DIGESTIBILITY OF ALFALFA. 175 
TABLE LXXVIII.— Coefficients of Digestibity of Alfalfa Hay. 



Nitro- 






~ | . 
Dry Sends Ether | Crude] gen- Digest- 
Matter ein Extr't| Fiber |free-ex-| SH eee 
: P ee alories 
Alfalfa Hay | = re 
REG Imes UR aa aloccinisiecidelcicesie sscleiselies Ses 68 60 | 76.59 | 57.84. | 58.23 | 75.48 | 54.29 | 67.15 
SUGS TT ie Wat percsecacne seen BALHODoTO 63.09 | 74.17 | 53.92 | 56.91 | 68.25 | 47 92 | 61.67 
INSGOFERS conan nbco5 dos OOOOOUC HEIs 65.84 | 75.38 | 55.88 | 57.57 | 71.86 | 51.40 | 64.41 
Alfalia hay fed with corn ineal aa r a 
RSG eiigal tesiletietsel-tyiesinmsn ce ecies cis vecjeicicia 71.80 | 84.02 | 61.46 | 64 60 | 73.64 | 66.98 | 79.93 
SERCH Siem ren ccdievecnaccctsccceaesess 70.16 | 83.25 | 60.19 | 61.98 | 73.24 | 62.70 | 89.26 
NCNM Cisne: cela ceactancarinaas c's 70.98 | 83.63 | 60.82 | 63.29 | 73 44 | 64.84 | 70.09 
Alfalfa hay fed with corn meal | > eas > 
and InternationalStock Food 
| 
-18 | 56.38 | 60.87 








Surore UT he Saameantaceod doccee NeeOBCECOEAs 61.16 | 66 70 | 27.05 | 47.87 | 74 
ME Glam lies temeccceesaceasscreciiccsesite ste 60.24 | 68.48 | 28.23 | 51.27 | 70.66 | 43.28 | 61.53 
PAS Clea Steen asiaediveicie se sisciscsisescss 6U.70 | 67.59 | 27.64 | 49.57 | 72.42 | 49.83 | 61.20 
Green Alfalfa | 
RSE C item lies Matec lap ete cieeetionentccelesisseciee 60.62 | 73.46 | 37.75 | 42.17 | 72.21 | 40.34 | 62.46 
ECS tt be secs .ncteaecccs cress. costes 60.63 | 74.65 | 39.08 | 42.66 | 71.26 | 39.66 | 63.17 
INSISTENCE erp osteo tone aE DOAEEOCEE 60.62 | 74.05 | 38 42 | 42.41 | 71.73 | 40.00 | 62.81 
Alfalfa hay fd with barl y 
and mangels | 
MS ECCI ice ccthsctevestcacccceseecees 63.63 | 74.90 | 53.29 | 48.41 | 73.36 | 63.22 | 60.21 
SUGSP Tks Soacepaseoncgesadade BESEBS. GABEE 63.51 | 77.56 | 56.46 | 49.64 | 70.68 | 61.64 | 60.81 
AGORA oc cctuvcssicecttsinsos ee cngooe 63.57 | 76.23 | 53.37 | 49.02 | 72.02 | 62.43 | 60.51 


These trials show that alfalfa hay compares very favor- 
ably with that of our other principal forage crops. In con- 
sidering the nutrients of a feeding stutf we must give the 
greatest prominence to the crude protein, the nitrogen free 
extract and the ether extract. Of these the crude protein is 
by far the most important because it is the nutrient usually 
lacking in a ration. The column headed Calories gives the 
percentage of the energy of the food that is digestible. This 
is determined by the heat given off by burning a certain 
weight of substance. The table showsthat alfalfa hay is the 
most digestible when fed in a ration with corn meal, and 
next highest when fed with barley meal and mangels. Whcn 
fed green, alfalfa shows a slightly lower digestibility than 
when fed as dry hay. This is probably due to the more lax- 
ative effect of the green food, which gives the digestive fluids 
less time to act on the food. A comparison of the two trials 
of the digestibility of alfalfa hay when fed with corn meal 
with the addition of a condimental food in one case, shows 
a remarkable difference in favor of the ration without the 
condimental food. The average digestibility of the protein 
in the two trials without the condimental food is 83.63 per 
cent, and with the condimental food is 67.59 per cent. With 
the other nutrients the difference is not as great but still in 
favor of the ration without the condimental food. The 
