156 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 230 



Average Digestion CoefBcients and Net Energj^ Values 



A little study of the figures in the table shows that the two horses digested 

 the whole corn and corn meal in equal amounts and derived about the same 

 net energy from them. One would suppose that corn meal would yield rather 

 more net energy than whole corn because of the energy required for chewing 

 the latter; but our method of measurement was not sufficiently sharp to detect 

 the difference. Although the horses were able to digest 25 per cent of the 

 corn cobs, they did not derive any net energy from them, all the energy 

 being required for the efforts of digestion; hence we may conclude that the 

 cob is without food value for horses. 



Oats were not as well digested as corn, due to the presence of about 30 per 

 cent of hulls, which were not digested by the horses in the present trial. 

 Strange to say, the oats furnished fully as much net energy as the corn, 

 namely 118 therms. This result is not confirmed bj^ the few trials on record, 

 which show 93 therms. A further study of the comparative net energy 

 values of corn and oats for horses is desirable. Oat hulls were digested to 

 about the same extent by horses as were corn cobs, and did not furnish any 

 net energy. They are, therefore, without value as a source of nutrition for 

 horses. The nutritive value of the oat for horses is contained in the groat. 



Wheat Bran and JJretcers' Dried Grains. 



These materials are well known to all feeders. The question is often 

 raised as to the value of wheat bran as a horse feed. Brewers' grains, botli 

 wet and dried, have been used with apparent success by many feeders of 

 horses. The average chemical composition of the sam]>les tested is stated 

 below. 



Chemical Composition 



