Raymond Brown Becker served as Professor of Dairy Husbandry and Dairy Husbandmen at the Florida Agricultural Experiment Stations
from 1929 to 1963. This collection of his correspondence, papers, and research notes provides excellent documentation of
the University's dairy science program from its expansion in the late 1920s to its full development in the 1960s. The collection
also reveals the close working relationship between the Agricultural Experiment Station and the state's dairy industry.
Dr. Becker was born December 18, 1892 in Clermont, Iowa, and received his B.S. in Agriculture from Iowa State College in 1916.
He was employed by Edgemoor Farms of California until he entered the army during World War I. A near fatal concussion and
exposure to phosgene gas during the war forced him to pursue a less strenuous career. He returned to Iowa State college and
received his M.S. in 1920 and served briefly as an instructor at Kansas State University. In 1923 he accepted an instructorship
at the University of Minnesota and entered graduate school there. He received his Ph. D. in 1925 under the tutorage of Dr.
Charles H. Eckles. At Minnesota he studied problems related to soil mineral deficiency and its effect on cattle.
After three years of teaching and research assignments at Oklahoma A and M, Dr. Becker moved to the fledgling dairy science
program at the University of Florida's in 1929. (In one of his record books, in a folder marked Various Projects, 1928-1944,
Dr. Becker described the archaic conditions of the dairy on his first visit here in 1928.) In his earliest years at Florida
he was involved in research related to a mineral deficiency in cattle known as "salt sick" and was instrumental in finding
a cure.
In later years, Dr. Becker was influential in the promotion of citrus pulp as cattle feed. He also did extensive experimentation
with silage as a replacement for forage and studied calcium and phosphorus deficiencies in Florida cattle. Dr. Becker wrote
or co-authored nearly 180 titles for the station's bulletins, as well as for scholarly journals and popular diary magazines.
Dr. Becker also published two books, one a biography of John Gorrie and the other a life-long project entitled Dairy Cattle Breeds: Origins and Development. Dr. Becker died in 1989 at the age of 96.
The collection focuses on Dr. Becker's research and publications and contains articles written or co-authored by Dr. Becker,
along with related correspondence and notes. His research notebooks are another highlight of the collection. Letters, notes,
and other material that were separated from the notebooks often follow each book in the collection arrangement. The collection
also includes photographs depicting Becker's research and activities of the dairy science program.
Collection is open for research.
[Identification of item], Raymond Brown Becker Papers, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries,
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
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Becker Papers
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Box 1 |
Bibliographies of Dr. Becker's publications
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Abnormal Butterfat Test-Presumably due to feeding practices |
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American Dairy Science Assoc., Southern Section. 1931-1933 |
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American Society of Animal Production |
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"Animal Relationships" |
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Ante and Post Mortem Date. 1929-1932 |
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Ante and Post Mortem Date. 1932-1935 |
Box 2 |
Ante and Post Mortem Date. 1932-1935
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Ante and Post Mortem Date. 1935-1941 |
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Ante and Post Mortem Date. 1941-1944;1946 |
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"Breeding Better Guernseys" |
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Breeding Efficiency Project |
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"Building a Dairy Herd" |
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Bulldog Head |
Box 3 |
Bull Shelter
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Calcium and Phosphorus |
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"Certain Points in the Physiological Processes of the Cow" |
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"Changes in Weight of the Reproductive Organs of the Dairy Cow and Their Relation to Long-time Feeding Investigations" |
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"A Chemical Study of Ensiling Soybeans" |
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"Citrus Molasses-A New Feed" |
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"Citrus Pulp in Dairy Rations" |
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Citrus Pulp |
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Cobalt |
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Cobalt Study |
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Color Inheritance |
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Color Inheritance Dutch Belt x Jersey |
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Comparison of Corn silage and Napier Grass As Feed |
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"The Composition of Feedstuffs in Relation to Nutritional Anemia in Cattle" |
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"The Composition of Limonites Effective and Ineffective in Correcting 'Bush Sickness' in Cattle" |
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Copper Requirements of Cattle |
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Corn Ground Snap Corn |
Box 4 |
"Crampy or Progressive Posterior Paralysis in Mature Cattle" and "Crampy in Mature Cattle"
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"Crimped Oats for Dairy Cattle". 1957 |
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Crotalaria |
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Crotalaria and Florida Feed Crops |
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Crotalaria Project |
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Crotalaria Records |
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"Crotalaria For Forage". 1941 |
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Crotalaria Pastures |
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"Dairy AI Sire Vital Statistics" |
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"Dairy Calves and Their Development and Survival" |
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Dairy Cattle Breeds--Their Origin and Development
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Dairy Herd |
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"The Dairy Industry in Florida" |
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Dairy Laboratory--Florida Docket 1203 |
Box 5 |
Dairy Research Unit
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"Dairy Science Benefits From A Jersey Cow" |
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Dairying in Florida |
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"The Dam As A Transmitter" |
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"Defluorinated Superphosphate For Livestock" |
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"The Destiny of 'Sampler' Bulls" |
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"Determination of Mineral Deficiencies and Toxicities For Cattle in Latin America" L. R. McDowell |
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"Development of the Bovine Stomach During Fetal Life" |
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The Digestable Nutrients of Napier Grass and Crotalaria, Intermedis Silages, Natal Grass Hay, and The Dried Refuses of Grapefruit
and Orange Canneries."
