AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 565 



Experiments at the New Hampshire Agricultural College. 



One of the first experimenters in this country to test the 

 theories of feeding based upon the late German experiments 

 was Mr. J. W, Sanborn, Farm Superintendent of the New 

 Hampshire Agricultural College. During a period of four 

 years he has been feeding rations of poor hay, straw, corn- 

 stalks, etc., which lack albuminoids and fats, with oil-cake 

 and other materials which supply them. His experiments 

 substantiate the view that such mixtures of poor and rich 

 foods serve just as good a purpose as the best hay, and at 

 considerably less cost. 



FEEDING STUFFS. DIGESTIBILITY, VALUE, AND USE. 

 Digestibility of Green and Dry Fodder. 



Weiske and associates have tested the digestion of green 

 and dried esparcet by sheep. They conclude that the food 

 does not become less digestible in the simple process of dry- 

 ing ; but that in ordinary practice the hay is less digestible 

 and less valuable than the green fodder, because more or less 

 of the richest portions leaves, etc. are lost in curing and 

 housing. This is quite in accordance with the results ob- 

 tained by Wolff, Ktihn, and other experimenters. 



They also conclude that the water in green foods does not 

 increase the transformation of albuminoids in the animal 

 body ; whereas, as is well known, water, consumed by itself, 

 does increase the consumption of albuminoids, and is, in so 

 far, productive of waste in the animal economy. 



Maize vs. Oats for Horses. 



The Omnibus Company of Paris, which employs ten thou- 

 sand horses, has been making some experiments, extending 

 over two years, with the view of partially substituting maize 

 for oats in its system of feeding, which allowed 19 pounds 

 of oats per horse each day. The experiments were first made 

 with a limited number of horses, and were so successful that 

 the new system was finally extended to the whole, thus pro- 

 ducing: a saving of nearlv half a million francs a vear. It was 

 ascertained that 11 pounds of oats and 7 pounds of maize were 

 safe proportions for the new feed of grain. The horses showed 



