FOODS ANIMAL PEOBUCTIOISr. 



873 



Digestion experiments with sheep, J. M. Bartlett {Maine Sta. 

 Bui. 07, pp. IJJ-IOS). — Following the usual methods, experiments on 

 the digestibility of a number of feeding- stuffs were made with sheep, 

 the average results of which follow: 



Average digestion coefficients obtained vith. sheep. 



Feeding stuff. 



Dry 

 matter. 



Clover hay, cut in early bloom 



Clover hay, cut in late "bloom 



Clover silage made from clover cut 



in late bloom 



Corn meal (fed with clover hay) . . . 



Hay, mostly timothy 



Oats (fed with hay)" 



Pea-and-oat hay .". 



Oat-and-pea silage 



Oat-and- vetch hay 



Oat-and- vetch hay 



Oat-and-pea hay 



Hay, mostly timothy 



Oats (fed with hay) 



Royal oat feed (fed with hay) 



Mixed feed (fed with hay) 



Corn germ (fed with hay) 



Per cf. 

 57.6 

 55.6 



.52.3 



88.5 

 57.6 

 69.2 

 64.2 

 65.5 

 55.4 

 60.1 

 58.5 

 53.4 

 71.5 

 47.3 

 62.3 

 73.7 



Or- 

 ganic 

 matter. 



Pro- 

 tein. 



Per ct. : Per ct. 

 59.0 I 65.9 

 57.2 67.3 



53.3 

 89.0 

 57.9 

 71.3 

 62.5 

 66.6 

 56.2 

 60.2 

 58.5 

 55.1 

 72.5 

 48.1 

 64.2 

 74.8 



39.7 

 72.9 

 65.2 

 76.5 

 72.2 

 74.6 

 65.3 

 69.5 

 74.7 

 53.1 

 78.9 

 69.1 

 62.6 

 75.4 



Availa- 

 ble fuel 

 value. 



Per ct. 

 53.3 

 51.0 



51.8 

 85.9 

 54.3 

 63. 8 

 63. 2 

 53.9 

 52.1 

 56.2 

 55. 4 

 52.9 

 67.1 

 47.9 

 70.8 

 77.1 



A comparison of determined and calculated heats of combus- 

 tion, L. H. Merkill {Maine Sta. Bui. 67,j)jj, 169,170). — As illus- 

 trated by the values obtained with a number of samples of wheat and 

 various milling products, the difference between the determined and cal- 

 culated fuel value ranged from 0.026 to 0.430 calorie, or nearly 10 per 

 cent of the total determined value. The variations according to the 

 author are intimately connected with the amount of crude fiber pres- 

 ent. "If this be true we should expect to find the greatest difference 

 between the determined and calculated heats of combustion in those 

 materials which are especially rich in fiber, such as the coarse fodders 

 and feces of herbivorous animals." The following results bear on 

 this point: 



Crude fiber and determined and calculated fuel value of a number of scunples of feeding 



Feeding stuff. 



Oat hay 



Sheep feces from oat hay 



Clover silage 



Sheep feces from clover silage 



Oat-and-pea silage 



Sheep feces from oat-and-pea silage 



Crude 

 fiber. 



Ptr cent. 

 30. 74 

 33.65 

 33.43 

 32. 16 

 31.12 

 32. 88 



Heat of combustion. 



Deter- 

 mined. 



Calories. 

 4.209 

 4.290 

 4.184 

 4.379 

 4. 209 

 4.163 



Calcu- 

 lated. 



Calories. 

 3.719 

 3.682 

 3.638 

 3.805 

 3.984 

 3.669 



Differ- 

 ence. 



Calories. 

 0.490 

 .608 

 .546 

 .574 

 .225 

 .494 



In view of such variations as those noted above, a quantity of crude 

 fiber was prepared from fodder and sheep feces and the heat of 



17622— No. 9 6 



