- Email: [email protected]
A Malignant Bone-Disease of Sheep (Osseous Cachexia) in New Zealand
A Malignant Bone-Dz"sease 0/sheep.273 bDth sides Df the larynx in unilateral paralysis, and 1 do. nDt recDmmend it. I may be asked to. explain thase cases in which the DperatiDn ' has canferred little Dr no. benefit. I cannat pretend to' explain them all, but I cansider that mDst af the reparted failures- are due to a mistaken diagnasis,the rDaring being due to' Dne Df the Dther numeraus causes Df rDaring and nat to paralysis Df the left side' af the larynx. In Dther cases, wher~it is certain there is no. errDr Df diagnDsis, there is same imprDvement, ' but nDt as much as might have been reasanably expected : In some Df thDse cases the ventricle has nat been cDmpletely Dbliterated . That is to. say, that in the exercise Df the necessary cautiannDt to. rerrlOv,e tDD much mUCDUS membrane, rather tao. little has been re'maved, and thaugh the vei1tricle is clased ih its ' de:p,th, there is still a small sac ar ledge at the side Df t~e larynx. MoreDver, an ather very impDrtant paint must nat ..be , .Dverl'O.oked, namely, the dilatars Df that side Df the larynx are still paralysed and same degree Df Dbstructi an to. ' inspiration ' must still be expected. In 'view af the latter fact, it is remarkable t hat· such gDDd results as have been abtained in some cases c.D uldresult frDm the aperatian, I have heard it argued against the aperation that si~ce we do. nDt knDW the true functiDns Df the 'ventricles, we rPay ,be doing unknDwn harm to. the patient. With regard tp, that, point I have an easy canscience, since I cDnsider that the functions ' Df the ventricles are entirely bDund up in the mechanism Df vocalizatiDn, and the latter is Df very sma ll mament to. harses in dDmesticatiDn , If that be the case, then there can be no. harm . in abliterating it .
A MALIGNANT BO NE-DISEASE OF SHEEP (OSSEOUS CACHEXIA) IN NEW ZEALAND, By H . A, REID, F.R,C.V.S ., D,V ,H, liVellington, New Zealand.
AN Dutbreak Df DsseDUS cachexia, better knawn under the mDre cammDn but less apprDpriate designatiDn " asteDmalacia," accurring as an enzaDtic affecting sheep, has been fDr the first time recarded in this cDuntry, This disease, which is usually confine d to. cattle, particularly milch-caws, is characterized bydistu'rb18
The Veterillary
'.1 ourllal.
ance of nutrition , leadin g to resorption of calcareous salts from the bones, which in consequence become soft and fragile. The f~ctor chiefly responsible for this abnormal condition appears to be an excess of organic matter and deficiency of lime-salts in the soil upon which the animals are depastured. Symptoms and Cou'rse of the Disease.-This process of demineralization of the bone is slow and insidious in its onset and course. At first only sl ight lo ss of condition may be noticeable , indicated by a ragged and unhealthy appearance of the fleece . The wool feels dry and' harsh to the touch, has lost its lustre, and may be readily detached. This condition is followed by progressive emaciatIOn . Affected sheep are listless, disinclined to move, lie for a considerable time, and rise with difficulty . When made to walk, they often appear lame, and. in well-marked cases a creaking or cracking sound may be heard. Spontaneous fractures are frequent, and sheep may be found with a leg and several other bones of the body broken . Handling affected sheep is liable to lead to fracture of one or other bone. The broken bones do not heal readily, and, as a rule, on the post-mortem examination of a severe case, several old calluses may be observed along the course of the ribs , marking the site of former fracture s. The bones themselves are extremely thin a nd light, :having been converted into shell-like structures by the resorption of their lime salts. The marrow of the long bones generally is .congested, hcemorrhagic, and often gelatinous. The qsseous tissue itself appears to be exceptionally porous, and has undergone rarefication. 'Microscopically, the changes in the bone are seen to consi st of decalcification extending from the periphery, and conversion of the normal elements into a homogeneous matrix . The Haversian system, which has become almost obliterated, is seen to be surrounded by fibrous tissue . The medullary cavities are enlarged, and contain masses of myelocytes. Considerable forma tion of new, dense, osteoid tis sue , which has not undergone calcification, can be observed particularly around the seat of former fractures. In the case in point, Lincoln crossbred hoggets were affected , the mortality bein g 8 percent . of the total attacked. They had been brought from a property on rich, limestone land-which may be designated as Property No. I-and depastured on alluvial
A Malignant Bone-Disease of Sheep.
