74 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Discussion of the Results. 



Digestion Hay. — The hay was largely Kentucky blue- 

 grass [J^oa jjratensis), cut in bloom, and was employed in 

 all of the several tests herein reported. It showed a high 

 degree of digestibility. 



Apple Pomace. — The pomace was taken fresh from the 

 cider mill, and contained 18.56 per cent, of dry matter. It 

 is the first digestion test of such material on record, cither 

 in Europe or the United States. The sheep did not digest 

 it as evenly as could be desired, although they ate it satis- 

 factorily, and no digestion disturbances were noted. The 

 percentage of crude protein (5.06 in dry matter) was small, 

 and no coefficients Avere obtained. This, in all probability, 

 was partly due to the " digestion depression " known to take 

 place when feeds especially high in carbohj^drates are added 

 to a hay ration, the effect being particularly noticeable in 

 the protein, and to a less extent in the fiber. The pomace 

 contained fully as much digestible matter as silage made 

 from the smaller varieties of corn. Whether, per unit of 

 dry matter, it is as valuable a feed as corn silage, is rather 

 uncertain. This point will be ascertained later. 



Distillers' Dried Grains. — Considerable has been said 

 concerning the source, composition and digestibility of distil- 

 lers' grains in the thirteenth report of this station. Briefly 

 stated, these feeds represent the residue in the manufacture 

 of alcohol, spirits and whiskey from the several cereals, and 

 are composed chiefly of the hull, germ and })rotein matter of 

 the grains. In the better class of such material, containing 

 28 or more per cent, of protein, the residue consists largely 

 of corn. In the most modern plants, the distillery sloj), hot 

 from the stills, is dried immediately in especially constructed 

 driers, and has a slightly sour taste and smell. One of the 

 two samples herein reported — the merchants — had a slightly 

 burned taste, which is not to be desired. The grains are now 

 sold in Massachusetts markets under the following names : 

 Biles XXXX Grains, Ajax Flakes, Merchants Grains, Hall's 

 AAAA Grains, Atlas Gluten Meal and Corn Protegran. 



Both samples here reported showed a high degree of 



