DIGEST OP STATE REPORTS. 369 



albuminoids of the hay, whose digestion is prevented by the addition of the carbo- 

 hydrates. An illustration of this is found in a series of experiments performed by 

 Wolff, at Hohenheim, in which sheep were fed with clover hay alone, and 63.7 per cent, 

 of the albuminoids, and 51.2 i)er cent, of the crude fiber were digested. In succeeding 

 periods mixed rations of clover hay and potatoes were given, the proportion of the 

 potatoes being increased in successive periods. The proportion of albuminoids digested 

 from the hay in these periods was gradually reduced from 63.7 to 45.7 per cent., and 

 that of the crude fiber from 51.2 to 43.3 per cent. 



From experiments upon the ueo of potatoes and turnips with hay and clover, Wolff 

 concludes that when hay and potatoes are bo mixed that the dry substance (organic 

 substance -{- ash) of the potatoes is not over one-eighth of the whole dry substance in the 

 mixture, the hay is digested as when fed alone. But if the dry substance of the iwtatoes 

 be one-fourth of the whole, the digestion of the hay will be 5 to 10 per cent, less, and 

 if it be one-half of the wholB the hay digested will be 10 to 20 per cent, less than be- 

 fore. The decrease of digestion from use of turnips in like proportion would be only 

 half or three-fourths that produced by potatoes. It is probably safe to assume as a 

 general rule that concentrated food, containing not over seven or eight pounds of di- 

 gestible albuminoids to one of digestible carbo-hydrates, may bo fed with hay and 

 clover without detriment to the digestion of the latter. * » * 



The writer says that crude foods like straw and chaff suffer much more 

 loss in digestion than hay and clover when mixed with easily-digestible 

 carho-hydrates. These contain relatively small percentages of albumin- 

 oids and large percentages of carbo-hydrates, and when more carbo- 

 hydrates are added the excess is of course made larger, and the digestion 

 of both crude fiber and albuminoids made smaller. There is a difference 

 in the qaality of the food contained in the straw and the hay. The quantity 

 of the nutritive material and its value are two different things. In other 

 words, from the meadow-hay the animal digests a little less of carbo-hy- 

 drates and more than twice as much of albuminoids as from the oat straw. 

 The meadow-hay is a richer food than straw, richer in albuminoids. Straw 

 is rich in non-nitrogenous, but poor in nitrogenous nutritive material. 

 It is, however, a very valuable fodder when fed so as to secure the util- 

 ization of the digestible material which it contains. To make it an ap- 

 propriate fodder, fit for the ordinary demands of animals, it must be 

 mixed with some other substance rich in nitrogen. In the experiments 

 referred to, straw was mixed with bean-meal, which contains a large 

 proportion of albuminoids ; in this way the fullest utilization of both 

 was secured. 



The value of straw, corn-stalks, chaff, &c., as fodder for stock, is very 

 much underrated by many farmers. There are two chief causes of this : 

 one is that the crops are often allowed to stand unharvested until they 

 have become very indigestible ; the other is that they contain so little 

 nitrogen that the animals do not digest them completely, and the ma- 

 terial that is digested has so small a proportion of albuminoids as to be 

 quite unadapted to their wants. It is a great error to allow forage crops, 

 as hay, clover, grain, &c., to become too ripe before harvesting. As the 

 plant grows older it becomes less digestible, and, further, the young and 

 succulent plants are much richer in nitrogen than when they are older. 

 Better a lighter crop of rich young hay, with a nutritious aftermath, 

 than a crop of riper hay, which, though heavier, contains less digestible 

 material, and that poorer in nitrogen. A second error is in either ignor- 

 ing as fodder or feeding unmixed such foods as straw, cha,ff", corn-stalks, 

 &c. These should be mixed with materials rich in nitrogen, and thus 

 form staple and valuable food for stock. 



In discussing that branch of his subject Eelatiug to feeding for the pro- 

 duction of milk, Professor Atwater gives a table showing that 30 pounds 

 of fine quality hay, or 1L*0 pounds of young succulent grass, both of which 

 materials are excellent for producing milk, will furnish just about the 

 amounts and proportions which it is calculated a milch-cow would need 

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