THE DAIRY HERD 



35 



The table shows that feeds differ very widely in the 

 amount of nutrients they contain, especially in protein, 

 the most valuable portion of feeds. 



Digestibility. While the total nutrients give some 

 idea as to the relative value of different feeds, it is of far 

 greater importance to know the total digestible nutrients 

 as determined by actual digestion experiments with 

 animals. That feeds differ widely in degree of digest- 

 ibility is shown in the following table which contains the 

 same list of feeds given in Table I. 



TABLE II. Showing variation in the digestibility of 

 different feeds. 



Comparing this table with Table I, we note that the 

 digestibility of the protein, for example, in corn stover, 

 clover hay and cottonseed meal is 44%, $$% and 

 88% respectively. These figures suffice to show the need 

 of knowing, not so much the total nutrients, as the total 

 digestible nutrients in feed stuffs. 



Succulence and Palatability. The amount of digest- 

 ible nutrients does not always measure the feeding value 



