Nutrition Commons^™

Meadow Hay, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

rriHE nutritive value of pasture is high in early spring and remains so until early flowering.

After this the protein content falls rapidly, the fibre content rises and the plants become more lignifled and their digestibility reduced.

Silage Competitions In The South-West : 1960-1961, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Review and results of the 1960-61 Australian Dairy Produce Board Silage Competition, and an outline of the 1961-62 Competition.

Fifth West Australian Random Sample Egg Laying Test : 1961-1962, P Smetana

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A NUMBER of important changes have been incorporated in the fifth Random Sample Egg Laying Test, which is now in progress at the Department of Agriculture's Poultry Research Station.

REARING RESULTS AT HOUSING (21 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS)

FIFTH RANDOM SAMPLE LAYING TEST, 1961-1962 Progressive Report to March 4, 1962 (70 Days, 10 Weeks)

Field Day : Poultry Research : A Progress Report : Poultry Research Station, Wembley, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AT the fourth field day held at the Department of Agriculture's Poultry Research Station at Wembley recently, about 150 visitors, most of them commercial poultry farmers, inspected the station and saw the progress of the comprehensive research programme being carried out by officers of the Department's Poultry Branch.

Fifth Random Sample Egg Laying Test : 1961-62, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE figures in the table below give the progressive laying report to May 27, 1962, after 22 weeks of production.

The entries are ranked in order of profit, but undue emphasis should not be placed on the results of this progress report, which refers only to one uncompleted test.

Mineral Supplements, Laurence C. Snook

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TJRODUCTIVE dairy cows have a high mineral requirement. A deficiency can cause lowered milk production and poor health may result if it is not corrected.

Why Poor Prices For Pigs?, P C. Beck

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A rapid increase in pig numbers and an unfavourable export situation have precipitated the present depression in the pig industry. Concentration on quality production and a gradual reduction in numbers should bring back a more stable situation, says Dairy Division pig specialist P. Beck. Big fluctuations in the pig population—the basic cause of cycles of boom and depression in the industry—would be avoided if more farmers adopted a fixed farm level policy towards the industry.

Silage Competition : 1959-1960, H G. Elliott

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Australian Dairy Produce Board Pasture Improvement Committee (W.A.) have sponsored a silage competition in the dairying areas over the past three years and this has been judged by officers of the Dairying Division of this Department.

Lambing Problems In Summer Rainfall Areas, H Suijdendorp

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

LOW lambing percentages have become a serious problem in the summer rainfall areas in the North-West of Western Australia.

Largely as a result of poor nutrition of the lambing ewes, lamb marking figures have fallen to the stage where keeping up stock numbers is extremely difficult.

Points On Producing Better Pigs, P C. Beck

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE are many factors to be considered in the production of quality pigmeat which today is the demand of the housewife.

Poor quality means two things, bad advertisement for the industry and low returns to the producer.

Time Of Lambing Experiment : Merredin Research Station, 1959-60 (Progress Report), W L. Mcgarry, I. K. Stott

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FOLLOWING upon the Time of Lambing Experiments at Esperance Plains Research Station (Journal of Agriculture, May, 1960) it was decided to carry out similar work with Merino sheep under the relatively harsher environment at Merredin Research Station.

White Muscle Disease Of Sheep : Symptoms And Pathology, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WHITE Muscle Disease (WMD) was recognised for the first time in Western Australian sheep during the winter of 1960.

The first outbreak occurred on a property in the South Stirling district in the middle of July and this was followed by outbreaks in August, September and early October, at Mayanup, Kendenup, Mt. Barker, Duranillin, Kojonup, South Stirling and Pinjarra.

It Pays To Breed Your Own Pigs, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most important decisions to be made by a pig raiser is whether to purchase store pigs which he will fatten for market, or to breed his own stock.

List Of Registered Stock Foods And Stock Licks 1960-61, H G. Cariss

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

All foods for stock sold in Western Australia are required by the Feeding Stuffs Act, 1928-1955, to be registered annually with the Department of Agriculture.

For the purposes of the Act, "Food for Stock" includes stock licks, which in turn embrace all preparations claimed to supply or primarily intended to supply mineral matter to stock.

Correcting Cobalt Deficiency, Laurence C. Snook

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

COBALT is essential in the food eaten by sheep and cattle. As little as one part of cobalt in 10,000,000 parts of food appears to be adequate.

But if this mere trace is missing, ruminants will waste away and die, even when the feed appears excellent In every other way.

Third West Australian Random Sample Egg Laying Test : 1959-1960, R H. Morris

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AS part of the poultry improvement plan for Western Australia, the Department of Agriculture inaugurated a random sample laying test for commercial grade chickens at the Poultry Research Station, Herdsman Lake, in 1957.

