A study has been made of the distribution of the various fractions of phosphorus in the Blairmont clay soils. Nearly three-fifths of the total phosphorus is present in the organic and inorganic alkali-soluble forms.

The organic alkali-soluble phosphorus and the exchangeable phosphorus vary in direct relation to cane production and to phosphorus content of the juice. The Truog phosphorus values are nil for all three soils and do not give a satisfactory indication of the phosphorus-supplying ability of the soils.

The soils have a high anion exchange capacity (23· mmol. of phosphorus per 100 g. of soil). It is indicated that the high fixing power of these soils for phosphorus is largely a mechanism of anion exchange reactions.

A study of the published data for feeding-stuff composition, digestibility and starch equivalent has shown that a linear relationship exists between the crude-fibre content and digestibility, and between crude-fibre content and starch equivalent.

No significant difference was found between the regression coefficients for crude fibre and digestibility for sheep and cattle, but the coefficients for horses and pigs were notably larger, and significantly so for pigs.

For pasture herbage the relationship between protein and starch equivalent was found to be merely a reflexion of the fibre content, and the regression coefficient between them became non-significant when crude fibre was included in the regression analysis. An equation has been obtained connecting crude fibre with starch equivalent, which is valid over a wide range of pasture species and fibre contents.

Sampling methods for the estimation of annual production and mean egg weight have been examined, and an attempt made, by a combination of theoretical considerations and practical observations, to derive general expressions for the standard error of such estimates. Numerical values of these errors have been tabulated in a form suitable for direct application by the practical poultry worker.

The author wishes gratefully to acknowledge the assistance and criticism given him by Dr F. Yates, and by Mr F. J. Dudley of the National Institute of Poultry Husbandry.

The mean fibre length, mean fibre diameter, mean fibre crimp ratio (i.e. ratio of length of the fibre under 2·5 mg. load to its length stretched), and a quantity approximately proportional to the ultimate tensile fibre strength, have been measured for twenty-five skirted Merino fleeces clipped from sheep that had been grazed at Robe (South Australia) on copperdeficient land and fed by mouth with amounts of copper varying from zero to 100 mg./day. Sulphur analyses and qualitative amino-acid analyses were carried out on some of the fleeces. The fleeces were processed one by one on the worsted system into yarn. The results show an increase in fibre diameter, an increase in ultimate tensile strength and an improvement in behaviour in processing with increasing dietary supplement of copper.

A contribution to these experiments through special skill or knowledge has been made by almost everyone on the staff at Torridon, and especially by the late W. L. Semple, J. G. Martindale and H. Beevers. Thanks are due to Messrs Isaac Holden and Sons Ltd. for their generous co-operation in carrying out part of the work at their mill and to Mr A. Prescott, Mr F. Sharp and Mr G. W. Owen of the Wool Control, and Mr F. R. Emmett of Messrs Laycock, Son and Co. Ltd., for their assistance in judging tops. The author would like to thank Mr B. H. Wilsdon, the Director of Research, for suggestions and encouragement during this work, and the Council of the Wool Industries Research Association for permission to publish this paper.

A study of extracting reagents has been made to find mild but reasonably efficient methods of extracting organic matter from soil. Sodium pyrophosphate proved to be the most satisfactory of the neutral reagents tested, and the optimum conditions for extraction of organic matter from soil by this reagent have been defined.

A study has been made of the extraction of organic carbon and nitrogen from soil by various inorganic reagents. The results show that the organic carbon and nitrogen of soil are so intimately associated that, under the influence of any one of the reagents tested, the organic carbon is dissolved only along with, and in proportion to, the organic nitrogen. The relative proportions of carbon and nitrogen extracted vary, however, with both the soil and the extractant.

When growing Cheviot hoggs were wholly maintained indoors on a very poor quality hay fed ad libitum they had a low food intake and consequently were losing weight. A 40 g. supplement of ‘Fodder Yeast’ greatly increased the hay intake of the sheep, and this was accompanied by a steady gain in body weight. Increase in body weight appeared to be accountable for by the increase in food consumption. These findings, obtained in a pilot experiment, require confirmation with a larger flock of sheep.

In this study samples of the mixed milk from a herd of sheep were taken weekly for analysis throughout a season of approximately 7 months. The following are the mean values obtained: sp.gr. 1·0350, S.e.m. 0·0002; acidity 0·226%, S.e.m. 0·003; fat 8·00%, S.e.m. 0·07; S.n.f. 11·35%, S.e.m. 0·06; and total N 0·920%, S.e.m. 0·007.

Samples were also taken at 2-week intervals throughout the lactation period of six individual ewes of the Rahmany breed and of the same number of the Awsemy breed. The variation in the composition of their milk throughout lactation and also the variation due to individuality are discussed.

The activity of spermatozoa in bull semen can be assessed by measuring the frequency of impedance changes in the semen. Such measurements necessitate the passage of a small electric current through the semen. The field experiment described in this paper shows that this electrical treatment is harmless. Measurements can therefore be made on samples of semen which subsequently will be used in artificial insemination.

Samples of bracken were taken at regular intervals between June and October from a hill grazing where losses of cattle from ‘bracken poisoning’ had occurred in previous years. These were separated into leaf and stem for analysis. Dry, mature bracken cut in October was examined for digestibility and nutritive value, and in the following season the digestibility of fresh, green bracken was determined for both cattle and sheep.

Chemical composition. Analyses of the fresh bracken fed in the digestibility trials were in line with those of the samples collected in the previous year. Crudeprotein content was high in June and July, but fell markedly in August and September, whilst the crude fibre varied in the opposite direction, increasing markedly in August. An increase in the tannin content was observed in September but this was not comparable with the increases reported by Shearer. An attempt to elucidate the significance of tannin in the in vitro digestion of bracken-leaf protein was unsuccessful. The potassium content was found to be rather lower than in good pasture grass, confirming the findings of Ferguson & Armitage. The potassium was highly soluble in water but the soluble part was not entirely in the form of chloride.