284 The Sugars and Alhntninoids of Oaf Strair 



If we put Cumberland and Westmorland aside and compare the other 

 districts there is at once the striking result that albuminoids increase 

 directly with latitude. The difference between the Scottish figure, and 

 those from the southern counties is marked and is quite in accordance 

 with the popular impression that straw can be fed in Scotland in a way 

 in which it cannot be fed in the south of England. At Cockle Park one 

 experiment with different seed dates showed that the total nitrogen in 

 the crop per acre was not very different; with autumn sown oats, the 

 large crop of grain took nearly all the nitrogen, hut the spring sown 

 oats gave only half the grain yield and left a straw very rich in albu- 

 minoids. It follow.s that in Scotland with its shorter growing season 

 the grain will not be able to exhaust the straw to the same extent as it 

 would in England and that therefore Scottish oat straw will on the 

 average contain more albuminoids than English oat straw. The con- 

 clusion is in close accord with the results based on the statistics. 



A partial answer is here given to the well-known question : .why can 

 cattle be fattened on straw and roots in Scotland and not in the south 

 of England? It is due to the superiority of north country straw in 

 albuminoids. Quite possibly along with the albuminoids may go those 

 httle understood food accessory sub.stances already alluded to. Swedes 

 and turnips are very poor in albuminoids and the superiority of northern 

 straw in this respect may be the determining factor. At Cockle Park, in 

 feeding trials on hay, the determining factor is often the percentage of 

 albuminoids. North country hay is poor in albuminoids whereas north 

 country oat straw is relatively ricli, or one might say south country 

 hay is relatively rich and south country straw relatively ])oor. These 

 two facts together go a long way to explain the respective practices in 

 feeding cattle. The variation in the albuminoids in oat straw grown in 

 different districts may possibly be partly due to rainfall. In Scotland, 

 Northumberland, Durhami and Yorkshire the average rainfall at the 

 places where the oats were grown was about 30 inches, but the Cumber- 

 land and Westmorland areas have an average rainfall about 15 inches 

 and the southern counties area about 27 inches. Among other causes 

 of high proportions of albuminoids may be placed a good supply of 

 water. Oats that are cut green will often be cut green because the season 

 is wet with the result that the straw contains more albuminoids. Hence 

 the cattle relish the straw and the farmer says that the straw is "sweet" 

 but it is rich in albuminoids and not particularly rich in sugar. 



