■ff Dwarfism (Continued from page 13) tend to disappear as animals grow older Research on the X-iay techni que was started at the lowa Airi cultural ” Experiment Station in cooperation with USDA Most active work on this method is now underway at lowa and. ioint lj with USDA, at the Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Tennessee stat ions Eight other stations are co operating on this and olhei tech niques. Studies are supported by special Federal appropriations, piivate industry, and individuals X-ray test rseults were recently pooled by coopeiators Ot 186 known camels, 167 or 90 per cent were found to have abnormal ver tebrae Of several thousand calves thought to be dwarl-gene free, 80 pei cent were found to have nor mal vertebrae. Abnormal verte V * f? * “ 1 v* fob sense y/etos ofPSy/BO OB ops / For Delivery Direct to Your Farm Contact Elmer Brill 39 E Willow SI Elizabethtown, Pa EMpire 7-5441 Martin R. Kraybill R D 1 Elizabethtown, Pa. EMpire 7-2696 Edgar C. Umble Gap, Pa Hickory 24525 Jonathan S. Shirk R D 1 Gordonville, Pa Intercourse SOuthfield 8-3111 C. B. Erb Landisville, Pa TWmoaks 8-2531 Lester Erb R D 3 Lancaster, Pa Landisville TWmoaks 8 3216 A. H. HOFFMAN SEEDS, INC., Landisville, Pa. brae in the other 20 per cent var ied with the lines of breeding. So far, it 'has been impossible to dis tmguish between the mild abnor malities unrelated to d waif ism and some of those thought to b 5 due to the dwarf gene Another limitation is the show ing of borderline abnormalities. In addition, it’s sometimes hard to get clear pictures, and equipment is expensive Research is helping a great deal in obtaining better pictures Some breeders, veterinarians, and colleges aie using X-iays on a trial basis Most present equip ment is satisfactory for use on calves Experienced, careful bice'ders can utilize this techmpue effect ively for early scieemng of their calves Bleeding tests should be used as a further screen for animals with nonnal X iai pictur es if they have close relatives that pioduced dwarfs Thus it appears that the X-ray technique is likely to be a tool for held improvement for individual breeders rather Noah B. Weaver R D 1 Narvon, Pa Morgantown 6-3412 E. C. Seldomridge Quarryville, Pa STerling 6-2951 Jason H. Mellinger R D 1 Ronks, Pa. Strasburg OVerland 7-2383 Frank H. Bucher P 0 Box 62 Rothsville, Pa Lititz MAdison 6-6504 Levi M. Stoltzfus R D 2 Elverson, Pa Morgantown 6-4359 than a basis for merchandising cattle The insulin-tolerance test, though still in the experimental stage, shows promise for identi fying earners It’s thought that blood cell counts of carriers differ characteristically from those of normal animals when both are given insulin Accuracy and limit ations of this test haven’t yet been measuied under a wide variety of conditions An experimental technique de veloped some years ago to find earners in mature Hereford bulls bj using a profilometer hasn’t pioved as accurate as expected Hus instruments detects the slight foiehead bulge thought to mark normal looking animals as dv arf-genc earners Although this method alone doesn’t seem to positively identify carneis, it can provide valuable clues Easiest way to get rid of dwarf ism would be to recognize carriers by their appearance Head, body, legs, and tail size aie all being studied to determine possible re lationship to dwarf isip Spinal fl'Uid pressure and blood tests and various other approaches are be ing checked for any such relation ship Perhaps combinations of these methods rather than any one alone—will tell us which ammals are carriers Most small breeders can’t afford the space and expense oi main taining a tester cow herd to get rid of dwarfism For the time be ing, they can avoid or minimize it by carefully examining the blood lines of breeding stock they plan to buy for signs of dwarfism The best bet is to buy cattle from breeders who are making special efforts to produce dwarf free ped igiee lines isn’t infallible. But it has t'he great advantage of being quick and inexpensive and is be mg used throughout the industry Losses from dwarfism probably average V 2 to 1 per cent in our beef cattle—have run 10 to 12 per cent or even higher in some herds Such losses are important enough to deserve the attention of breeders who want to better their herds and make them more profitable. Dwarfism in beef cattle is in