Sheep body fats

IN 1938 an investigation on the effects of different planes of nutrition of ewes upon the birth weight and growth of lambs was undertaken at the Animal Nutrition Institute of the School of Agriculture, Cambridge, by Dr Verges, with the result that two groups of ewes respectively of about 70 and 150 lb. live weight were obtained from the restricted and full diets given. Five of the 70 lb. animals were then fed on a high plane of nutrition ('supermaintenance ration'), whilst five of the 150 lb. ewes were given a restricted diet ('submaintenance ration'), an animal from each group being killed at intervals until, finally, the first group attained 150 lb. live weight, whilst the second group had been brought down to about 70 lb. live weight. Dr J. Hammond suggested that the fat from these animals would repay study since throughout tht experiment they had been on standard and known quantities of food. In this and the following communication some account is given of the component acids and glycerides in the perinephric and external tissue fats of some of the ewes. The opportunity to study sheep body fats from animals of known history was especially welcomed because all previous detailed information as to the acids and glycerides present referred to specimens of market origin (mutton tallow); the analyses now recorded afford data for sheep fats parallel with those already obtained for ox and pig depot fats from animals reared on specific diets.