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New concepts of cattle growth
Livestock Production Science, 4 (1977) 299-302 o Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam
299 - Printed in The Netherlands
Book Reviews CATTLE GROWTH
New Concepts of Cattle Growth. Roy T. Berg and Rex M. Butterfield, foreword by St.C.S. Taylor. Sydney University Press, Sydney, Australia. 1976, 240 pp., 72 figures, 50 tables, index, bibliography, price $13.90. Much research work has been done in the area of beef production in recent years. Two of the scientists in the centre of this work are the authors of this book. They have attempted to explain differences in growth in relation to the functions of different parts of the body, and to extract from the literature the most relevant aspects of the knowledge of growth in cattle, which assist in formulating functionally sensible concepts. The growth of parts of the body and of individual tissues is studied mainly by the use of the allometric equation y = a& (where y = size of part or tissue, x = size of the rest, or another part, of the body, and b = growth coefficient of the part or tissue). This method of analyzing growth gives a good understanding of the growth patterns of the tissues and parts relative to the whole. In the foreword St.C.S. Taylor writes: “Contained within this book is a very direct and well integrated account of the growth of fat, muscle and bone, in which patterns of growth, changes in chemical composition, muscle weight distribution and the influence of nutrition, breed and sex are all clearly and vigorously described”. These words describe exactly the content of the first seven chapters of the book. In the last chapter the authors use the existing knowledge concerning growth of muscle, fat and bone in a discussion of alternative methods of measuring and predicting carcass composition. They emphasize the importance of a system for carcass evaluation in the beef industry, for trade between packer, wholesaler and retailer, and for selection in breeding stock. It is concluded that for general application the world over, total muscle is the most logical quantitative end point as a measure of desirable carcass composition. The book gives an excellent review of the accumulated knowledge concerning cattle growth, and in areas where there is a lack of investigations the need for more research work is mentioned. With this book the authors have made a valuable contribution to the understanding of growth and development, and the book is suited for use in teaching courses as well as for scientists. THORKILD LYKKE (Copenhagen, Denmark)
299 - Printed in The Netherlands
Book Reviews CATTLE GROWTH
New Concepts of Cattle Growth. Roy T. Berg and Rex M. Butterfield, foreword by St.C.S. Taylor. Sydney University Press, Sydney, Australia. 1976, 240 pp., 72 figures, 50 tables, index, bibliography, price $13.90. Much research work has been done in the area of beef production in recent years. Two of the scientists in the centre of this work are the authors of this book. They have attempted to explain differences in growth in relation to the functions of different parts of the body, and to extract from the literature the most relevant aspects of the knowledge of growth in cattle, which assist in formulating functionally sensible concepts. The growth of parts of the body and of individual tissues is studied mainly by the use of the allometric equation y = a& (where y = size of part or tissue, x = size of the rest, or another part, of the body, and b = growth coefficient of the part or tissue). This method of analyzing growth gives a good understanding of the growth patterns of the tissues and parts relative to the whole. In the foreword St.C.S. Taylor writes: “Contained within this book is a very direct and well integrated account of the growth of fat, muscle and bone, in which patterns of growth, changes in chemical composition, muscle weight distribution and the influence of nutrition, breed and sex are all clearly and vigorously described”. These words describe exactly the content of the first seven chapters of the book. In the last chapter the authors use the existing knowledge concerning growth of muscle, fat and bone in a discussion of alternative methods of measuring and predicting carcass composition. They emphasize the importance of a system for carcass evaluation in the beef industry, for trade between packer, wholesaler and retailer, and for selection in breeding stock. It is concluded that for general application the world over, total muscle is the most logical quantitative end point as a measure of desirable carcass composition. The book gives an excellent review of the accumulated knowledge concerning cattle growth, and in areas where there is a lack of investigations the need for more research work is mentioned. With this book the authors have made a valuable contribution to the understanding of growth and development, and the book is suited for use in teaching courses as well as for scientists. THORKILD LYKKE (Copenhagen, Denmark)