994 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



"The availability of the iiietabolizable energy of timothy hay, within the range of 

 these experiments, appears to be a linear function of its amount. The experiments 

 afford no clear indication that the availability is less above than below the mainte- 

 nance requirement." 



Combustible gases escaping from an animal, J. A. Fries [Proc. Soc. Prom. 

 Af/r. Sci. 1902, jip. 110-llS). — In connection with respiration calorimeter experi- 

 ments with steers, which are l)eing carried on at the Pennsylvania Experiment Sta- 

 tion, the author determined the amount of methan in a current of air drawn through 

 the respiration chamber by passing an aliquot portion of this current through 

 absorbers containing sulphuric acid and soda lime to remove water and carbon 

 dioxid, and then through a copper tube filled with platinized kaolin, and heated to 

 a dull red, and finally through other absorbers, which collected the water and car- 

 bon dioxid formed by the combustion of the methan. It was found that when the 

 steer received 4,500 gm. of hay daily, the methan carbon was equal to 6.14 per cent 

 of the total carbon. When 5,750 gm. of hay were fed the percentage was 6.09, but 

 when the ration was reduced to 3,250 gm. the percentage was only 5.74, and when 

 the hay was increased to 7,000 gm. the ijercentage was 7.63, the average of all these 

 values being 6.399 per cent. Tests were also made to determine the amount of com- 

 bustible gases ordinarily present in the atmosphere. The amount found was very 

 minute, and according to the author it may be justly claimed that the atmosphere 

 does not contain free hydrogen as a universal constituent to the amount of 19.5 cc. 

 in 100 liters of air reduced to 0° and 7.60 mm. The quantity is said to be much 

 smaller and to be variable, at times being either entirely absent or present only in 

 the faintest trace. 



Cotton-seed meal vs. decorticated cotton cake, T. Winter {Bd. Agr. \_London] 

 Upt. Agr. Education oiid Iici<e<u-cli, 1901-2, pp- 51, 52). — The comparative value of 

 cotton-seed meal and decorticated cotton-seed cake as part of a ration was tested at 

 the University College of North Wales with 2 lots containing 3 Welsh steers each, 

 the basal ration consisting of 4 lbs. maize meal, 70 lbs. pulped swedes, 10 lbs. hay 

 and straw chaff, and 5 lbs. long hay per head daily. In addition the steers in lot 1 

 were given 4 lbs. of cotton-seed meal and those in lot 2 an equal amount of decorti- 

 cated cotton-seed cake, the amounts being after a time increased to 10 lbs. The 

 average weight of the steers at the Ijeginning of the test was about 1,120 lbs. and 

 during the 77 days of the test the average daily gain per head in the 2 lots was 1.62 

 and 2.24 lbs. It was calculated that the gains made by lot 2 gave a net profit of $3. 10 

 per head in excess of those made by lot 1. From this and earlier work « it would 

 appear that "although there is not much difference between the market prices of 

 these 2 feeding stuffs, the feeding value of decorticated cotton cake is altogether 

 higher than that of cotton-seed meal." 



Cattle-feeding experiment [Jour. Bd. Agr. \_Londou'], 9 {1902), No. 2, pp. 227, 

 228). — This test of decorticated and undecorticated cotton-seed cake was noted from 

 another publication (see above. ) 



Substitutes for cream in skim milk as calf food {Agr. Gaz. New Soidh. Wale-f, 

 13 {1902), No. 12, p. 1247). — Crushed linseed or linseed meal is recommended as the 

 best material for supplementing skim milk in calf feeding. The use of cocoanut-oil 

 cake and other materials is also spoken of briefly. 



Feeding experiments with, calves {Ber. Norges Landbr. Hoiskoles Virks., 1901-2, 

 pp. 188-190). — An experiment was made with "Calf Cream," a food placed on the 

 market by a Dutch firm. — f. w. avoll. 



Experiments in sheep husbandry , T. Shaw {Minnesota St(t. Bid. 78,pp. 71-87). — 

 For th(^ lust <) vears tests have l)een carried on at the station to determine whether 



"P>d. Agr. [London], Rpt. Agr. Education and Research, 1900-1901, p. 47. 



