146 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



YI. 



DIGESTION EXPERIMENTS WITH SHEEP. 



By J. B. LiNDSEY.* 



Experiments to determine the digestibility of various foods 

 have been conducted quite extensively in Germany for the 

 last twenty-five years, and during the past ten years many 

 experiments of a similar nature have been carried out by 

 various experiment stations in the United States. 



Value of Digestion Experiments. 



1. A food is valuable as a source of nourishment only in 

 so far as its various constituents can be digested and assimi- 

 lated. Two kinds of hay, one early and the other late cut, 

 might be consumed in equal quantities by an animal, yet the 

 early cut hay, having from ten to fifteen per cent, more di- 

 gestible matter, would prove the more valuable fodder. 



For one to form an intelligent opinion as to the value of 

 diflerent fodder stuft's, the amount of digestible matter they 

 contain must be known. 



2. It has been demonstrated that, in order to keep a milch 

 cow of one thousand pounds live weight in good condition 

 and to enable her to give the largest quantity of milk, she 

 needs approximately 2.5 to 3 pounds of digestible protein, 

 .5 pound of digestible fet and 12.5 pounds of digestible 

 carbohydrates daily. 



In combining the various foods so as to furnish approxi- 

 mately such a ration, it is absolutely essential that one should 

 know the various percentages of the different digestible con- 

 stituents they contain. 



* It is desired to acknowledge the efficient and painstaking services rendered hy 

 Messrs. E B. Holland, C. H. Johnson, C. H. Jones and H. D. Haskins. Mr. John- 

 son assisted in the stable and laboratory, Messrs. Jones and Haskins in the labora- 

 tory, and Mr. Holland in the laboratory and in collating the data. 



