88 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



the food which is utilised. Proof of this is to be 

 found in the details of the investigation carried out 

 with the nine coarse fodders (p. 85). The dry 

 matter of the four varieties of straw contained on 

 the average 417% crude fibre, whilst in the five 

 varieties of hay it was 30-1 %. The digested materials 

 of the straw gave an average of 55% less body fat 

 than would have been formed if they had acted 

 like pure, isolated materials. With the hay there 

 was an average of 45*6% less body fat. The straw, 

 which was richer in crude fibre, yielded according 

 to this 17% less body fat than the hay, which did 

 not contain so much crude fibre. 



From these investigations it is computed that 

 100 gr. of crude fibre depressed the fat production 

 I 4*3 g r - — sucn a deficit as could be balanced by 

 the addition * of 58 gr. starch for each 100 gr. of 

 crude fibre consumed. With various chaffs of the 

 nature of wheat chaff, the depression is only half of 

 that given above. 



As regards the green fodders, it is easy to see 

 that it is much easier to masticate them in that 

 condition than when dried. An experiment where 

 meadow hay and green lucerne were fed to a horse 

 confirmed this, for during the consumption of the 

 green food 38 % less energy was used in mastication 

 than when the same quantity of dry matter was 

 eaten in the form of meadow hay. Tender fodder 



* 100 gr. starch = 24*8 gr. body fat. 



