156 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



upon the composition of the fodder plants, it is 

 well known that a plentiful addition of nitrogenous 

 fertilisers, where the supply of nitrogen is otherwise 

 sufficient, tends to improve the growth and to raise 

 the percentage of protein and nitrogenous sub- 

 stances of a non -protein nature in the plant. This 

 is particularly the case with the grasses and with 

 many other plants which do not belong to the order 

 of the Leguminosae. 



Plants of a richer nature, such as oats, barley, 

 rye, and wheat, contain, for example, 16-4% crude 

 protein in the dry matter at the beginning of 

 flowering, as against 10-4% found in the ordinary 

 grasses. As a rule the crude fibre also increases 

 after plentiful nitrogenous manuring, whereby the 

 nutritive value of the fodder is somewhat reduced ; 

 very luxuriant plants are usually more fibrous and 

 less palatable. Practical experience has also shown 

 that the feeding value of such fodder is not particu- 

 larly high, a good example being afforded in the 

 hay made from irrigation meadows. One very 

 noticeable effect of manuring is seen where manures 

 of a similar nature are repeatedly put upon meadows 

 possessing otherwise good soil conditions. Some 

 particular varieties of plants are in this way stimu- 

 lated, whilst others disappear. Repeated annual 

 applications of sulphate of ammonia particularly 

 favour the growth of some grasses at the expense 

 of clover, vetches, etc. On the other hand, a 



