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Show "FfcAIPT m a faCD SUNLIGHT EFFECT ON DAIRY CALVES T. W. Gulllckson and C. H. Eekles make the following report In the Jour nal of Dairy Science: Four heifer calves were placed on an experiment at from three to seven days of age. Two were confined In a completely dark well ventilated box stall and allowed In the open only at night The other two were allowed to run out of doors during the day and confined only at night. The rn tlon for all animals was Identical the grain portion consisting of corn meal, com gluten feed, wheat bran and linseed oil meal, 8:1:1:1, anil timothy bay of fair to poor quallt forming the roughage. The animals were weighed every ten days and the height at the top of the withers ineas ured every thirty days during the two-year period. The animals In both lots eomlmiud normal In all outward respects dunnf! the test. All heifers came in hen .when less than a year of age. The two in the "sunlight" group were ac cldeutally bred at the first heat period. pe-riod. One dropped a normal full-time calf, and the other a small, sliglith deformed calf, with both eyes present but blind. This condition was no' thought to be due to the ration Ow heifer in the "no sunlight" group wit.- bred at about sixteen months of iig and dropped a normal calf. The othe heifer of this group was found to have malformed reproductive organs which prevented conception but did not hinder oestrum. From these data It Is concluded thai the absence of sunlight was wlthou: effect upon calves kept In darkness from the age of one week to two years. Normal reproduction also oc curred. |