275
fla t and adjacent hill co untry (Property NO.2). In about ten weeks' time after their t ran sfer the ho ggets were 'seen to be g oin g off in condition , a nd exhi bited in varying degree the sympt oms already de scribed. In company w ith Mr. B. C. Aston , J\gricultural Chemist, I investi gated the nature of the di sease. Extracts from Mr. A ston' s interesti ng and valuable report on the result of the chemical analyses of bon es from affected animal s and soil from the locality a r e appended. The report bea rs out the g eneral characteristics of the di sease. It is interesting to note that the analysis of the soil in the affected locality, in contrast to the soil of the locality upon which the sheep were formerl y pastured , shows the latter to be six time s as rich in phosphoric acid ; while the re sult of the bone analysis o f one of the disea sed hoggets proves it to be correspondin g ly deficient in the proportion of. normal bone salts. Treatment should be based upon an attempt to return to the soil the diminished mineral sa lts . P ho sphates and superphosphates as manure may be used with advantage. It has . been observed that cattle affected with o steomalacia g enerally seek out and devour bones or shell s containing lime, thus endeavourin g by instinct to make g ood the deficiency. An allowance of boriemeal is therefore indicated in treatment, and every attempt should be made to chan g e the diet , and g ive nourishin g food · rich in calcium salts, such as cru shed oats, bran, oilcake, and chaff. Salt-licks may act as a whole some tonic . Individual treatment is, as a rule, impracticable , but, should valuable stud sheep be- . come affected, such remedie s as cod-liver oil, iron, and arsenic may be administered in suitable proportion. Following is a n extract from Mr. Aston ' s report : Dominion Laboratory, \-Vellington, December I3, I909. C. J. Reakes, Esq. , M.R.C. V.S ., Director of Live-stock . and : Meat Division, Department of Agriculture , Commerce, and , Touri sts, Wellington.
Osteomalacia in H oggets. THE analyses of the bones and soil collected by me on my recent visit, with Mr. H. A. Reid, F.R.C.V .S. (Government Veteri ~ narian), to the farms Nos . I and 2 o'f Mr. - - -. are given on the attached sheets. The re sult s are most interesting, and sho,¥-
The Veterinary '70u1'nat. a marked decrease in the percentage of ash-the chief constituent of which is, of course, calcium-phosphate-as compared with the fig ures g iven by a uthorities for the bones of healthy animals. Fremy found in the lamb 67' 7 per cent . bone-ash; of which 60' 7 per cent. was calcium-phosphate, I' 5 per cent was magnesium-pho sphate, 8 , 1 per cent. was calcium-carbonate . In the sheep he found 70 per cent . of ash, of which 62' 9 per cent. was calci um-phosphate, I ' 3 per cent. was magnesium-phosphate, 7 ' 7 per cent. was calcium-carbonate. The di ffe rent orders of mammiferous animals do not ex hibit any essential differences in the proportion of inorganic matter in the bones, the limits being 64 and '75 per cent. In osteomal acia the tribasic phosphate of calcium is said by Weber to be converted into the 3/8 phosphate ( 8CaO 3(P2 0 ,) } and the bones sometimes contain a fre e acid . In the disease the proportion of mineral matter sometime s dimi11lshes to such an extent that the bones bend under the weight of the body. Marchant found in the femur of a rachitic child 72' 0 per cent. cartilage, 7 ' 2 per cent. fa t, 14' 7 per cen~. calcium-pho sphate, o ' 8 per cent. magnesium-phosphate, 2 ' 02 per cent . undetermined. Charles g ives the altered composition of bones (vertebra) in osteomalacia as follow s: 13 ' 25 per cent. pho sp h a t ~ of lime, 5 ' 95 per cent. carbonate of lime; o · 90 per cent. phosphate of soda and sulphate of lime, 74: 64 per cent. ossein, &c ., 5: 26 per cent . fat. It will ' be seen that the amount of organic matter in this analysis is almost identical with the sample of vertebra analysed in this laboratory. The composition of the bone-ash derived from the bones is normal; the ' only obvious abnormality in the analysis is the amount of ash whe n this is calculated on the fresh bones. This bears out the conclusions of Levy (Zeitschr. f. Physio!., Chern. 19), who found the normal relationship, 6P0 4 lOCa, is retained in all pa rts of the bones in osteomalcia. Cacieac, Leblanc, and Carougeau (" Principle:; of Vete rinary Surgery"), writing on the composition of the soils upon which o ~teomalacia occurs, mention that Zundel attriblltes the disease ,to 's oils abounding in silicates, which, as a consequence, do not retain water . , Hertwig, on the contrary, claimel that clay sub-
A Maiig'nant Bone-Dl'sease 01 Sheep.
277
soils play an important part. They, however, point out that it is important to note that the disease may occur where the land is rich in calcium-carbonate and poor in phosphoric acid. Yogow has attributed the disease to a dearth of calcareo us salts in the water supply, and Ro ssignol, who observed it in animals fed on the by-products of distilleries and sugar-refineries, blamed the poverty of these feeds in phosphates. The chancter of the soil affects the nutritive value of its flora . The influence of droughts on vegetation has often been responsible for the disease, as it leads to the growth of feed s having a dearth of nutritive elemepts, especially of sa lts, which, lacking water as a cOlweyance, rema in incorporated in the soil. The use of phosphates and superphosphates as manure ha s given good results, according to th e authors. The u se of fodder obtained from dis cricts where the disease is unknown is also advisable. In thus summarizing the statements and quotations of th is work on veterinary surg ery I would point out that the water might be analysed for calcium-salts; but analyses of the soils do not shovv that calcium-carbonate in the soil is les s on the affected than on ~he healthy country. The liability of country to suffer from drought is certainly g reater on the former than on the latter, and is a point worth bearin g in mind. In travelling acros s the co untry one cannot but be struck by the difference in the so il and its natural cover ing at Property No. I, where the sheep were bred , and at and beyond Property No.2, where t he disease developed. At No. I the underlying r ock is a soft limesto ne , and the surface soil an easily-worked loam. The original flora is mixed forest, contaming great trees and shrubs one usually finds g rowing on rich soil. On the affected area the natural covering is manuka, tauhinu (Pomaderris), and ru shes, plants usually found growing on poor, dry soil. The difference in the rainfall (including the number of rainy days) must be considerable. I wish to lay stre s::; on the difference in the two types of country, as it appears to me that the sudden change from a rich to a poor soil may have been the largest. if not the sole, factor in the occurrence of the disease. Considerable time was spent by the owner and myself in taking samples of soil from different sites on his affected block of country. Samples were taken from the tops of high flats and from the valleys. There is very little difference :11 the results of
The Veten·nary '7 oUr/tal. analyses of these samples: they are not abnormally different in plant-food content from many of the so ils on which sheep are successfull y grazed throughout the Dominion. W hen, however, we examine the analys is of the No . I (home farm) soil, the striking fact that it is tremendously rich in available and total (hydro chloric-acid extract) phosphoric acid at once becomes apparent . The quantity of this mineral nutrient available is six times as g reat as on the affected soils. The total quantity present is at least three times as great. Following are details of analyses.
B. C.
ASTO N,
F. I.C. ,
Chief Agricultural Chemist. ANAL YS ES OF BONES.
Ribs.
Tibia. Per cen t.
Pe r cent.
Water Anal ysis of water· fr ee bones :Organic matter ... Ash
71 .9 2 28·08
Analysis of bone-ash :Tricalcic l (Phosphoric acid (P"O,,) pho'phate J (Calcic oxide) ... .., Calcic carbonate Magnesic-phosphate Silica Iron, alumina, &c .
39'28
39' 10
46·60 11 · 10 0 ' 60 0.4 0
46 . 1 5 11 ·35
1 ·5 5
Normal bone-ash (Merillat) :Tribasic phosphate of lim e Tri basic phosphate of magnesia Carbonate of lime F luoride of lime Chloride of sodium Total a nalysis of bones dri eCt at Organic matter Phospha te of calcium ... Phosphate of magnesia Calcic carbonate Silica, &c. Iron, alumina, &c.
0.50 0.5 0 1· 80 Per ce nt.
