif. Les gains journaliers des bouvillons ont été semblables avec les deux fourrages excepté en 1975 lorsque ceux nourris avec duPennisetum ont grossi de 19 p. 100 de plus que ceux nourris sur duPanicum maximum. Les performances des bouvillons ont augmenté avec la supplémentation alors que déclinait la qualité du fourrage. La signification de ces résultats est discutée.

     

The use of the log-linear model to evaluate the effects of three herd factors on Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis occurrence in California, 1977

Epidemiologic relationships among Streptococcus agalactiae infected dairy herds and herd size, location and California Dairy Herd Improvement Association (CDHIA) participation were examined using log-linear methodology. Dairies located in five out of the six California Bureau of Animal Health veterinary districts were studied. Data sources included the Dairy Cattle Data Base, which uniquely identifies each of the 2875 dairies in California, the 1977 statewide CDHIA year-end summary report and microbiological results from a 1977 statewide survey of bulk tank milk samples. These data were merged, fitted and the best model selected using likelihood-ratio statistics. The model included all four “main effects”, the six possible “1st-order effetss” and the “2nd-order effect” due to the interaction of herd size, location and CDHIA participation. Subsequently, a logit model was used to estimate the effect of the independent herd factor variables (size, location and CDHIA participation) on the log odds of the dependent S. agalactiae variable. This model required conditioning on the three-way relationship among the independent variables.medium-sized, non-CDHIA herds in district 2 (northcentral California) showed the highest expected odds (3.37) for S. agalactiae in bulk tank milk, while small, CDHIA herds in district 3 (northcentral coastal California) produced the lowest odds (0.39).     

Structural studies in azolylmethanes

The crystal structures of a number of fungicidal azolylmethanes are compared. In the benzyl compounds [1-aryl-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)pentan-3-ones, the corresponding pentan-3-ols, and 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(2-fluorophenyl)-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-1-one], the benzyl and tert-butyl groups (or 4-chlorophenyl group) are trans, whereas in the analogous phenoxy compounds [1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-3,3-dimethyl-1-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)butan-2-one and the corresponding butan-2-ol], the tert-butyl groups are trans to the triazole and gauche to the phenoxy group. Coupling constants, determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) spectroscopy, suggest that for some compounds there is one dominant solution conformation. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding, observed by infrared spectroscopy in two of the compounds, supports the findings by n.m.r. For some compounds, the crystal and solution conformations appear to be very similar, whereas in others they are quite different. Published data on the relative activity of the enantiomers of the benzyl- and phenoxy-compounds are discussed, but differences in the relative activity of enantiomers in the two series cannot be readily rationalised. It is concluded that different enantiomers may have different modes of binding at the active site.     

An assessment of the value of plant growth regulators and herbicides for crops grown for the processed food industries

The use of growth regulators to induce specific modifications in the growth of crops produced for processing is discussed. Increases in yield may be obtained by some treatments but more important effects on uniformity, quality, ease of harvesting and short-term storage may also be achieved. The results of experiments on stem extension of calabrese, chemical stopping and defoliation of Brussels sprouts, root/shoot ratio modification of root crops and short-term storage of green vegetables are presented. It is concluded that although so far, few commercial applications have been discovered, the requirements for growth regulation justify the search for new, more reliable synthetic growth regulators by improving screening tests and more efficient field trials. The use of herbicides on crops grown for processing is also discussed briefly and it is concluded that the prime requirement is for more efficient post-emergence herbicides.     

Multiple drug resistance in Pasteurella multocida and Pasteurella haemolytica from cattle and swine.

