Four groups of 2-4-tooth Merino wethers were group-fed basal rations of either native grass hay (bush hay) ad lib. or sorghum silage ad lib. in bare yards with shade and water. A comparison was made of the performance of sheep and cattle fed the same basal diets of bush hay and sorghum silage. Sheep lost a greater percentage of their initial bodyweight and showed a smaller response to urea supplementation.

It is recognized that there is a need for a simple method of determining when to apply irrigation water to a growing crop. To this end a preliminary study was made, using cotton and grain sorghum plants under field conditions, of the relation between the moisture stress in the plant stems and electrical resistance between two electrodes inserted in their stems. The results suggest that this simple electrical measurement is largely related to hydration in the plant stem tissue. Electrical resistance measurements in grain sorghum and cotton under various soil moisture regimes in the field demonstrated that: (a) resistance in cotton was closely correlated with soil moisture, these relationships were not so clearly demonstrated in sorghum; (b) resistance measurements in cotton underwent diurnal fluctuations, but always continued an upward trend during a drying-out cycle following an initial lag after irrigation; and (c) the coefficient of variation ranged from about 10% for 8 a.m. measurements to 24% for 2 p.m. measurements, depending upon soil moisture conditions. The results indicate that the method has promise as a tool to indicate moisture stress in certain plants. However, additional research is needed to completely evaluate the method.

Four groups each of seven maiden Hereford heifers 15-18 months old were confined in bare yards and fed a basal ration of sorghum silage with and without a urea supplement. Heifers which received ad lib. silage with urea showed normal behaviour; un-supplemented animals on ad lib. silage became lethargic, apathetic and dejected.

SynopsisNitrate accumulation occurred in stalks or stems of corn, sorghum, and soybean plants. Legumes in the rotation or applications of manure or nitrogen fertilizer increased the nitrate content of the plants. The amount of nitrate in plants depended upon the stage of maturity, the degree of drouth injury, and the availability of nitrogen in the soil. Nitrate content was reduced but not destroyed by ensiling corn plants.

On the clay soils of the Irrawaddi delta, a considerable amount of water can be conserved for growing a second crop after rice, provided that the fields are ploughed while still wet, immediately after the harvest. Estimated yields of cowpeas (Vigna sinensis) grown after rice, based on evapo-transpiration data, are 330 kg. seed/ha., and for Sorghum spp. about 4000 kg. dry matter/ha.

Eight beef-type heifers, 15-18 months old, fed for 27 weeks on 3 lb. crushed grain sorghum supplemented with ground limestone were in strong condition at the conclusion of the feeding period and made rapid weight gains when returned to pasture. The mean loss of body weight during the first nine weeks of all-grain feeding was 10 lb. per head per week; over the final 18 weeks it was 3.3 lb. per head per week. Serum protein, packed cell volume, plasma volume, and plasma sodium, potassium and chloride concentrations did not appear to be markedly influenced by the ration.

During 1951-1953, experiments on eliminating the midge from sorghum seed consignments were carried out. Treatments were based on the BHC dusting of seed grain recommended for the control of insect pests of stored grain (McDougall 1951), and the commercial fumigation of grain with carbon bisulphide (Caldwell 1947). A 2 lb. glass jar was used as the unit, and treatments were replicated 10 times. The grain included large numbers of aborted spikelets containing diapause larvae. At examination a specified number of aborted spikelets were selected at random and dissected. During the earlier examinations many of the larvae subjected to fumigation were bleached but otherwise appeared normal: none of these recovered.

In two experiments, four groups of six beef-type maiden heifers 15-24 months old were group-fed in bare yards a basal diet of long-chaffed bush hay ad lib. with and without supplements. In one experiment, heifers fed bush hay and a mineral lick ad lib. lost an average of 20 lb. body weight over 26 weeks. Over the same period heifers fed bush hay and a mineral lick with 1.3 lb. or 3.0 lb. lucerne chaff per head per day gained an average of 21 lb. and 83 lb. respectively. Heifers receiving a supplement of 0.41 lb. meatmeal instead of lucerne chaff showed an average weight increase of 39 lb. In a second experiment, heifers fed the same bush hay without and with a lick ad lib. lost an average of 40 lb. and 48 lb. body weight respectively over a period of 21 weeks. The addition of 1 lb. crushed grain sorghum per head per day to the basal diet with lick ad lib. decreased the weight loss to an average of 14 lb. per head, while the further addition of 2 oz. urea and 0.14 oz. sodium sulphate per head per day permitted a body weight increase of 60 lb. per head.