Eczema - Inflammatory condition of the skin which is not a contageous disease but is usually associated with digestive dearangement, improper feeding, and insanitory environment. Affected animal suffers from an etching of the ears or leggs and soon raw, bleeding areas appear. Treatment involves washing the affected area with a failry strong saponated cresol solution, permitting it to dry and then applying an antiseptic dusting powder.

Edaphic - Of or pertaining to the soil.

Edaphology - The study of the influence of soils on living organism, particularly plants, including man's use of land for growing crops.

Effected Field Capacity (Plough) - Actual area which is covered by plough and based on its total time consumed and its width.

Effective Ground- Water Velocity - Actual or field velocity of ground water which is percolating through waterbearing material. It is a measured by the volume of ground water passing through a unit cross sectional area divided by the effective porrosity. It is also called actual velocity: field velocity.

Effective Rainfall - Precipitation which falls during the growing period of the crop and is available to meet the evapotranspiration requirements of crops. It does not include precipitation lost through deep percolation below the root zone or through surface runoff.

Effluent - Liquid, solid or gaseous water material, e.g., Slurry, indus­trial waste sewerage.

Egg - 1. An oval shaped body laid by female birds (and some other animals) comprising a calcareous shell containing Albumen and a Yolk, the latter developing to produce a new young birds which hatches as a Chick.
2. An ovum of femal Gamete. Also called egg cell.

Egg Bound - A term for a bird unable to lay an egg.

Egg-Case - Protective covering or case for transport of eggs.

Egg Classes - There are three quality classes under current E.E.C. marketing regulations: Class A ('fresh eggs')Class B ('second quality or preserved eggs); and Class C ('non-graded eggs intended for the manufacture of foodstuffs for human consumption').

Egg Tooth - A horny knob on the bill of a newborn birds used to crake the eggshell in hatching, and discarded soon after.

Egg Weight Grades - There are seven weight grades under E.E.C. regulations for Class A and B eggs. Grade 1 are 70 g or over, Grade 7 are under 45 g.

Egg Yolk - Central yellow portion of a hen's egg which contain the egg cell.

Egg White - Albumen.

Eggery - A place where eggs are laid.

Eggler - A dealer in eggs.

Elaiosome - An outgrowth from the sufrace of a seed, having fats or oils. They are sometimes attractive to ants, hence aiding in seed dispersal.

Electric Dog - A machanism to encourage cows to enter a Milking Parlour from a collecting yard, comprising an electric wire sandwiched between two parallel side wires which is drawn up behind the cows gradually as they go through the parlour, by means of a cord in the parlour. (Electric Fence)

Electric Fence - A system of mobile fencing usually used to facilitate Controlled Grazing, consisting of easily moved insulated posts, usually about 3 ft high, supporting thin wires (usually one for cattle and horses, two for sheep and pigs) carrying an electric current, either battery generated or from the mains. The current is not continuous but in 'pulses' at the rate of about 60 per minute.

Electronic Colour Sorter - A machine which finds use in seed testing laboratory for separating seeds on the basis of difference in colour. Each seed is viewed by photoelectric cells in comparision with a selected background.

Electrostatic Seed Separator - A machine which is used for separating the seeds on the basis of their differential electrical properties. The seed are separated by allowing them to fall free in space, and then using an electric field for deflecting some seeds from their normal flight path.

Elevator - A machine for raising a cut crop, Grain, or Bales to the top of a Silo, storage bin, or bale stack, etc., usually for storage. Various designs, exist. Grain elevators. usually consist of a continuously a Continuous moving chain bearing spikes or cross slats.

Elevator Digger - An implement for harvesting potatoes. There are three kinds; trailed, semi-mounted, and fully mounted. They lift potatoes from the field rows and separate the soil from the crop on a chain web and deposit them in a row on the field for collection. The Potato Harvester is essentially an improved elevator digger bearing a platform for the pickers to stand on, and a system of elevators delivering the potatoes to a sorting table, and conveying them to the side for collection and transport. Some complex modern machines incorporate electronic automatic sorting and rquire only one operator.