The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing on 262 strains of Pasteurella multocida and 141 strains of Pasteurella haemolytica isolated from cattle and swine from 1971 to 1974 were analyzed for patterns of resistance to streptomycin, penicillin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol, using a modified Kirby-Bauer procedure. Resistance was recorded for 80.5% of the isolants of P multocida and 92.2% of those of P haemolytica. Resistance to streptomycin was most frequent, followed by resistance to penicillin and tetracycline. Most cultures of P multocida and P haemolytica were susceptible to chloramphenicol. There were 9 patterns of resistance with the aforementioned antibiotics. The combinations, streptomycin and penicillin and streptomycin and tetracycline, each accounted for approximately 10% of the resistance patterns of P multocida. Approximately half of the 14 isolants of P haemolytica were resistant to the combination of streptomycin, penicillin, and tetracycline. These observations underscore the need for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of clinical isolants of P multocida and P haemolytica.     

EXAMINATION OF STOCKFEEDS FOR SALMONELLA

SUMMARY Of 100 stockfeeds examined for Salmonella 45 were positive by pre-enrichment followed by selective enrichment of 10 times 25 g samples. Forty-three were positive by selective enrichment of pooled aliquots of the pre-enrichment broths from the 10 times 25 g samples.
Aliquots of the pre-enrichment broths from the 10 times 25 g samples of 77 of the feeds were stored at 4°C and retested after 6 days. One hundred and ten of these (770) subsamples were found to contain salmonellas initially, and 107 were found to contain salmonellas after storage for 6 days.
The testing of feeds by the examination of multiple 25 g samples and pooled pre-enrichment broths is recommended. Aliquots of the pre-enrichment broths may be stored at 4°C for 6 days and retested if an estimation of the numbers in the feed is required. Further pre-enrichment after cold storage is not required.     

The hen's egg: Factors affecting shell splitting during boiling

Experiments are described from which it is concluded that the shell will split when an egg is boiled if thermal expansion of the egg's liquid or gaseous contents, which have a higher coefficient of expansion than the shell, is insufficiently relieved by escape through the membranes and pores. The probability of splitting was enhanced if the shell had low structural strength due to a pre‐existing crack or to large size, skew shape or low effective thickness; once these factors had been taken into account there was no significant effect of the shell's aspect ratio, colour, glossiness, roughness or degree of ridging, nor of the hen's age or a strain history of selection for egg production. The incidence of splitting depended also on storage time and temperature: it was very low in newly laid eggs; in eggs stored at room temperature it rose to a maximum at about 5 d, then fell and was again low after about 21 d; in eggs stored at — 2 °C the time‐scale was increased and the incidence of splitting was still high after 14 d storage. These effects are due to two changes occurring during storage: progressive reduction of permeability of the membranes and shell to the liquid contents of the egg, which impedes escape of the contents when they expand during cooking, and progressive increase in the size of the air space, which provides expansion space. Allowing refrigerated eggs to warm to room temperature before cooking and adding salt to the cooking water did not significantly affect the incidence of splitting; putting eggs into cold rather than boiling water did not reduce the incidence of splitting except when the air space was large, following prolonged storage at room temperature.

The belief, common among housewives, that shell splitting occurs more commonly now than in earlier decades may be well‐founded but, if so, the change is probably due to a combination of two practices that have been introduced to maintain interior egg quality but which coincidentally raise the probability of shell‐splitting during boiling: rapid distribution from hen to housewife and refrigerated storage. There is no evidence that shells are now thinner, that hens of modern, high‐production strains lay eggs with weaker shells or that white shells are weaker than brown ones.     

Lymphocyte populations in the synovial membranes of dogs with rheumatoid arthritis.

Lymphocyte populations in the synovial membranes of dogs with canine rheumatoid arthritis (CRA) were investigated by immunohistochemical staining techniques. T-lymphocytes were the predominant cell type distributed throughout the supporting layer of the synovial membranes. B-lymphocytes expressing IgG were seen far more commonly than those expressing either IgA or IgM. Synovial membrane biopsies from normal and osteoarthritic joints did not have the marked cellular infiltrates seen in joints with CRA. The synovial immunohistopathological features in dogs with CRA are similar to those seen in human rheumatoid arthritis.