herited It’s found m all breeds, and all breeds have one or more types most of them recessive in inhentance Some breeds may be free or almost flee of the snorter dwarf gene, but it’s hard to get accurate mtormation on this Snoiter dwaifs seem to have n creased recently This may be because animals carrying the dwarf gene have physical charact cnststics breecleis like and select toi Many reseaicheis believe diff erent genes are responsible for other types of dwarlim But it’s not definitely known il this is so 01 whether they are merely modi fications of thp same type Dwarfs are produced only if both paients are earner Chance may opeiate to make pciccntage of dwarfs high or low in a given year, especially in small herds Thcoietically, mating earners to carriers produces one fourth normal offspring one-hall carn cis, one-fourth dwaifs Mating carriers to noncarriers never pro duces dwarfs but half the off spring are earners, the rest nor mal Experimental matings of snorter dwarts with snorter dwarfs have always produced dwarfs. Bulls smug only normal calves when bred to 12 to 16 known car rier cows are free of the dwarf gene in 97 to 99 per cent of the cases This is a costly, time con sinning waj' to find clean bulls. But it’s done m some herds. ASC Committees Given Reserve Fund Authority On Jan 29 the USDA an nounced that state ASC Commit tees have been authorized to de termine the method to be follow ed in each state in making alloca tions of available Acreage Re ceive funds to individual farmers when it is necessary to put a limit Lancaster Farming, Friday, Feb. 14, 1958—13 Effects Show in Unusual Drouth Way in Celery Crop, Growers Find (Continued from page I) in the soil for most crops, boron lequirements for celery are high and the plant will show very defi nite signs when the level falls low The three most common signs are checking on the pedicle, a brown slan on the inside of the pediole and a scries of brown dashes on the vascular bundles of the pediole No effective contiol or mateual to combat the boion deficiency has yet been developed, the ex perts reported Even massive use of borax as a fertilizer material have failed to produce good re suits One leason might be that the boron requirement of celery vary considerably from variety to var iety and even with climate and soil conditions Penn State is now running tests to find a variety more toleiant to boron deficiency The search for a pure strain of the old Houser variety of celery continues Dr Pollack of PSU ob lamed six old seed packets sup posedly containing Houser seeds Of these only one strain bolted Ho made seed of this variety av ailable to celery groweis for then field tuals during the next grow mg season Also on display were selections of the H-46 variety developed by Funk Three selections were grown this year m the county and it is believed that in the next cou ple of years the seed will be avail able for commercial distubution The experts were asked for the cm rent feitihzer lecommenda- lions for celery They said that a soil pH of 6 2 to 6 8 should be maintained For fertilizer, 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of 5-10-10 should be used with a possible side dress ing of nitrogen They said that for best results, FOR HAPPY HOME OWNERS Your own comfortable easy chair by your own fireside to enjoy with the happy knowledge that the home you are paying for "just like rent will be your own free and clear It s a dream that comes true for families who use our popular home financing plan. We're here to serve you. Current Dividend Accounts Insured to $lO,OOO FIRST FEDERAL AHOM Afe 25 North Duke fc ITITITr MBS 1111 la? Phone EX 7-2818 fL ZlSija Gilbert H. Hartley, Treasurer Etnlen H Zellers, Secretary a soil sample should be taken of the field to be planted and this soil tested at Penn State The re sults of such a test form a better basis for a fertilizer recommen dation Representing Penn State at the n cctmg were Dr Robert Flet cher, vegetable gardening special ist Dr B L Pollack, vegetable lesearcher, and Dr. George Tay lor, nutrition specialist PROFIT-MINDED POULTRY RAISERS SELECT • HIGH, STEADY EGO PRODUCTION • EFFICIENT USE OF FEED • MAKE YOU MORE MONEY Ul ME AND ORDER DEKALR CHIX NOWI DeKALB HATCHERY Ph. 8-1770 York, Pa. '3% per Annum. Paid On Savings Sana/, N *P LANCAi an ■lt
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers