268 



To observe the effect which eusiling had on the digestibility of the 

 albuminoids, the non-albuminoid nitrogen was determined in the fresh 

 and in the ensiled materials. In exery case except that of Imperata 

 the percentage of the non-albnminoids in the total protein was much 

 larger in the ensiled than in the fresh material, i. e. the decomposition 

 of the albuminoid materials during ensiling was very considerable in the 

 case of the feeding stuffs very much richer in nitrogen, but in the case 

 of Imperata (1.54 per cent nitrogen) there was coni]»aratively little 

 change. Assuming the non-albuminoid nitrogen to be entirely digestible, 

 it was found on calculation that the digestibility of the albuminoids had 

 considerably decreased in ensiling wherever any considerable decomposi- 

 tion of the all)uniinuids liad taken place (all exce])t Imperata). It 

 would seem that the more soluble and digestible portions of the albu- 

 minoids are attacked during tlie lernientation, so that the albuminoids 

 in the silage ]»(»ssl'Ss a lower eoeflieicnt of digestibility. 



The loss of valuable ingredients of hay by exposure to rain, 

 A. Emmerling {Ltnuhr. Wochiithl. f. ,Sclilr.sirl(i IfulsteiHj 1^'JU pp. 

 56'J-.')71). — i'KMn unpublished expcrinienls made at the experiment 

 station at Kiel in 1883 and 1884, the aullior was led to believe that the 

 ]<)ss of valuable ingredients of hay by exposure to rain Mas dependent 

 upon the iiuiiiIxt o| r;iiny days and the amount ol rainfall; but similar 

 experiments ill isiti did nut supp(»it this \ie\\. the amount of loss being 

 proimrtionally nuieh in cxe»'ssol' that of 188;'. and 1S,S4. Since the aver- 

 age temperature (tf the air in 18!>1 was (58° F. as compared with Ol'^ and 

 60° in 1883 and 1884, respectively, he reasons that the t<Mnperature of 

 the air is also an important factor. The increased tem])erature would 

 aid the solution of the ingredients in water as well as the fermentation. 

 Grass which during the past season was exposed in cocks and in 

 swaths for 18 days, on 9 of which rain fell, sustained the following 

 losses in i)ercentages of the original amount of ingredients in the hay 

 diied without wetting: 



rvrceiitayc of ingredients in hay lost by exposure to rain. 



Loss of total dry matter 



Loss of crmlo fat 



Loss of iTiult^ protein 



Loss of (liijcstiblo protein 



Loss of noil albiunmuid protein (amides) 



In cocks. In swaths. 



Per cent. 

 18.3 

 31.0 

 29.0 

 19.8 

 9.6 



Per cent. 

 29. i 

 41. U 

 24.8 

 38.8 

 12.2 



The loss in eoeks and in swaths was therefore approximately as 

 02 : 100. This agrees very nearly with the relative losses in 1S84. Mherc 

 the loss in cocks was about twt» thirds of that in swaths. 



Coiaperative experiments \vitli cereals under the auspices of 

 the German Agricultural Society {Siiclis. tanchc. Zritscli.. 1S9], pp. 

 321-3;Jii}. — At a recent meeting of the (lernian .\gricnltnral .Sociei> 



