380 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



pounds in the water-free substance contained therein. But 

 the amount of nitrogenous matter in this latter increased 

 only one pound, while, as compared with the whole dry mat- 

 ter, it fell from 16 to 11.2 per cent. 



" On the other hand, the percentage, as well as the total 

 amount of crude fibre, increased very considerably during 

 this period, and at the cost of the other non-nitrogenous in- 

 oredients, so that on the 1st of July twice as much crude 

 fibre was harvested as on the 22d of May, while the increase 

 in the amount of the crop was much less." 



Numerous trials, made at the German agricultural experi- 

 ment stations, on the digestibility of different kinds of fodder 

 by different animals, have shown that some of the crude fibre 

 is digestible, and consequently nutritious. On the contrary, 

 a portion of the other non-nitrogenous ingredients is found 

 not to be digested by the animal. In general, the indigest- 

 ible portion of the latter is found to be about equal to the 

 amount of crude fibre digested. The amounts of crude fibre 

 and of other non-nitrogenous materials are, therefore, approx- 

 imately accurate measures of the amount of digestible and 

 indigestible non-nitrogenous ingredients of the plant. 



In Germany, methods are current for calculating the nu- 

 tritive values of various fodder materials, based upon the 

 amounts and assumed values of the digestible nutritive in- 

 gredients they contain. 



Using such rates of valuation, Wagner calculates the values 

 of the three cuts of clover to be as follows : 



I. Harvested just before beginning of blossom 78 cts. gold. 



II. " in full blossom 105 " " 



III. " toward end of blossom 95 " " 



He concludes therefore that, in view of the fact that in- 

 crease in weight of clover as it grows older is not accom- 

 panied by a corresponding increase in digestible ingredients, 

 and as these ingredients themselves become less digestible 

 as the plant grows older, and, further, as time is secured for 

 after-growth by the early cutting, it is better to harvest the 

 clover when in full blossom than later. He even regards it 

 as a fair question whether it would not be advisable to har- 

 vest still earlier, or as soon as the plants begin to blossom. 

 28 C, 1873, 101. 