Elite Plants - Plants which in trials and tests have been proved to be genetically superior to other plants of the same species.

Elite Variety - An improved variety which is developed by plant breeders and released to farmers due to its superiority in at least one respect.

Elutriation Method - Type of mechanical analysis of soil where the separation of different soil fractions is carried out by washing out particles in a rising current of water (particles whose settling velocity is equal to or less than the velocity of the rising water will be taken away by the current.

Eluviation - Process of removal of organic material in solution or in suspension from the soil by percolating waters.

Embden - A heavy white breed of goose, with blue eyes.

Emblements - Crops raised by cultivation (e.g., wheat, potatoes) as distinct from the fruits of trees or grass.

Embryo - A young animal or plant in its earliest stages of development after fertilization, e.g., a young animal in its mother's womb, or the innermost part of a plant seed.

Embryo Transfer - A procedure which involves the removal of a developing Embryo from a mother's uterus at a very early stage and transfer into the uterus of a recipient female. Foetus development occurs inside the surrogate mother which serves as an incubator and source of milk until weaning, but has no genetic influence on the foetus. The natural mother is left free to produce more fertilised ova to be carried to term by other recipient females or by herself. Embryo transfer (ET) is now commercially applied to cattle, sheep goats and pigs, but was first, practised on rabbits in 1890. Freezing techniques now allow the preservation and transportation of embryos in banks and containers, just as with bull semen.

The use of inferior females as recipients can allow them to produce superior offspring every year. The technique of super valuation is now often combined with ET. This involves treating cows with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) which commonly causes the release of 8-10 ova in one flush which can be removed and implanted in recipients.

The advantages of ET are that the progeny of a superior female can be multiplied many times, large numbers of genetically similar progency of the same age for reproductive or testing purposes can be obtained, superior progeny can be readily transported in frozen embryo stage, extra progeny from old but valuable females can be recovered, rare breeds can maintained and multiplied in frozen embryo banks, and twins can be produced at will.

Enclosure - An area of land bounded by fences, hedges or walls.

Endemic - A descriptive term for plants or animals naturally occurring in a particular area. Also called indigenous.

Endoparasite - A parasite living on the inside of its host, e.g., Tapeworm.

Endosperm - Food storage tissue surrounding and nourishing the embryo in plant seeds. By the time the seed is fully developed the embryo may have completely absorbed the endosperm in some seeds, e.g., peas and beans, whilst in others part may remain and be absorbed after germination, e.g., wheat. Cereals are grown for the endosperm content of the grain, which is a valuable food source.

Endrin - A very toxic insecticide. A poly chlorinated hydrocarbon.

Enteritis - Inflammation of the intestines.

Enterotoxins - Products of bacterial growth that cause inflammation of the intestinal tract, a form of food poisoning. Certain kinds of staphylococci can produce food poisoning owing to enterotoxins if they gain access to improperly refrigerated milk or soft foods such as custards, gravy and creamed meats. Enterotoxins are heat-resistant to the extent that they are not destroyed by pasteurization.

Enterozoon - Animal parasite which is inhabiting intestines.

Entire - An animal which has not been castrated. A stallion.

Entomologist - Pers on who specializes in the study of insects.

Entomology - Branch of agricultural science which is dealing with all aspects of insect activity including their structure, behaviour, their place in nature and form, whether they are harmful or useful i.e., their economic importance. It also helps us to devise suitable control measures.

Entomophilous Plants - Plants which are pollinated by insects.

Environment (Ecology) - External surroundings in which an organism lives. It is influenced and determined by the interactions of climate, water, light etc. and other living organisms. It affects the growth, development, and behaviour of the organism.

Enzootic Abortion - A virus infection of sheep affecting the placenta, causing abortion about 10-14 days prior to lambing time. Common in South-East Scotland and North-East England.

Enzootic Disease - An animal disease prevalent in particular areas or districts or during certain seasons (e.g., Enzootic Abortion) as distinct from epizootic diseases which spread rapidly and attack animals in large numbers almost simultaneously over large areas, even over entire continents (e.g., Foot and Mouth Disease ).