Meat-and-bone meals prepared by blending in various proportions the three ingredients in commercial products, namely blood, soft tissues and bone, were tested in practical rations for growing chickens. All rations were balanced for crude protein, calcium and phosphorus. Chickens were reared for 53 days.

Blood meal was examined in two experiments as a partial replacement for meat-and-bone meal in rations fed to chickens from one to eight weeks of age. Two meat-and-bone meals, differing markedly in quality, were tested and blood meal was used in increments of 1 per cent. up to 5 per cent. All rations were balanced for crude protein, calcium and phosphorus.

The influence of corn hybrid on forage yield, nutrient composition, uptake of nutrients and percentage recovery from the fertilizer were studied at three plant populations and four fertilizer rates. Multi-eared hybrids yielded more forage than single-eared hybrids but tall growing hybrids did not always produce more than shorter growing hybrids. Increasing plant population had no significant effect on nutrient composition but did increase yields and uptake of N, P, and K. Corn hybrids differed widely in the amount of fertilizer they recovered. For 7 hybrids of corn, averaging 13,900 lb of dry forage/acre the average uptake of N, P, and K was 177, 25, and 242 lb, respectively. On nonirrigated soils a tall-growing hybrid did not respond to fertilizer or plant population as did a short-growing hybrid.

Soil dilution plate counts on selective media for bacteria, streptomycetes, and fungi were made at intervals before and after two prescribed burns on 10—acre jack pine tracts. Carbon dioxide determinations were also made. These tracts were compared with similar tracts cut and unburned and uncut and unburned. Three—year results are given. The number and activity of most microorganisms decreased immediately after fire but rose abruptly to a very high level after the first rainfall following burning. This increase is believed caused by the leaching of ash minerals. Depth and extent of the effects were influenced by intensity of fire and moisture conditions. Number and activity of organisms were generally lower in burned soil the second growing season after fire. Some effects were still noticeable the third growing season. Streptomycete populations were greatly increased the third growing season. Rainfall also caused a fluctuation of microbial populations on the unburned tracts.

When added to barley in a ration, algae provided the same protein quality as meat and bone meal for growing or fattening pigs, according to tests conducted at Davis.

A meat-and-bone meal was subjected to processing conditions, classified by the manufacturer as undercooked, normally cooked, and overcooked. A multi-factorial design was used in an experiment to examine the effect of these products on the growth rate and food conversion ratio (FCR) of replicate groups of male and female chickens. Treatments were the three meat-and-bone meals fed with and without additional tallow in two types of rations-broiler-type rations (B rations) containing 7% meat-and-bone meal and rations containing a high level of 26 · 5% meat-and-bone meal (HMB rations). Each type of ration was balanced for crude protein, calcium and phosphorus, and chickens received these rations for 8 weeks.

to reduce shaker-clamp injuries on fruit and nut trees as described in a companion article in this issue of California Agriculture, tests were made to check the feasibility of using permanently installed fasteners for shaker attachments. This has the advantage of transmitting the shaking force through the fastener to the structural wood rather than through the vulnerable bark and growing tissue

SynopsisGrowing season precipitation and available stored soil moisture at seeding affected spring wheat and barley yield responses to N fertilizer on nonfallowed soils. Magnitude of response to N fertilizer as well as the rate required for maximum yield increased as either precipitation or stored moisture increased. As the amount of stored moisture increased, less precipitation was required to produce responses to N. Growing season precipitation plus stored moisture accounted for 40.3% of the yield response.