194 THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY [VI, II

                                                        TABLE VI

The calcium and phosphorus retention of calves before and after vitamin-D administra-
                                                             tion

Increasing the mineral content of the ration of vitamin-D deficient calves
had no such favourable influence on the mineral retention. Increasing the calcium
intake of E-185 and E-194 to 40—50 grms. daily failed to promote adequate mineral
retention, in fact, E-185 was in negative balance. Although the evidence for
the effect of added phosphorus in the case of E-187 is not as conclusive, the fact
that adding a liberal amount of phosphorus to the ration of this animal suffering
from a mild vitamin-D deficiency did not prevent, and may even have hastened,
a severe breakdown so that a satisfactory balance trial could not be obtained
would cast considerable doubt on the possibility of any beneficial effects of the
added phosphorus.

Further information on the mineral retention of normal growing calves is
also afforded. Data for the mineral retention of four normal calves, seven to ten
months of age, have been given in Table I. As the calves in the experimental
group receiving prairie hay as roughage completed the experiment in essentially
normal condition, and the rations were similar to those commonly fed in practice,
it would seem that these results might also be considered as representative of
essentially normal retentions. The data for this group have been given in Table
II. When the results of the above two groups are averaged together, the grand
average of all the balances with essentially normal calves shows an average daily
retention of 6.42 grms. of calcium and 3.22 grms. of phosphorus. These results
corroborate the work of Lindsey, Archibald, and Nelson (7), who obtained normal
retentions of 7.74 grms. of calcium and 3.52 grms. of phosphorus daily for a high
calcium group and 4.45 grms. of calcium and 2.15 grms. of phosphorus daily for
a low calcium group.