Digestion Experiments With Wethers 



Alfalfa and Native Hay. 



BY HENRY G. KNIGHT AND FRANK E. HEFNER, CHEMISTS, 

 AND G. E. MORTON, ANIMAL HUSBANDMAN. 



POPULAR DISCUSSION OF DIGESTION EXPERI- 

 MENTS AND PRACTICAL FEEDING. 



The value of a feed lies in its composition and in its diges- 

 tibility. Timothy hay contains on the average about six per 

 cent of protein or nitrogen constituents, the protein being used 

 by animals for the formation of the organic part of bones, 

 muscles, internal organs, etc. Eastern and western analyses 

 show that alfalfa hay contains about 14 per cent of protein, or 

 more than twice as much as timothy hay. So far as composi- 

 tion goes, then, alfalfa is in this respect worth twice as much 

 as timothy. But chemical composition is not everything. Oat 

 straw and sawdust both contain cellulose or crude fiber, but the 

 crude fiber of straw is largely digestible, while the crude fiber 

 of sawdust is practically indigestible. In order to know, then, 

 the comparative feeding value of two feeds, we must know 

 their digestibility as well as their composition. 



NUTRIENTS. 



Three classes of constituents of a feed are digested by 

 animals and are known as nutrients. These nutrients are : 

 Protein (nitrogen compounds). 

 Carbohydrates (starches, sugars, fiber, etc.). 

 Fats (fats, oils, etc.). 