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Digestion Trials. 1934 |
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Dried Citrus Pulp--Feeding Trial |
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Dried Citrus Pulp in Dairy Rations |
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Dried Grapefruit Pulp |
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Dried Grapefruit Refuse |
Box 6 |
"Early Development and Function of the Bovine Stomach"
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Early E-Numbers |
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Eckles, Charles H. Biographical Material |
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The Efficiency of the Trench Silo |
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"Effect of Calcium-Deficient Roughages Upon Milk Production and Welfare of Dairy Cows." |
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The Effect of Feeding Crotalaria Seed to Chickens and Other Birds |
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"The Effect of Season of the year and Advancing Lactation Upon Milk Yield of Jersey Cows." |
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"Effect of Stilbestrol on Lactation and Reproduction" |
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"Effect of Sudden Changes in Formulation on Acceptability of Feeds" |
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"An Effective and An Ineffective Limonite" |
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"The Essentiality of Cobalt in Bovine Nutrition" |
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Experiment Station. 1906-1916 |
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"Experiments With Napier Grass" |
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"The Feeding Value and Nutritive Properties of Citrus By-Products" |
Box 7 |
Feeding Value of Crotalaria. 1931
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Florida Dairy Industries Association, Report Requested By |
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Flourine Abstracts |
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Functions of Minerals in Nutrition |
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Gainesvelle Steers |
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Gestation and Its Relation to Lactation |
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Gestation in Relation to Lactation (Fetus Dissections) |
Box 8 |
Gestation and Its Relation to Lactation
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Grapefruit and Orange Cannery Refuse |
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"Hairless Guernsey Cattle. Hypotrichosis--A Non-Lethal Character." |
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"The Hemoglobin Content of the Blood of Healthy and Anemic Cattle" |
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How the Cow Grinds Feeds in the Bovine Stomach |
Box 9 |
"How We Got Citrus Dairy Feed" Florida Grower. Aug. 1945
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"Importance of Calcium in Dairy Rations" |
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"Influence of Arsenical Dipping on Yield of Milk By Dairy Cows" |
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"Influence of Preceding Dry Period and of Mineral Supplement on Lactation" |
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"Influence of Season of Year, and Stage of Lactation, on Butterfat Test of Jersey Milk" |
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Influence of water Soluble Phosphorus |
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John Gorrie, M. D.
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Lactose |
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"Life Span of A. I. Bulls Increases" |
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"Lumpy Jaw: Actinomycosis and Actinobacillosis in Cattle" |
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Management of Dairy Cattle in Florida |
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"Management of Range Cattle in Alachua County, Florida" Paul D. Camp |
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Memorandum and Project Reports |
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Mineral content in Soil |
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"The Mineral content of Soil Types as Related to 'Salt Sick' of Cattle" |
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"Mineral Malnutrition in Cattle" |
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"Mineral Matter In Mixed Dairy Feeds" |
Box 10 |
"Mineral Nutrition, Illustrated"
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"Mineral Requirements of Cattle" |
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"Mineral Supplements and their Use" |
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"Minerals for Dairy and Beef Cattle" |
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Miscellaneous Correspondence. 1930s |
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Miscellaneous Correspondence. 1940s and 1950s |
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Miscellaneous Correspondence. 1960s |
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Miscellaneous Correspondence. 1970s and 1980s |
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Molasses and Sugar Cane--Belle Glade |
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National Livestock Exposition of Cuba |
Box 11 |
"Naturally Occurring Trace Mineral Deficiencies in Cattle, and Their Correction"
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"Nutritional Anemia in Cattle-Its Economic Importance." and "Nutritional Anemia in Ruminants and Swine" |
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"Nutritional Anemia in Ruminants and Swine" |
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"Occurrence of Protozoa in the Bovine Stomach" |
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Office of Production Management Cobalt Priority. 1941 |
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Paces |
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Papers By Fellow Dairy Husbandman and Students |
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Papers Presented at Professional Conferences |
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Parasites in Cattle |
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Parrot jaw |
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"Practical Proving of Dairy Sires" |
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"Preparation of Feeds For Cattle Feeding" |
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"Production and Correction of Subnormal Milk" |
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"Productive Life-Span of Dairy Cattle" |
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"Prussic or Hydrocyanic Acid Poisoning in Livestock" |
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Purnell 133 Mineral Intakes Fe Levels. 1951-1952 |
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Purnell 133 Mineral Intakes, with Different Fe Levels |
Box 12 |
Purnell 345 References--Breeding Efficiency
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Raiford State Farm committee |
