274 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



The chemical composition and nutritive value of oats, F. Tangl, M. Roit- 

 buly, and S. Weiser (Landw. Jahrb., 34 {1905), No. 1, pp. 65-92). — Studies are 

 reported on the composition and digestibility of Hungarian oats, the digestion experi- 

 ments being made with both horses and sheep. The average coefficients of digesti- 

 bility follow: 



Coefficients of digestibility of oats. 



The authors calculate that with horses the physiological nutritive value of oats was 

 54. S per cent and with sheep 53.85 per cent. 



Sorghum seed as a feeding" stuff, F. Tangl, S. Weiser, and A. Zaitschek 

 [Landw. Jahrb., 34 (1905), No. 1, pp. 3-64). — Data on sorghum as a feeding stuff are 

 summarized, and an extended series of investigations are reported on the composition 

 and feeding value of sorghum seed (Sorghum vulgare). 



Investigations were made with horses, steers, milch cows, sheep, pigs, and different 

 sorts of poultry. In the majority of the tests the digestibility was studied as well as 

 the income and outgo of nitrogen, and in some cases the energy balance was calcu- 

 lated. In general the sorghum seed was fed with other materials and its digestibility 

 calculated from the data obtained for the ration as a whole. The following table 

 shows the average coefficients of digestibility with different farm animals: 



Coefficients of digestibility of sorghum seed. 



The authors also calculated the physiological nutritive values. With ducks and 

 geese the values were 46. 7 and 57.1 per cent. With farm animals the figures varied 

 from 56.5 per cent with sheep to 68.7 per cent with pigs. According to the authors, 

 not more than 6 kg. of sorghum seed per 1,000 kg. live weight should be fed to 

 steers. Larger quantities diminish its digestibility. It was found that substituting 

 1.33 liters of sorghum seed for a liter of corn gave good results with milch cows, 

 though when cost was considered the advantage was with the corn. 



The authors do not consider sorghum seed alone a satisfactory grain ration for 

 horses, but consider it satisfactory when fed with double its amount of oats, the 

 maximum amount recommended per day being 2.5 kg. On the basis of experi- 

 mental data sorghum seed is considered a satisfactory feed for pigs. The raw seed 

 was somewhat better digested than the cooked. Corn and sorghum mixed were not 

 as well digested as when fed separately, since the sorghum is digested with difficulty 

 and diminishes the digestibility of the corn. Sorghum is not considered a satisfac- 

 tory feed for fattening chickens and ducks, but may be used for turkeys and geese, 

 1.5 kg. being equal to a kilogram of corn. 



The digestibility of galactan, J. B. Lindsey (Massachusetts Sta. Rpt. 1904, 

 pp. 78-84). — In a test with 3 sheep, the digestibility of galactan was studied, the 



