DIGESTION EXPERIMENTS WITH SHEEP. 



333 



Results recently reported^ from the Texas Experiment Station are 

 somewhat below those secured by us, at least in case of the fiber. If one 

 should eliminate the protein coefficient of Period 39 the remaining protein 

 coefficients would be some two points above the Massachusetts figure. 



In all of the trials one notes particularly the high digestibility of the 

 fiber and the low coefficients secured for the extract matter and fat. 

 This holds true also for the millet. The digestibility of Sudan grass is 

 shown to be above that for timothy, and equal to barnyard millet. The 

 difficulty in curing satisfactorily the coarse grasses, of which Sudan and 

 millet are examples, render them less satisfactory for hay than that ob- 

 tained from the finer grasses. 



Digestibility of Sweet Clover. 



Sweet clover {Melilotus Alba) is a biennial legume found quite widely 

 distributed in southern Canada and the United States. The two samples 

 used were grown on the experiment station grounds. The clover was fed 

 green to the sheep, beginning about June 12 and ending June 26. At the 

 close of the trials the clover was budding to early blossom, and the lower 

 portion of the stalks was woody. The two samples averaged 84.50 per 

 cent, of water, and in dry matter contained 7.08 per cent, ash, 19.40 per 

 cent, protein, 30.29 per cent, fiber, 40.10 per cent, extract matter and 3.13 

 per cent. ash. The green clover was fed with hay, and the rations had an 

 average nutritive ratio of 1 :6.4. 



Bulletin No. 203, 1916. 



Henry and Morrison. 