85. 87 1 ·70
8·10 0·35 0·23
100° :-
7[.9 2 24'01 0'16
59.56 34·44 0 ·20
3'10
S ·O [
0· 1 I
0·20 0.7 2
0·45
Pe r cent .
Percentage of p zO. in tribasic phosphate i phosphate '., " ,. phosphate of bone ( L8(;9 ·70) ... The phosphate is tribasic, and not i phosphate. Analysi s of vertebra of hogget :Organic matter. . . Mineral matter. ..
45·80 48 .80 45.58
RESUL'S OF S O IL -ASALYS IS_
Property N o,
L 641
L 842
1,
Property No,
1
843
1. 844
I. 845
L 846
\Vhere hogge l S
2
L 8H
were bred
L ~49
L 848
Composite Sample o f L 841 -46
Soil
Easily friable; brown sandy clay
Residue on washing
Small; rock-fragments containing quartz, hornbl ende, and ferruginous particl es F'lir Fai r Faint ly ac id
Capillarity Capacity fo r water Reaction to litmus Mechanical analysis Coa rse sand
I
Per Ce nt.
Per Cent.
2 '0 5"0 10'4 13 ' I 22 '3 1'2
Fine sand
Silt Fin e silt Clay Moisture, &c,
3 -0
66'1 6'0 7-9 14'5 2'5 100 -0
100'0 Chemical analysisMoisture " Organic matter and combined water Total nitrogen .. , Available potash (K,O) Phosphoric acid (P,O. ) Colour of citric-acid extract on ign ition Hydrochloric,acid extractL ime (CaO) .. , Magnesia (MgO) Potash Phosphoric acid
Per ce nt .
..
'
.. ,
..
'" '
,
'
..
..
..
.I
.. ,
P~r
cen t.
Friable; brown , fine, sandy clay ~ame as composite sample, Good, Excellent. Neutral.
Per cent.
Pt(cent.
rer ce nt.
P er ("en t ,
P er cen t.
Per cen t.
Per ce nt.
1-7 20 3'120 0'158 0 '01 5 0 '02 1 Brown
2 '060 5'120 0- 213 0'008 0' 02 3 Brown
2' 780 6'43 0 0'262 0 '01 5 0 '0 16 L'ght brown
3- 180 6'200 0 -240 0-009 0'020 Red brown
1'940 5'040 0'1 70 0'01 5 0'009 Greyish brown
, ' 280 6'680 0'186 0 '0 10 0 '0 1 Khaki
3'400 6 ' 240 0' 185 0 '024 0'007 Vght brown
3'380 4 ' 200 0' 122 0 '008 0'006 Kh aki
6-560 II '!!70 0'494 0 '024 o'06S Red
0 '300 0' 380 0 ' 190 0 ' [00
0 '350 0'420 0'150 0'100
0'160 0 '47 0 0'160 0 '°7°
0 '4 10 0 '240 0 ' 240 0 '090
0 '1 20 0'200 0'[40
0 ' 120 0'200 0' 130 0 ' [20
0 '250 0'310 0 '2 10 0 '060
0'1 50 0'250 0' [00 0'° 5°
0 '300 0'460 0'3 [0 0 ' 34°
o'ago
- - --
-
A MALIGNANT BO NE-DISEASE OF SHEEP (OSSEOUS CACHEXIA) IN NEW ZEALAND, By H . A, REID, F.R,C.V.S ., D,V ,H, liVellington, New Zealand.
AN Dutbreak Df DsseDUS cachexia, better knawn under the mDre cammDn but less apprDpriate designatiDn " asteDmalacia," accurring as an enzaDtic affecting sheep, has been fDr the first time recarded in this cDuntry, This disease, which is usually confine d to. cattle, particularly milch-caws, is characterized bydistu'rb18
The Veterillary
'.1 ourllal.
