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RESEARCH
istic charades and semantic calisthenics (vide Hollander, 19SS). Epistasis of Lg to B (Agar, 1924), apparently paradoxical on theoretical grounds, becomes a rational consequence in terms of operational considerations outlined above. Syllogistic inference must be deemed completely hypostatic to factual demonstration. REFERENCES Agar, W. E., 1924. Experiments with certain plumage colour and pattern factors in poultry.
NOTES
J. Genetics, 14:265-272. Hollander, W. F., 1955. Epistasis and hypostasis. J. Heredity, 46:222-225. Kimball, E., 1953 a. Genetics of secondary plumage patterns in the fowl. Poultry Sci. 32:13-17. Kimball, E., 1953 b. Genetics of Buttercup plumage pattern in the fowl. Poultry Sci. 32:683692. Nickerson, M., 1944. An experimental analysis of barred pattern formation in feathers. J. Exp. Zool. 95:361-397. Punnett, R. C , 1923. Heredity in Poultry. Macmillan & Co., Ltd., London.
T E R R Y B. K I N N E Y , 1 J. R O B E R T S M Y T H , J R . AND T H O M A S W. F O X
University of Massachusetts,
Amherst
(Received for publication July 20, 1956)
The U.S.D.A., in setting up regulations for central random sample testing under the National Turkey Improvement Plan, has recommended that turkey breast width measurements be taken at a point l}4 inches back from the anterior tip of the keel and 1% inches dorsally from the keel. Jaap and Penquite (1938) suggested that satisfactory breast width measurements were obtained at a point lj4 inches from the anterior end of the keel on a line toward the insertion of the femurs. Asmundson (1944) found breast width measurements at one and five cm. of body depth and two cm. back of the anterior point of the keel to be correlated at the one percent level of significance. Many of the random sample turkey tests have not adopted the U.S.D.A. method of measuring breast width but take measurements at various other points. It may Contribution No. 1056 of the University of Massachusetts, College of Agriculture, Experiment Station, Amherst, Mass. "Present Address: Hubbard Farms, Inc., Walpole, N.H.
be presumed that measurements taken at a constant body depth would be affected by variation in body depth and that taking measurements at a percentage of body depth would eliminate this error. This study was made to determine the effect on the relative rank of entries in the Massachusetts tests when breast width measurements were taken at points representing a percentage of body depth and at a constant body depth. MATERIALS AND METHODS
The data used in this study were collected from entries in a turkey trial conducted by the Massachusetts Chicken and Turkey Broiler Test, Inc. in 1955. Nineteen entries, each of which contained 64 turkeys of mixed sex, were raised. The hens were dressed at 24 weeks of age and the toms at 26 weeks of age. At the time the birds were dressed measurements were taken from fifteen randomly selected birds of each sex from each entry. Calipers were used to determine body depth at a point 1^2 inches posterior to the tip of the keel
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RELATION BETWEEN TURKEY BREAST WIDTH AS MEASURED AT A CONSTANT BODY DEPTH AND AT A PERCENTAGE OF BODY DEPTH
RESEARCH NOTES
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TABLE 1.—Rank correlation of turkey breast width atone-third of the body depth. Therefore, 1% inches, 1\ inches, 35% and 33.3% of body depth Rank correlation
Depth Depth Depth Depth Depth Depth
at at at at at at
l i " and If" W and 25% 1 | and 33.3% If and 25% If and 33.3% 25% and 33.3%
Males
Females
.981 .979 .935 .988 .963 .962
.996 .992 .984 .996 .988 .994
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The correlation coefficients shown in Table 1 indicate that essentially the same relative rank of entries is obtained when breast width is taken at Y$ or J4 of body depth as is obtained when breast width is measured at 1J4 or 1^4 inches of body depth. Breast width apparently increases at a relatively constant rate up to at least
REFERENCES Asmundson, V. S., 1944. Measuring strain differences in the conformation of turkeys. Poultry Sci. 23:21-29. Jaap, R. G., and R. Penquite, 1938. Criteria of conformation in market poultry. Poultry Sci. 17:425-430.
NIACIN CONTENT OF MOLASSES PRODUCED IN DIFFERENT LOCALITIES1 A. L. PALAFOX AND M.
M.
ROSENBERG
Department of Poultry Science, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii (Received for publication July 20, 1956)
Because of the growing importance of molasses as a carbohydrate feed-stuff for livestock and poultry feeding, an investigation was undertaken to study the rela1
Published with the approval of the Director of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station as Technical Paper No. 37S.
tionship between the niacin content and the geographical origin of molasses. This report presents the results of this study. Samples of final molasses were obtained from different parts of the world, namely: Cuba, Louisiana (U.S.A.), Dominican Republic, Philippine Republic, Mexico, and Hawaii. Two barrels each from the above
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and solder wire was used to determine breast contour at the same point. The wire was fitted around the breast, removed and the outline traced on paper. From the body depth measurements and the breast contour outlines, breast width was calculated at lyi inches, 1)4 inches and at % and yi of the body depth. The six possible rank correlations of the four measurements were calculated for each sex.
correlation between breast width measurements up to one-third of body depth would be expected to be high. Comparison of the breast width of various strains or crosses of turkeys grown at different locations would be facilitated if breast measurements were taken in the same manner at all locations. If breast width measurements are taken at a point which involves calculation of a percentage of body depth, the process of measuring is slowed down considerably. However, when measurements are taken at a constant body depth the calipers can be set for that depth and the measuring process is greatly facilitated. The results of this study indicate that turkey breast width measurements may be taken as recommended by the U.S.D.A. with confidence that the same relative rank of entries will be obtained as when measurements are taken at other points up to one-third of body depth.