770 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol. 43 



liable matter from the soaps by shaking out with dilute alcohol and petroleum 

 ether. In determining cholesterol in the feces, a large sample of the dried feces 

 was extracted with boiling alcohol and ether (3: 1) for 1 hour under a reflux 

 condenser. An aliquot was then saponified as in the case of the milk. This 

 method proved more reliable than the direct method of Denis and Minot pre- 

 viously noted (E. S. K., 40, p. 11). 



ANIMAL PEODTJCTION. 



Types and breeds of farm animals, C. S. Plumb (Boston and London: 

 Ginn & Co., 1920, rev. cd, pp. VII I +820, pi. 1, figs. 366).— With practically 

 every chapter revised and enlarged, and with citations of recent milk, butter- 

 fat, speed, and sale-ring records, this second edition retains the characteristics 

 which at once made the first (E. S. R., IS, p. 762) a standard treatise. Chap- 

 ters on Dexter cattle, Corriedale and Kai'akul sheep, and Large Black and 

 Mule-Foot hogs liave been introduced, and several nearly defunct breeds have 

 been dropped. 



On the functional correlation of the hypophysis and the thyroid, J. A. 

 Larson {Anier. Jour. Physiol., J/9 (1919), No. 1, pp. .55-89). — The similarity be- 

 tween the thyroid and the hypophysis cerebri (pituitary body) in structure 

 and influence on growtli and metabolic processes led the author to feed fresh 

 anterior lobe of the hypophysis of the ox to a series of rats from which the thy- 

 roids and parathyroids had been removed. These rats grew nuich better and 

 lived much longer than the control series of thyroidectomizied rats fed fresh 

 beef liver. 



There is an extensive literature review of the functions of the two glands and 

 the chemical nature of their secretions. 



Further evidence on the functional correlation of the hypophysis and 

 the thyroid, J. A. Larson (Amer. Jour. Physiol., 53 (1920), No. 1, pp. 89-100).— 

 The experiments reported in the preceding paper were extended with similar 

 results. In addition it was found that the feeding of anterior lobe accelerated 

 the growth of normal rats also, but to a lesser extent. It is concluded, there- 

 fore, that some of the results from feeding the hypophysis to rats lacking thy- 

 roids might be attributed to the general beneficial action of the pituitary, but 

 that part of the effect, at least, was due to the utilization of some substance in 

 the hypophysis as a substitute for the missing thyroid secretion. 



Ratio of sires and dams (U. S. Dept. Agr., Weekly News Letter, 8 (1920), 

 No. 8, p. 8). — From data collected in the course of the "better sii'es, better 

 stock" campaign, the following ratios of male to female breeding stock were 

 found in the different classes of farm animals : Cattle 1 : 18.9, horses 1 : 16.9, 

 swine 1 : 11.5 ; sheep 1 : 37, goats 1 : 26.6, chickens 1 : 23.3, and other domestic 

 birds 1 : 8.5. 



Silage investigations, A. C. Ragsdale and M. H. Forhman (Missouri Sta. 

 Bui. 112 (1920), pp. 22-2Jt). — The authors report success in ensiling shock corn, 

 ear corn too soft for cribbing, and cornstalks without ears. 



Studies on the digestibility of sunflower silage, W. E. Joseph and M. J. 

 Blish (Montana Sta. Bid. 134 (1920), p. 8). — Digestion trials were made with 

 3 steers during three 20-day periods. Clover hay alone was fed during the 

 first period, clover hay and sunflower silage (1:3) in the second, and sun- 

 flower silage alone in the third. The silage was made from Mammoth Russian 

 sunflowers harvested at the time 20 per cent of the plants were in bloom. The 

 table following summarizes the results. 



