112 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



Killings average composition of German hay. 



Average of American wild grasses. 



If we regard these averages as representing German and American 

 hays it will be seen how much poorer the latter are in nitrogen than the 

 former, the poorest German hay having more than the average Ameri- 

 can. But in regard to carbohydrates and fiber our hays are the best, 

 fiber being much lower and carbohydrates much higher, so there is no 

 good reason for calling our hays all poor, especially as the nutritive ratio 

 is more nearly normal. A different classification is all that is necessary. 



It will be noticed that the average water content of German hay is 

 given as 14.3 per cent. This has been accejjted in this country and ap- 

 plied in the table to all the grasses for the sake of comparison. There 

 is in all our determinations of moisture none so high as this, the average 

 of the grasses being 7.86 per cent., but they had hung in a warm place 

 for some time before analysis. Experiments to be made next year on 

 this point wiU be decisive. 



DIGESTIBILITY OF THE CONSTITUENTS OF GRASSES. 



It must be remembered that in the analyses the total amount of the 

 nutrients present in the grasses is given, but that under the most favor- 

 able conditions all of this cannot be digested by the animal. How 

 much can be assimilated is to be found only by practical experiment. 

 This has been done in Germany with many fodders, and the results of 

 some of the most important, as given by Kiihn, are here tabulated. 



Digestibility of the constitmnts of various fodders. 

 Julius Kijhn. 