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"Relation of Flourine to Livestock Feeding" |
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"The Relation of Flourine to Phosphorus Supplements" |
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"The Relation of Soil Type and Composition to the Occurrence of Nutritional Anemia in Cattle" |
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"Rumen digestion and Its Effects on Milk Production" |
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Rumen Protozoa in Florida Dairy Cattle |
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Salt Sick, Coop and Field. Work--Blood Analyses |
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Salt Sick, Coop and Field. Work Sheet |
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Salt Sick. Correspondence |
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Salt Sick. Feed Record |
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Salt Sick. Field Survey. 1929 |
Box 13 |
Salt Sick
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Salt sick Field Survey |
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"Salt Sick--A Naturally Occurring Nutritional Anemia" |
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"Salt Sick: its cause and Prevention " |
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Work Envelope-Salt Sick Scrub Sick |
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Silage Studies |
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Sophy's Gypsy's Fern No. 284 |
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Soybean silage |
Box 14 |
Soybean silage. 1929-1932
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Soybean silage-- Tabulations |
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"Soybeans For Silage" Analysis Including Alfalfa, Corn |
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Silage, soybeans, soybean silage, and Mixed Grain |
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"Stiffs, or Sweeney in Cattle" |
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Stiffs or Sweeney and "Paces" |
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"Stilbestrol Not Recommended for Breeding Cattle" |
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"A Study of the Palatability and Possible Toxicity of 11 Species of Crotalaria" |
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Subnormal Butterfat |
Box 15 |
Subnormal Butterfat
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[Subnormal Butterfat] Low solids-Not Fat |
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"Subnormal Butterfat Tests Affected by Roughage Supply" |
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"Subnormal Milk--Its Causes and Correction" |
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Swett, W. W. |
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Swett, W. W. Re Free Martin |
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Swett, W. W. Slaughter Measurements Project |
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Tailless Calf |
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"Tail-less-Mutation or Accident During Embryonic Development?" |
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"Tenure and Reasons for Disposal of Artificial Insemination Dairy Sires" |
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"Tenure of Dairy Bulls in Artificial Service" tick Eradication |
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"Toxicity of Crotalaria Spectabilis with Cattle" |
Box 16 |
"A Type of Laboratory Silo and Its Use with Crotalaria"
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Unidentified Record Book |
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"Utilization of Citrus By-Products for Feed" |
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"Value of Crotalaria As Feed" |
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The Value of Grazing for Fattening Cattle in Beef Production |
Box 17 |
Various Projects. 1928-1945
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Various Projects. 1928-1944 |
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Various Projects. 1943-1958 |
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"The Welfare of Cattle on Florida Pastures |
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"Winter Feed for the Milk Cow" |
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WRUF. 10-11-1945 |
Box 18 |
Photographs (folder list):
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Abnormalities |
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Bulldog Head |
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Calcium and Phosphorus Studies |
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Citrus Pulp |
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Cobalt Study |
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Color Inheritance (Jersey x Dutch) |
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Cottonseed |
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Crotalaria Poisoning |
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Crampy |
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De Flourinated Phosphate Palatability Trials |
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Eckles, Charles H. |
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Effect of Feed on Bone Strength |
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Feeding Experiment |
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Flexed Pattern |
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Grazing Trials |
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Hairless Guernsey Cattle - Hypotrichosis |
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Influence of Season of Year and State of Lactation |
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Irrigated vs. Non-Irrigated Pasture |
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Low Fat Project |
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Low Solids-Not Fat |
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Mineral Boxes |
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Napier Grass Test |
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Nutrition Investigations |
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Paces |
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Parrot Jaw |
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Purnell Project 239 |
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Rumen Protozoa |
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Salt Sick |
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Shark Industries, Inc. |
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Silage-Silos |
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Soybeans |
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State Prison |
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Stilbestrol Injections |
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Sugar Cane and Molasses |
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Sweeney |
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Tail-less Calf |
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Tick Eradication |
