56 



AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



NITROGEN-FREE EXTRACTIVE MATTER. 



XL!.... 



XLir... 



XLIII ,. 



XL 



L 



XLIV . 



LI 



XLV ... 

 XXXIX 

 XLV[ 

 XLVII . 



I Alsike Clover . 

 {white Clover. . . 

 Blue Joint ... . 

 Orchard Grass 



Red Top 



Timothy 



Timothy.. . . . 

 Wild Oat Grass. 

 Witch Grass. . 



Buttercup 



White Weed . . 



In 100 parts Water-Free Substance. 



bea 



o _ 





% 



40.74 

 4 1 . t).S 

 44.66 

 44.08 

 50.64 

 50.98 

 5 .30 

 51.74 

 43 21 

 45.47 

 46.17 



a 



% 

 1.49 



.39 



2. -2.1 



1.64 



14 



TO 



25 



78 



2.57 



.tO 



.79 



% 

 3.09 



2 73 



3.53 



,05 

 ,25 



, 7t; 



,48 

 , 7t. 

 09 

 .65 

 ,39 





% 



10.64 

 15.77 

 14 49 

 16.53 

 16.58 

 16.17 

 14.92 

 17.46 

 16.66 

 9.15 

 10.77 







O S3 

 E^ OS 



s 



.^ as 



z a 



% 



15.22 

 18.89 

 20 25 

 22.12 

 23.95 

 26.63 

 24.65 

 23.00| 

 24.32, 

 14.40 

 15.95 



% 

 25.52 



22.76 



24.41 



21.96 



•26 69 



24.35 



26.6. 



28.74 



18.89 



31.07 



30.22 



: e 2 



; x <s 



s> ho 



; to 3 



I Q) en 



( CO 



0) 03 



% 



37.36 

 45.35 

 45.34 

 50-18 

 47.29 

 52.24 

 48.06 

 44.46 

 56.29 

 31.66 

 34.54 



The above figures show that the true carbohydrates form a much 

 larger part of the nitrogen-free extractive matter of some plants 

 than of others. For instance, the white weed has nine-tenths as 

 much non-nitrogenous material as the timothy (No. XLR^), but of 

 sugar the latter has twice as much, and of starch one and a half 

 times as much, as the former. In other words, more of the nitrogen- 

 free extractive matter of the white weed consists of compounds of 

 which we have some reason to suspect a nutritive value inferior to 

 starch and sugar. Just what these compounds are in composition 

 and in nutritive value we do not know. They form in these 

 instances from a fifth to a quarter of the dry substance of the plant, 

 and in general constitute an unknown factor in -the compounding 

 of rations involving the use of coarse fodders. 



DIGESTION EXPERIMENTS. 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 



The composition alone of any feeding stuff is a very imperfect 

 standard by which to judge its food value. Of the food consumed 

 by an animal, only that portion which is digested, /. e., that which 

 is dissolved by the several digestive fluids and passes into the 

 blood, can serve to maintain the vital functions, or to produce 



