A descriptive study of dairy goat predation in Louisiana.
Questionnaires concerning herd size, housing and management, and previous instances of predation were mailed to 124 goat owners in Louisiana. Postcards were mailed over a period of one year on a monthly basis, to the 84 individuals who responded to this questionnaire. Owners were asked to indicate whether they had seen predators on their property and whether any goats were injured or killed by the predators. Upon receipt of any postcard with a "yes" answer to either of these questions, a telephone interview was conducted to determine the exact circumstances of predator experience. The interview format included time, physical circumstances, and detailed questions about the actions of the predator and the goats. In 85% of the cases, the predators sighted were reported as dogs, and most of these were thought to be pets, rather than wild. Instances of attacks occurred most frequently during periods of reduced light. No clear seasonal pattern of attacks emerged. Four management factors were associated with a reduction in number of attacks; penning the goats at night, use of a night light, proximity of the herd to an occupied residence, and presence of a dog.
Predation losses of domestic sheep in Alberta.
Highlight: This paper provides estimates of predation losses of domestic sheep in Alberta in 1974. These estimates were obtained from personal interviews. Unlike the United States, Alberta had a predator control program which emphasized the use of toxicants. Province-wide predation losses averaged 1.6% of the ewes and 2.8% of the lambs. However, predation losses varied widely among five major ecosystems; i.e., between 0.8% of the lambs and ewes in the southern parkland and 3.2% of the ewes in the northern parkland and 6.8% of the lambs in the mixedforest. Predation accountedfor24 and 18% of the total annual mortality of lambs and ewes, respectively. Thirty-nine percent of theflocks had no predation losses and another 31% of the flocks had predation losses of 3% or less. Larger flocks tended to be more susceptible to predation than smaller flocks. Coyotes, dogs, and other large predators were reported to have caused 88, 8, and 4% of predation losses, respectively.
Investigations on the rôle of organic matter in plant nutrition
1. As the result of decomposition of green manure in a swamp soil, the coarse fractions (including coarse and fine sand) of the surface layer (first 3 inches) decreased by 11·2 per cent. while the fine ones (silt+clay) increased by 9·8 per cent. in the course of 43 days. The effect was less pronounced in the manured soil maintained at 60 per cent. saturation, while no alteration was to be noticed in the case of the unmanured specimens. 2. Treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid prior to dispersion had no appreciable effect on the estimates of mechanical composition obtained in the different cases. Loss in solution was also comparatively small. 3. The silica-sesquioxide ratio increased slightly as the result of decomposition of green manure in swamp soil. The composition of the fine fractions was also altered, the total percentages of the oxides of iron, aluminium and silicon increasing from 90·5 to 99·3 in the course of 71 days. 4. The practical significance of the above and related observations has been discussed.