ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



969 



Tropical fodder plants, A. Zimmermann (I'flanzer, // {1908), Nos. 15, pp. 225- 

 2S0: HI. pp. 2o0-25i;; 17, pp. 269, 270; IH, pp. 27.?-28/; 19, pp. 300-303).— 

 Desfi'iptidiis of iiPJisscs mihI dtlicr ]il;ints uscil fof fnrimo in the Tropics. 



" Top feed " in Murchison and Gascoyne districts {Jour. Dept. Agr. West. 

 Ahst., 17 {I90S), No. //, /). 753). — Kesults of analyses of a sauiplt> of Wanyoo 

 liusli or '• Sntrar lirotlier " and of a broad-leaf wattle. 



Defecation with a view to cattle feeding {Sugar Beet, 30 {1909), No. 1, pp. 

 31). 37). — This is an account of an old method which has recently been revived 

 in Austria for use where the beets are to be fed to cattle. The beets are rasped, 

 defecated with lime, and pressed. The i)ulp obtained has a higher nutritive 

 vjilue than that otherwise obtained, being drier and tli(> sugar losses less than 

 in diffusion pulps. The .iuices obtained are denser, and there follows also an 

 economy of steam owing to the fact that the diffusion battery is done away 

 with. The cost of the plant and its working is much less than with diffusion. 



Digestibility of kale, vetch hay, steamed and unsteamed silage, J. Withy- 

 combe and (\ Vj. Bradley {Oregon Sta. Bill. 102, pp. 3-29, fig. 1). — This bulletin 

 reports 2 digestion experiments on fresh kale and 1 each on vetch hay, un- 

 steamed corn silage, steamed corn silage, unsteamed vetch silage, and steamed 

 vetch silage. Each experiment contimied 7 days, in addition to a few days of 

 preliminary feeding. The animals used were 2 dry cows, 1 a pure-bred Jersey 

 and the other a Jersey-Shorthorn cross. 



Chemical analysis showed the kale to be rich in protein, averaging about 

 2.5 per cent on the fresh sample and 21 per cent on the dry substance. The ash 

 content was high, being S.5S per cent in the stalks and 14.7 per cent in the 

 leaves of the total dry matter. " Calculated to the acre yield of 30 tims, these 

 values show that ap])roximately 22") lbs. of potash and 115 lbs. of phosphoric 

 acid enter into the composition of each acre of kale. This shows the i)lant 

 to be a heavy feeder on these plant foods and proves the necessity of a rich soil 

 for its successful growth." Analytical data on the other feeds are reported. 

 Both cows lost in weight in each experiment except in the vetch hay and the 

 unsteamed vetch silage periods. 



Determinations were made of the energy values of tlu' food and feces but 

 not of the urine. 



The following table sliows llic percentage of digestible nutritnits and avail- 

 able energy of the different feeds : 



Coefficients of (lig(Nti1>le nutrients and nrailaJ)le energii of late, retell haij, 



and silage. 



Experiments on the digestibility of prickly pear by cattle. It. F. Hare 

 {\eir Me-rieo St<i. liiil. liH. pp. ■'> '/N, figs. 3). — Noted from anolh(>f source (R S. 

 K.. 20, i>. 171 K 



Steer feeding. II, Winter steer feeding, 1906-7. 1907-8, .J. II. Skinner 

 and \V. A. Cochee [luiUnnu i<t<i. liiil. I2t>. pp. 23J-27S). — The object of the 



