SCIENCE AND SHEEP

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 331, 19 September 1932, Page 2

SCIENCE AND SHEEP

REMOVAL OF PINEAL GLAND INCREASES GROWTH OF WOOL. SOME RECENT EXPERIMENTS. Sydney, "Wednesday. In a'paper on "The Effects of Pinealectomy," at the Science Congress, Mr. H. R, Marston, of Adelaide, detailed experiments in the xemoval of the pineal gland from sheep which, he said, resulted in some cases in an increase in the growth of wool to the extent of more than 60 per cent. above normal.. However, the operation was exceddiiigly delicate, and while of interest, in an academic sense, it would he- impossible to carry it out on a large scale. The operation necessitated the removal of • the gland through a hole in the skull, but the animals quickly reeovered. The experiments ap'peared to show that the pineal gland exerted a definite endrocine function. The removal of the gland certaintly increased the capacity of the sheep to grow wool fleeee. Referring to the subjeet after the lecture, Mr. 'Marston said the experir ments were nseful in that they added to the knowledge of the process of wool production, and they were also of considerable interest in the field of medicine. Sheep on Drought Rations. Of considerable interest to woolgrowers was a paper delivered by Messrs. F. Whitehouse and J. C. Costel in the veterinary science section on the feeding of merino ewes on drought rations for a period of 12 months. These experiments showed that sheep fed on a deficient protein ration over 1 months — that was 12oz of maize, costing 16s 4d — lost only an average of 3|lb in weight, and wero always marketable and gave good wool results, though some indicated tenderness. The ewes fed on lucerne hay and maize gained the second p'lace in the trial. They lost only 41b, were always marketable, and their wool was creditable, though they were not as sound as the maize lot. One peculiar result was that the lots fed on rations costing 20s 2d and 22s 5d gave only intermediate results as regards hody weight, wool growth and appearance. It was also noted that both the lots receiving wheat had a "hungry" appearance, the skin and wool being dry and the fleeee obviously lacking bloom. Despite many losses for the 12 months, all the ewes retained their capacity for recuperation. All groups were given a spell of recuperative feeding for two months after the termination of the trials, and they all gained flesh to within 51b of their initial weight, and in two cases exceeded their initial weight."