72 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



On the basis of theso analyses, the 2 sorts of l)ran are compared, other 

 American work on the subject being quoted. The authors' conclusions 

 follow : 



"On the average, despite the higher market price, winter bran furnishes a smaller 

 quantity of nitrogenous nutrients to the animal because of its inferiority in compo- 

 sition, and, possibly, of its lower digestil^ility. The composition of these brans is 

 not at all constant in regard to the more important constituent, protein. In the case 

 of winter bran, the best contained one-tenth more than the poorest; in the case of 

 spring bran, the best contained over one-fifth more than the poorest. In other 

 words, 9 tons of the best winter bran would furnish as much protein as 10 tons of 

 the poorest; while among spring brans, 8 tons of the best would supply as much 

 protein as 10 tons of the poorest. 



"As represented by these analyses, Maine and Massachusetts, maintaining an 

 official control over the sale of cattle foods, secure a somewhat less variable article, 

 and, especially in case of winter bran, a better average article than is obtained 

 in Pennsylvania. The number of analyses represents too small a part of the trade in 

 these foods to justify sweeping conclusions. By reason of its great variability in 

 food value as indicated by analysis, bran should not be bought in large quantities 

 except under guaranty of composition. ' ' 



Contribution to the study of the energy content of human 

 urine, M. Tangl {Arch. Anat. a. Pht/sioL, Physiol. AM., 1899., iS>/j}. 

 ft. 1., 'pjp. 251-^66). — The author reports a number of experiments on 

 the nitrogen and carbon content and fuel value of human urine when 

 different diets were consumed. The balance of income and outgo of 

 nitrogen was also determined. The principal concliisions follow: 



The ratio of the heat of combitstion to nitrogen and that of carbon 

 to nitrogen in the urine is much greater when the diet consists largely 

 of carbohydrates than when it consists principally of fat. In other 

 words, these ratios can be markedly influenced by diet. Under the 

 conditions of the author's investigations, these quotients varied cor- 

 respondingly. The 2 ratios did not change when work was performed. 

 This is in harmony with the results of experiments in which the res- 

 piration quotient was determined and the theory of Zuntz and his fol- 

 lowers, that during rest and work the same proportion of nutrients is 

 metal)olized — that is, the proportion of those nutrient materials which 

 the organism has available in sufficient quantit3^ The article contains 

 a bibliography of the subject. 



Sheep feeding, R. T. Shaw {Montana Sta. Bid. 21, pp. 13).— The 

 author discusses the possibility of profitably fattening lambs in Montana 

 instead of shipping them for this purpose to other regions, and believes 

 it is possible to raise an abundance of suitable forage crops for the 

 purpose. The comparative value of alfalfa, red clover, and alsike hay 

 was tested with 3 lots, each containing at the beginning of the test 16 

 grade Merino lambs showing Cotswold blood, weighing on an average 

 42^ lbs. All the lambs were fed pulped turnips and a grain ration, 

 which at first consisted of li lbs. of oats per head daily. The amount 



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