ance of nutrition , leadin g to resorption of calcareous salts from the bones, which in consequence become soft and fragile. The f~ctor chiefly responsible for this abnormal condition appears to be an excess of organic matter and deficiency of lime-salts in the soil upon which the animals are depastured. Symptoms and Cou'rse of the Disease.-This process of demineralization of the bone is slow and insidious in its onset and course. At first only sl ight lo ss of condition may be noticeable , indicated by a ragged and unhealthy appearance of the fleece . The wool feels dry and' harsh to the touch, has lost its lustre, and may be readily detached. This condition is followed by progressive emaciatIOn . Affected sheep are listless, disinclined to move, lie for a considerable time, and rise with difficulty . When made to walk, they often appear lame, and. in well-marked cases a creaking or cracking sound may be heard. Spontaneous fractures are frequent, and sheep may be found with a leg and several other bones of the body broken . Handling affected sheep is liable to lead to fracture of one or other bone. The broken bones do not heal readily, and, as a rule, on the post-mortem examination of a severe case, several old calluses may be observed along the course of the ribs , marking the site of former fracture s. The bones themselves are extremely thin a nd light, :having been converted into shell-like structures by the resorption of their lime salts. The marrow of the long bones generally is .congested, hcemorrhagic, and often gelatinous. The qsseous tissue itself appears to be exceptionally porous, and has undergone rarefication. 'Microscopically, the changes in the bone are seen to consi st of decalcification extending from the periphery, and conversion of the normal elements into a homogeneous matrix . The Haversian system, which has become almost obliterated, is seen to be surrounded by fibrous tissue . The medullary cavities are enlarged, and contain masses of myelocytes. Considerable forma tion of new, dense, osteoid tis sue , which has not undergone calcification, can be observed particularly around the seat of former fractures. In the case in point, Lincoln crossbred hoggets were affected , the mortality bein g 8 percent . of the total attacked. They had been brought from a property on rich, limestone land-which may be designated as Property No. I-and depastured on alluvial
A Malignant Bone-Disease of Sheep.
275
fla t and adjacent hill co untry (Property NO.2). In about ten weeks' time after their t ran sfer the ho ggets were 'seen to be g oin g off in condition , a nd exhi bited in varying degree the sympt oms already de scribed. In company w ith Mr. B. C. Aston , J\gricultural Chemist, I investi gated the nature of the di sease. Extracts from Mr. A ston' s interesti ng and valuable report on the result of the chemical analyses of bon es from affected animal s and soil from the locality a r e appended. The report bea rs out the g eneral characteristics of the di sease. It is interesting to note that the analysis of the soil in the affected locality, in contrast to the soil of the locality upon which the sheep were formerl y pastured , shows the latter to be six time s as rich in phosphoric acid ; while the re sult of the bone analysis o f one of the disea sed hoggets proves it to be correspondin g ly deficient in the proportion of. normal bone salts. Treatment should be based upon an attempt to return to the soil the diminished mineral sa lts . P ho sphates and superphosphates as manure may be used with advantage. It has . been observed that cattle affected with o steomalacia g enerally seek out and devour bones or shell s containing lime, thus endeavourin g by instinct to make g ood the deficiency. An allowance of boriemeal is therefore indicated in treatment, and every attempt should be made to chan g e the diet , and g ive nourishin g food · rich in calcium salts, such as cru shed oats, bran, oilcake, and chaff. Salt-licks may act as a whole some tonic . Individual treatment is, as a rule, impracticable , but, should valuable stud sheep be- . come affected, such remedie s as cod-liver oil, iron, and arsenic may be administered in suitable proportion. Following is a n extract from Mr. Aston ' s report : Dominion Laboratory, \-Vellington, December I3, I909. C. J. Reakes, Esq. , M.R.C. V.S ., Director of Live-stock . and : Meat Division, Department of Agriculture , Commerce, and , Touri sts, Wellington.
