1064 EXPERIMENT STATION KECORD. 



fed to mature cattle. The factors used are those j;iveu by Kelluer except in the 

 case of sorsluini, to which material the recent results of Tangl are deemed 

 more npiilicable. The term " pouiHls of flesh gained " is not considered as synony- 

 mous with sain in live weijiht, as the latter includes the increase of water also, 

 hut " the two terms are apiiroximately the same and express the increase in 

 flesh or weisiht as the result of feedins 100 lbs. of food in addition to a basal 

 maintenance ration." 



From analyses of several varieties of domestic and foreign-srown oats " it 

 Is evident that the characteristic tendency of the oats grown in the T'nited 

 States, when compared with oats grown in Europe, is toward a higher protein 

 content with a correspondingly lower amount of carbohydrate, resulting in a 

 narrow nuti'itive ratio combined with a sliglitly lower production value." 

 The ditferences in production values are not great, the maximum difference 

 being about 0.25 lb. of flesh gain per 100 lb. of grain fed. 



"The j'verage ])rodnction value for five groujis of Fnitcd States oats is 17..'^T 

 lbs. of flesh gained, or 77,26G calories, while the average of the three groups of 

 foreign oats is only 18.20 lbs. of flesh gained, or 78,954 calories, a difference nf 

 only 0.39 lb. of flesh gained, or 1,688 calories. This difference is not large, espe- 

 cially when it is remembered that the purely domestic oats have a mean pro- 

 duction value of 18.11 lbs. of flesh gained, only 0.15 lb. below the foreign average. 



" The nutritive ratio, however, shows a very noticeable difference. The nutri- 

 tive ration of the domestic oats, with one exception, varies from 1 : 4.G to 1 : <;.f>, 

 while that of the foreign is 1 : 7.0 to 1 : 7.3." 



Swedish select oats were gro^^^l in 20 States. From 4 Slates the protein was 

 approximately equal to the foreign-grown oats, and only 4 out of the 20 fell 

 below the foreign grown. Foreign-grown barley also was found to be poorer 

 in i»rotein and richer in carbohydrates, higher in productive value and broader 

 in nutritive ratio. 



" The maximum protein content was found in the 2 T'nited States samples 

 of Kitzing [barley], namely, total, 15.25 lbs. per 100 lbs., or 10.07 lbs. digesti- 

 ble, the carbohydrate in the same sample being 75.56 lbs. total and 09.51 lbs. 

 digestible. The lowest protein content, on the other hand, was found in the 

 8 foreign-grown samples, namely, 12.52 lbs. total and 8.76 lbs. digestible, the 

 cjirbohydrate in the same samiiles being 7S.03 lbs. total and 71.78 lbs. digestil)!,'. 

 The pi'oduction value of the United States Kitzing was 21.03 lbs. of flesh gained 

 or !>0.912 calories and of the foreign samples 21.19 lbs. of flesh gained or 91.<}04 

 (al<:ries, the nutritive ratio being 1:7.0 for the domestic and 1:8.8 for the 

 foreign. 



" With both of these grains this increase in pi-otein is an improvement. It 

 increases the high-protein, nniscle-producing value of the oats and raises the 

 intrinsic food value of the barley, so that it becomes more nearl.v erjual to that 

 of wheat. Selection and breeding for high-protein content in feeding barleys 

 is a distinct improvement in their value for this inirpose." 



Analyses and production values are also given of emmer, einkorn, wheat, 

 barley, proso, sorghum, and maize. 



"As feeding grains the cereals may be grouiied into three classes typified by 

 our three most common grains, namely, (a) oat group, (h) wheat group, (e) 

 maize group. 



" Of these thi-ee groups the oat group stands at one end as a tyi)ical muscle or 

 energy producing food and the maize group at the other end as fat or heat jiro- 

 ducing. The wheat group is intermediate between these two. 



" In the oat group belong the less common cereals, emmer and einkorn, and 

 in the maize group i)roso and nonsaccharine sorghum. 



I 



I 



