No. 4.] GERMAN EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 383 



English Hay {free from Moisture) . 



We find that twenty pounds of })ertectly dry ha}' contain 

 11.3 pounds of digestible matter. 



How to find the Nutritive Ratio. 



By nutritive ratio is meant the proportion of the protein 

 (or nitrogenous part) to the non-nitrogenous part (cellu- 

 lose, fat and extract stuff). 



It has iDeen found by experiment that fat furnishes 2|- 

 tinies as much vital energy as the cellulose and extract stuff, 

 and it is therefore multiplied by 2^ in calculating the nutri- 

 tive ratio. 



20 jjounds of hay contain : — 

 Crude cellulose digestible, . 

 Crude fat digestible, .21 pounds X 2.5 = 

 Extract matter disrestible. 



Pounds. 



3.70 



.53 



6.30 



Total non-nitrogenous i^ortion digestible, 



10.53 



Non-nitrogenous. 



10.53 -^- 



Nitrogenous 

 Portion (I'rotein). 



1.09 = 9.66. 



Nutritive ratio is as 1 is to 9.66, or 1 : 9.66. 



3. 



The Relation of the Fodder to the Processes of 

 Digestion and Assimilation. 



With two facts already established, namely, (1) how to 

 determine by chemical analysis the different groups of 

 fodder constituents, and (2) the amount of these constitu- 

 ents digested, the next step was, if possible, to find out what 

 became of the digested portion of the food, and consequently 