Osteomalacia in H oggets. THE analyses of the bones and soil collected by me on my recent visit, with Mr. H. A. Reid, F.R.C.V .S. (Government Veteri ~ narian), to the farms Nos . I and 2 o'f Mr. - - -. are given on the attached sheets. The re sult s are most interesting, and sho,¥-
The Veterinary '70u1'nat. a marked decrease in the percentage of ash-the chief constituent of which is, of course, calcium-phosphate-as compared with the fig ures g iven by a uthorities for the bones of healthy animals. Fremy found in the lamb 67' 7 per cent . bone-ash; of which 60' 7 per cent. was calcium-phosphate, I' 5 per cent was magnesium-pho sphate, 8 , 1 per cent. was calcium-carbonate . In the sheep he found 70 per cent . of ash, of which 62' 9 per cent. was calci um-phosphate, I ' 3 per cent. was magnesium-phosphate, 7 ' 7 per cent. was calcium-carbonate. The di ffe rent orders of mammiferous animals do not ex hibit any essential differences in the proportion of inorganic matter in the bones, the limits being 64 and '75 per cent. In osteomal acia the tribasic phosphate of calcium is said by Weber to be converted into the 3/8 phosphate ( 8CaO 3(P2 0 ,) } and the bones sometimes contain a fre e acid . In the disease the proportion of mineral matter sometime s dimi11lshes to such an extent that the bones bend under the weight of the body. Marchant found in the femur of a rachitic child 72' 0 per cent. cartilage, 7 ' 2 per cent. fa t, 14' 7 per cen~. calcium-pho sphate, o ' 8 per cent. magnesium-phosphate, 2 ' 02 per cent . undetermined. Charles g ives the altered composition of bones (vertebra) in osteomalacia as follow s: 13 ' 25 per cent. pho sp h a t ~ of lime, 5 ' 95 per cent. carbonate of lime; o · 90 per cent. phosphate of soda and sulphate of lime, 74: 64 per cent. ossein, &c ., 5: 26 per cent . fat. It will ' be seen that the amount of organic matter in this analysis is almost identical with the sample of vertebra analysed in this laboratory. The composition of the bone-ash derived from the bones is normal; the ' only obvious abnormality in the analysis is the amount of ash whe n this is calculated on the fresh bones. This bears out the conclusions of Levy (Zeitschr. f. Physio!., Chern. 19), who found the normal relationship, 6P0 4 lOCa, is retained in all pa rts of the bones in osteomalcia. Cacieac, Leblanc, and Carougeau (" Principle:; of Vete rinary Surgery"), writing on the composition of the soils upon which o ~teomalacia occurs, mention that Zundel attriblltes the disease ,to 's oils abounding in silicates, which, as a consequence, do not retain water . , Hertwig, on the contrary, claimel that clay sub-
A Maiig'nant Bone-Dl'sease 01 Sheep.
277
soils play an important part. They, however, point out that it is important to note that the disease may occur where the land is rich in calcium-carbonate and poor in phosphoric acid. Yogow has attributed the disease to a dearth of calcareo us salts in the water supply, and Ro ssignol, who observed it in animals fed on the by-products of distilleries and sugar-refineries, blamed the poverty of these feeds in phosphates. The chancter of the soil affects the nutritive value of its flora . The influence of droughts on vegetation has often been responsible for the disease, as it leads to the growth of feed s having a dearth of nutritive elemepts, especially of sa lts, which, lacking water as a cOlweyance, rema in incorporated in the soil. The use of phosphates and superphosphates as manure ha s given good results, according to th e authors. The u se of fodder obtained from dis cricts where the disease is unknown is also advisable. In thus summarizing the statements and quotations of th is work on veterinary surg ery I would point out that the water might be analysed for calcium-salts; but analyses of the soils do not shovv that calcium-carbonate in the soil is les s on the affected than on ~he healthy country. The liability of country to suffer from drought is certainly g reater on the former than on the latter, and is a point worth bearin g in mind. In travelling acros s the co untry one cannot but be struck by the difference in the so il and its natural cover ing at Property No. I, where the sheep were bred , and at and beyond Property No.2, where t he disease developed. At No. I the underlying r ock is a soft limesto ne , and the surface soil an easily-worked loam. The original flora is mixed forest, contaming great trees and shrubs one usually finds g rowing on rich soil. On the affected area the natural covering is manuka, tauhinu (Pomaderris), and ru shes, plants usually found growing on poor, dry soil. The difference in the rainfall (including the number of rainy days) must be considerable. I wish to lay stre s::; on the difference in the two types of country, as it appears to me that the sudden change from a rich to a poor soil may have been the largest. if not the sole, factor in the occurrence of the disease. Considerable time was spent by the owner and myself in taking samples of soil from different sites on his affected block of country. Samples were taken from the tops of high flats and from the valleys. There is very little difference :11 the results of
The Veten·nary '7 oUr/tal. analyses of these samples: they are not abnormally different in plant-food content from many of the so ils on which sheep are successfull y grazed throughout the Dominion. W hen, however, we examine the analys is of the No . I (home farm) soil, the striking fact that it is tremendously rich in available and total (hydro chloric-acid extract) phosphoric acid at once becomes apparent . The quantity of this mineral nutrient available is six times as g reat as on the affected soils. The total quantity present is at least three times as great. Following are details of analyses.
