1898.] 



PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 



83 



Both Nos. 1 and 2 run rather below the theoretical per- 

 centage of protein. This is not surprising, from the fact 

 that it is extremely difficult to get a strictly average sample 

 of this feed. It is impossible to grind the hulls fine, and in 

 spite of all one can do, more or less of the meal will fall 

 through the hulls and not be included in the sample. It 

 will be noted that the cotton-seed feed and the hay resemble 

 each other in chemical composition, excepting that the cot- 

 ton-seed feed contains somewhat more fibre and less extract 

 matter. 



B. Digestibility of Cotton-seed Feed. 



Recognizing the valuable information secured by digestion 

 tests, six single trials with sheep were made of the two sam- 

 ples of feed. The sheep were grade Southdown mature weth- 

 ers. In four cases the cotton-seed feed was fed alone, and in 

 the remaining two the daily ration consisted of one-half hay 

 and one-half cotton-seed feed. In both cases the results 

 agree quite closely, except in case of the fat, which showed 

 a digestibility of 98 per cent, when the cotton-seed feed was 

 fed in connection with hay. This high result it was thought 

 best to exclude from the average. The cotton-seed feed ap- 

 peared to agree better with the sheep when fed in connection 

 with hay than when fed by itself. In the latter case, at the 

 close of the period the sheep began to show signs of diges- 



