116 



EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan . 



Discussion of the BesuUs. 



The most important resnlts obtained from the experi- 

 ments reix)rted in the previous pages are discussed under 

 the following headings : — 



Soy Bean Fodder (Brooh's Medium Green). — This fod- 

 der was grown ujwn a twentieth-acre plat which had pro- 

 duced soy beans for two years previously. The crop was 

 fertilized in the same Avay as that used in a digestion trial 

 the previous year, and yielded at the rate of 6 tons to the 

 acre. The fodder was cut from time to time as needed dur- 

 ing the first fourteen days of September, the period pro^Dcr 

 lasting from the 8th to the 14th. The plants were fully 

 podded and the beans quite well developed, but the foliage 

 was still green. In common with other legumes at a similar 

 stage of growth, the soy bean fodder showed a high protein 

 percentage, and moderate percentages of fiber and extract 

 matter. 



Summary of Digestion Coefficients (Per Cent.'). 



The 1904 trial was made with one lot of sheep, and the 

 1903 trial with another. The results of both trials agree 

 as closely as could be expected. The soy bean fodder ap- 

 pears to be slightly less digestible than that of other legumes, 

 due in all probability to the tough, woody stems which are 

 characteristic of the plant. Note the low digestibility of 

 the fiber and the high digestibility of the protein. 



