28 FEEDING VALUE OF CEREALS. 



On the other hand, of two samples of maize, the one possessing the 

 highest production value and the highest or broadest nutritive ratio 

 is the most valuable as a fat-producing food. Of course it is true 

 that differences are not always clean cut, so that allowance must 

 often be made, and a difference in one factor may be more than 

 counterbalanced by that in another; but, nevertheless, it is upon a 

 consideration of these two factors that a true and just valuation of 

 animal foods must be based. 



In considering, then, the oats that have been under discussion the 

 question now arises: Have these different varieties of foreign grain 

 changed by their introduction into the United States, and, if so, is 

 this change toward a still more strongly typical oat or in the reverse 

 direction? This is without reference to the effect of the change of 

 environment on the physiological properties of resistance to drought 

 and disease, which must be determined by other studies. 



In the tables on the comparison of domestic and foreign grown oats 

 (Tables XVI and XVII, pp. 21 and 22) it is shown that the distinct 

 difference between United States and foreign oats is that the former 

 are higher in protein content and possess a narrower nutritive ratio 

 and sometimes a lower production value. The important difference 

 is not, however, in the production value, but in the nutritive ratio. 

 Upon examination of the tables it appears that the differences in the 

 production values are not great, and, though the foreign oats studied 

 have the highest production values that were found, they are not 

 much above the purely domestic oat, the maximum difference being 

 about 0.25 pound of flesh gamed per 100 pounds grain fed, or about 

 1,000 Calories or 1 Therm, according to the new unit of Armsby. 

 The average production value for the five groups of United States 

 oats given in Table XVI, page 21, is 17.87 pounds of flesh gamed or 

 77,266 Calories, while the average of the three groups of foreign oats 

 is only 18.26 pounds of flesh gained, or 78,954 Calories, a difference 

 of only 0.39 pound of flesh gained, or 1,688 Calories. This differ- 

 ence is not large, especially when it is remembered that the purely 

 domestic oats have a mean production value of 18.11 pounds of 

 flesh gained, only 0.15 pound below the foreign average. 



The nutritive ratio, however, shows a very noticeable difference. 

 The nutritive ratio of the domestic oats, with one exception, varies 

 from 1 :4.6 to 1 :6.6, while that of the foreign is 1 :7.0 to 1 :7.3. This 

 shows clearly, in another way, the fact previously emphasized that 

 the domestic oat is richer in protein. Table XX shows the different 

 varieties of purely United States oats compared with the three 

 groups of foreign oats. 