The results of the first test appeared in the May-June, 1959 issue of the Journal of Agriculture and those of the second test in the June, 1960 issue.

Feeding For Egg Yolk Colour, P Smetana

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ON July 3, 1961, the Western Australian Egg Marketing Board commenced paying a bonus to producers for yolk colour.

This is an extremely important step in the marketing of eggs and should have a widespread beneficial effect on the poultry industry of this State.

The Open Range System Of Pig Farming, S R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE are several satisfactory systems which can be employed in planning a piggery, but under West Australian conditions, the paddock system has much to commend it.

Grazing admits an animal to the healthy influences of sunlight and stimulates exercise. The digestive processes of the pig are also stimulated and this helps to bring about more efficient utilisation of the feed.

The Feeding Of Pigs In The Wheatbelt, S R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the biggest costs in pig-meat production is feeding, and it is of vital importance for the farmer to understand what presents a balanced and economic ration, in order that he can take steps to achieve maximum efficiency.

Vitamins And Their Relationship To Animal Health, J Shilkin

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

NUTRITIONAL problems are assuming more and more importance in stock as the years progress and while much stress is sometimes placed on the role of vitamins in nutrition, one should not lose sight of the fact that they are only part of a balanced ration which should include other constituents, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats in suitable proportions.

Can Worms Be Controlled By Correct Feeding?, Laurence C. Snook

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE extensive losses which result from the ravages of internal parasites are a matter of serious concern.

Livestock owners realise this all too well and welcome advice concerning control measures which can be adopted. Unfortunately, it is not possible to give clear cut advice on the subject.

Much publicity is given to the use of drugs which will expel the worms. Various systems of strategic drenching have been developed.

It is well to remember, however, that drenching is only one of many methods which can be used to control worm infestation.

In this talk attention will be concentrated on experimental …

Hay For The Dairy Herd : Quality Or Quantity?, F E. Ryan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

CONSERVATION of hay on dairy farms has increased in recent years but so far emphasis has been on quantity rather than quality and in some districts paddocks are closed up very early to increase yields per acre of hay.

Recent trials have shown that late closing of hay paddocks on dairy farms gives higher quality hay, more winter grazing and a better balanced pasture. The gain in quality more than compensates for any drop in yield.

Selecting A Herd Sire, R A. Bettenay

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE is now ample evidence that most of the differences in production between herds are determined by feeding and management, with differences in genetic merit playing a relatively minor role.

It seems that the quickest way to increase production is by improved feeding, whilst in some herds much production is being lost by faulty milking techniques.

Pickled Wheat Is Safe For Sheep : Feeding Trial, J Craig, H. P. Dwyer

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

FARMERS are often left with a surplus of pickled grain from seed wheat supplies. Many would like to feed this to their stock, but do not do so because they think there may be a risk of poisoning.

This trial was designed to investigate the effects of feeding such grain to sheep.

Saving Labour In Feeding Calves, R A. Bettenay

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

PRESENT day values are such that no farmer can afford not to dispose of his calves to the best advantage.

With the lighter breeds this might still mean vealing all bull calves within a week of birth, but with heavier breeds it is now more economical to keep all calves until they are at least six to eight months old.

Tree Lucerne : A Fodder Crop With A Future, Laurence C. Snook

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN December, 1952, an article was published in this Journal drawing attention to the potential value of white flowered tree lucerne (Cytisus prolifer) as a source of nutritious green fodder during the dry summer months.

Figures were quoted to show that heavy yields could be obtained year after year with very little effort, and no outlay other than for fertiliser.

The advantages to be gained from the cultivation of this tree were made very apparent and many farmers set out to grow the shrub.

Registered Stock Foods 1960-61 : Supplementary List, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A supplement to the list of Registered Stock Feeds available in West Australia.

Foster-Mothering Of Calves, Maurice C. Cullity, K. W. Simes

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

"SAVE those calves" is a slogan which has been used frequently in propaganda to reduce the slaughter of heifers when it is thought that the supply of replacement animals to our dairy herds might be unduly low.

Although there is no fear of this at present, the wastage of calves both heifers and bulls, in Western Australia is unduly large.

How Much Food Should I Give My Dog?, F C. Wilkinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS is a question which every veterinary surgeon has heard hundreds of times, and one that it is impossible to answer in general terms because dogs differ so much in their food requirements and because the nutrient values of various foodstuffs vary considerably.

The Problem Of Low Solids-Not-Fat In Milk, Laurence C. Snook

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TO the consumer of milk, the solids-not-fat fractions is of prime importance.

This contains the protein, the minerals and the milk-sugar which collectively make milk such a valuable and palatable food.

If we wish to encourage increased consumption of milk as a health food it is essential that quality must be maintained and if possible improved.

Producers and distributors must always remember that if maximum sales are to be obtained, the needs of the consumer must remain paramount.