MEAT PRODUCTION 



441 



energy of the digested matter, was substantially the same for the two 

 animals. The figures for the digestibility of the dry matter and for 

 the percentage of the digestible energy metabolizable, each being the 

 average of two periods, were as follows : 



TABLE 116. DIGESTIBILITY BY PURE-BRED AND SCRUB STEERS 



516. Assimilative power. This term may be used to 

 designate broadly the ability of the organism to convert the 

 digested nutrients of the feed into body tissue. Is the good 

 meat producer able to form from a unit of digested feed of a 

 given kind more new tissue than can the inferior animal? In 

 other words, is the net energy value of the feed affected by the 

 individuality of the animal? As yet there has been scarcely 

 any scientific investigation bearing upon this question, but 

 such evidence as is available does not indicate the existence 

 of material differences in this respect. 



Such of Kelmer's determinations of net energy values for fatten- 

 ing (449) as were made upon similar feeding stuffs with different 

 animals show a generally good agreement as regards the utilization 

 of the energy of the feed, although it does not appear from the ac- 

 counts of the experiments whether or not the animals used differed 

 materially in type. 



The experiments by Armsby and Fries, just referred to, were directed 

 more specifically to the investigations of this question. They failed 

 to demonstrate any decided advantage on the side of the pure-bred 



