ANNUAL REPORT, 1945-46 15 



whatsoever. The straw had been applied on November 16 at the rate of 3J^ tons 

 per acre and removed the following April just before active spring growth started. 

 The clover in all other plots (with the exception of part of one manure plot which 

 accidentally received a very heavy application of cow manure) was severely 

 injured. On this one small section, the manure application was so heavy that it 

 actually served as a good mulch. Where cow manure was applied at a lighter 

 rate (10 tons to the acre), winter injury was severe. 



The Ladino clover in all plots appeared to be vigorous and healthy at the time 

 the manure and straw mulch applications were made in November. Since all 

 plots were covered with snow a few days later, it seems probable that most of 

 the injury occurred in early spring after the snow had melted. There were 

 several days during the latter part of February and the first part of March when 

 winds of record or near record velocity were experienced. It is suggested that 

 much of the winter injury to Ladino clover is actually spring injury occurring 

 after the snow melts, and is caused by the drying action of heavy spring winds 

 on the fleshy J^adino stolons. 



Trials with New Oat Varieties. (W. G. Colby.) Heavy summer thunder 

 showers caused serious lodging in many varieties included in the oat variety test 

 carried on in cooperation with the U. S. D. A. Division of Cereal Crops. The 

 varieties Vicland and Tama, which had given high grain yields in previous years, 

 lodged badly and yielded only 47 and 43 bushels per acre respectively. Clinton 

 and a new variety, Mindo, both of which matured about the same time as Vic- 

 land, lodged only slightly and yielded 83 and 79 bushels per acre. Ajax and Ben- 

 tion varieties, which matured about five days later than Vicland, produced yields 

 of 84 and 80 bushels per acre. 



DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 

 Victor A. Rice in Charge 



A Study of the Mineral Elements of Cows' Milk. (J. G. Archibald.) As a 

 result of extensive study of methods for the determination of cobalt in milk, in 

 which Dr. Beeson of the U.S.D.A. Regional Laboratory at Cornell University 

 collaborated, it was decided last summer that further progress could not be 

 made with existing laboratory facilities. A room has, therefore, been remodeled 

 and re-equipped for this and other special "trace" element work, and active 

 work on the project is being resumed. 



The Effect of Feeding Synthetic Thyroprotein to Milking Cows. (J. G. Archi- 

 bald.) Results for the winter season of 1944-45 have been published. i The 

 work reported was mainly a study of the effects of the hormone on milk composi- 

 tion. The most important effect was a considerable and rather consistent de- 

 crease in casein, and a roughly proportional increase in lactalbumin and globulin. 

 Changes in fat content of the milk were not consistent. 



Since these changes may be of considerable significance if characteristic of the 

 action of the hormone on cows in general, it was thought advisable to repeat the 

 work in a more intensive manner. This was done in the winter of 1945-46, with 

 a smaller number of cows (6) but using the same individuals throughout and 

 trebling the number of milk samples taken. This later work is in general agree- 

 ment with the earlier results: the effect of the hormone on milk composition was 

 not consistent, but the tendency for the casein of the milk to be decreased was 



'journal of Dairy Science, Vol. 28, No. 12, pp. 941-947, December 1945. 