B. C.
ASTO N,
F. I.C. ,
Chief Agricultural Chemist. ANAL YS ES OF BONES.
Ribs.
Tibia. Per cen t.
Pe r cent.
Water Anal ysis of water· fr ee bones :Organic matter ... Ash
71 .9 2 28·08
Analysis of bone-ash :Tricalcic l (Phosphoric acid (P"O,,) pho'phate J (Calcic oxide) ... .., Calcic carbonate Magnesic-phosphate Silica Iron, alumina, &c .
39'28
39' 10
46·60 11 · 10 0 ' 60 0.4 0
46 . 1 5 11 ·35
1 ·5 5
Normal bone-ash (Merillat) :Tribasic phosphate of lim e Tri basic phosphate of magnesia Carbonate of lime F luoride of lime Chloride of sodium Total a nalysis of bones dri eCt at Organic matter Phospha te of calcium ... Phosphate of magnesia Calcic carbonate Silica, &c. Iron, alumina, &c.
0.50 0.5 0 1· 80 Per ce nt.
85. 87 1 ·70
8·10 0·35 0·23
100° :-
7[.9 2 24'01 0'16
59.56 34·44 0 ·20
3'10
S ·O [
0· 1 I
0·20 0.7 2
0·45
Pe r cent .
Percentage of p zO. in tribasic phosphate i phosphate '., " ,. phosphate of bone ( L8(;9 ·70) ... The phosphate is tribasic, and not i phosphate. Analysi s of vertebra of hogget :Organic matter. . . Mineral matter. ..
45·80 48 .80 45.58
RESUL'S OF S O IL -ASALYS IS_
Property N o,
L 641
L 842
1,
Property No,
1
843
1. 844
I. 845
L 846
\Vhere hogge l S
2
L 8H
were bred
L ~49
L 848
Composite Sample o f L 841 -46
Soil
Easily friable; brown sandy clay
Residue on washing
Small; rock-fragments containing quartz, hornbl ende, and ferruginous particl es F'lir Fai r Faint ly ac id
Capillarity Capacity fo r water Reaction to litmus Mechanical analysis Coa rse sand
I
Per Ce nt.
Per Cent.
2 '0 5"0 10'4 13 ' I 22 '3 1'2
Fine sand
Silt Fin e silt Clay Moisture, &c,
3 -0
66'1 6'0 7-9 14'5 2'5 100 -0
100'0 Chemical analysisMoisture " Organic matter and combined water Total nitrogen .. , Available potash (K,O) Phosphoric acid (P,O. ) Colour of citric-acid extract on ign ition Hydrochloric,acid extractL ime (CaO) .. , Magnesia (MgO) Potash Phosphoric acid
Per ce nt .
..
'
.. ,
..
'" '
,
'
..
..
..
.I
.. ,
P~r
cen t.
Friable; brown , fine, sandy clay ~ame as composite sample, Good, Excellent. Neutral.
Per cent.
Pt(cent.
rer ce nt.
P er ("en t ,
P er cen t.
Per cen t.
Per ce nt.
1-7 20 3'120 0'158 0 '01 5 0 '02 1 Brown
2 '060 5'120 0- 213 0'008 0' 02 3 Brown
2' 780 6'43 0 0'262 0 '01 5 0 '0 16 L'ght brown
3- 180 6'200 0 -240 0-009 0'020 Red brown
1'940 5'040 0'1 70 0'01 5 0'009 Greyish brown
, ' 280 6'680 0'186 0 '0 10 0 '0 1 Khaki
3'400 6 ' 240 0' 185 0 '024 0'007 Vght brown
3'380 4 ' 200 0' 122 0 '008 0'006 Kh aki
6-560 II '!!70 0'494 0 '024 o'06S Red
0 '300 0' 380 0 ' 190 0 ' [00
0 '350 0'420 0'150 0'100
0'160 0 '47 0 0'160 0 '°7°
0 '4 10 0 '240 0 ' 240 0 '090
0 '1 20 0'200 0'[40
0 ' 120 0'200 0' 130 0 ' [20
0 '250 0'310 0 '2 10 0 '060
0'1 50 0'250 0' [00 0'° 5°
0 '300 0'460 0'3 [0 0 ' 34°
o'ago
- - --
-