FOODS ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



379 



The addition of sugar increased the digestibility of the edible fungi. 



The 3 varieties of edible fungi were digested with pepsin and pancreas 

 according to Stutzer's method. It was found that 80 per cent of the 

 Boletus was digested, 69 per cent of the Agaricus, and 58 per cent of 

 the Cantharellus, while the coefficients by actual digestion experiments 

 were 84.4, 70.0, and 75.3 per cent, respectively. 



The author compares mushrooms with other food materials and 

 believes that some of the earlier investigators have underestimated 

 their food value. — p. fireman. 



Experiments on the nutritive value of alfalfa, A. MItntz and A. 

 C. GlRARD (Ann. Aaron., 24 (1898), No. i, pp. 5-39). — The authors made 

 an extended study of the composition of alfalfa. Experiments were 

 made with 4 horses to determine the digestibility of alfalfa (green and 

 cured) fed alone and of a mixture of alfalfa and meadow hay. In 

 experiments 1, 2, 5, and 6 the effect of feeding equal and unequal 

 quantities of hay was also studied. The digestion experiments were 

 usually of 21 days' duration. The coefficients of digestibility of the 

 different rations fed are shown in the following table: 



Results of digestion experiments with horses. 



Number of 

 experiment. 



, /Horse 1. 

 ^Horse 2. 

 o/Horse 1. 

 J \ Horse 2. 

 li Horse 2. 

 4 Horse 2. 

 [Horse 1. 



(Horse 2. 

 [Horse 1. 



6 1 Horse 2. 



7 /Horse 3. 



'l Horse 4. 



o/ Horse 3. 



\ Horse 4. 



Daily ration. 



10 kg. alfalfa hay 



.....do 



12.5 kg. alfalfa hay 



8.5 kg. alfalfa hay 



12 kg. alfalfa stalks 



8 kg. alfalfa leaves . 



10 kg. alfalfa and meadow 



hay. a 



do 



12.5 kg. alfalfa and meadow 



hay. 

 8.5 kg. alfalfa and meadow 



hay. 



40 kg. alfalfa (green) 



do 



10.5 kg, alfalfa liav 



do ' 



Coefficients of digestibility. 



Pro- 

 tein. 



Per ct. 

 74.2 

 76.5 

 72.8 

 75.3 

 72.6 

 75.5 

 67.4 



G9. 8 



75.2 

 81.2 

 73.0 

 80.2 



Albu- 

 minoid 

 nitro- 

 gen. 



Per ct. 

 73.5 

 74.3 

 70.2 

 73.6 

 66.8 

 75. 6 

 65.0 



65.4 



57.1 



63.5 



72.4 

 79.2 

 63.9 

 79.0 



Mate- 

 rial 

 solu- 

 ble in 

 alco- 

 hol. 



Perct. 

 74.3 



70.6 

 76.7 

 76.7 

 82.4 

 79.9 

 87.6 



86.0 

 85.9 



84.4 



89.1 

 90.2 

 89.1 

 90.4 



Mate- 

 rial 

 solu- 

 ble in 



water. 



Perct. 

 78.5 

 78.6 

 78.4 

 78.4 

 78.2 

 84.5 

 76.5 



74.6 

 73.1 



74.1 



92.2 



92.7 

 89.0 

 90.2 



Sac- 

 chari- 

 fiable 

 sub- 

 stances. 



Perct. 

 57.7 

 72.7 

 68.1 

 61.4 

 45.2 

 75.8 

 61.4 



69.3 

 52.5 



58.7 



62.5 

 66.4 



Sugar. 



Per ct. 



100 



100 

 100 



100 

 100 

 100 

 100 



( Irude 

 fiber. 



Perct. 



24.4 

 25.4 

 31.3 

 36.9 

 40.3 

 52.1 

 40. 



45.3 

 32.3 



38.8 



46.0 

 47.6 

 61.7 

 54.1 



Unde- 

 ter- 

 mined 



sub- 

 stances. 



Perct. 

 61.7 

 61.1 

 61.3 

 64.7 

 58.8 

 71.2 

 62.9 



67.9 

 64.5 



68.8 



75.4 

 75.9 

 53.9 

 64.2 



a The mixed hay was composed of 6S per cent alfalfa and 32 per cent grasses. 



The authors conclude that as regards nitrogenous material alfalfa is 

 superior to meadow hay; as regards carbohydrates hay is superior. 

 According to statistics for 1805 alfalfa furnished 162 kg. more digesti- 

 ble nitrogenous material per hectare than wild meadow hay. In addi- 

 tion the alfalfa fixes atmospheric nitrogen, while the grasses do not. 



Investigation on molasses in different forms for fattening lambs, 

 F. Albert (Landw. Jahrb., 27 (1898), No. 1-2, pp. 208-211).— A test to 

 compare different methods of feeding molasses was made with 4 lots of 

 15 lambs each. The test began June 22, 1806, and covered 206 days. 



