DEFINITIONS AND TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS. 341 



Cubic meter is equivalent to 264.2 gallons. 



Defecation. With the view to the purification of beet juices, they are 

 submitted to a liming, which operation is known as defecation. 



Desiccation. When organic substances have their moisture removed, 

 they are desiccated; this in other words is drying. 



Digestibility. Factors governing digestibility. There are many con- 

 ditions that affect the digestibility of a fodder. These may be divided into 

 two important classes; on the one hand, the individual characteristics of each 

 animal under observation ; on the other, the kind and composition of ration used. 



Ruminating animals appear to digest certain forages with exactly the same 

 ease; the variation between the digestive powers of cattle and goats, for ex- 

 ample, is so slight that it need not be considered. Comparative experiments 

 with horses are not within the scope of this present writing. What has been 

 said respecting different ruminating animals, applies to species of the same 

 breed, for example, with sheep; Merinos, Southdowns, etc.. when stall-fed oil 

 clover hay or other fodder digest the same ration in about the same propor- 

 tion. \A olff says that the digestibility of a fodder is too frequently confounded 

 with its nutritive value. The latter may vary with the breed, as it depends 

 upon the appetite of the animal, which means that the amount of fodder con- 

 sumed daily depends upon individual characteristics. On the other hand, 

 the digestibility relates to per cent., regardless of the faulty conditions of the 

 animal's digestive functions. Experiments prove that the age of the animal 

 or its degree of development has very little influence (?), the necessary condi- 

 tions being that they be thoroughly weaned and that the fodder given be suit- 

 able for the purpose intended and of an agreeable flavor. Investigations made 

 at Proskau show that these facts are true, even in cases where sheep are two 

 years old. They would not hold good in cases where the fodder is of difficult 

 assimilation, the length of life of an animal then depending upon its powers of 

 digestion, so as to be able to draw sufficient nutrient from fodder for its vital 

 sustenance. 



Under these circumstances it is evident that individual characteristics must 

 also be considered. When an animal is young, and full of life, the chances 

 for having a perfect digestion are certainly better than with those more ad- 

 vanced in years whose circulation is more or less active. Experiments coming 

 under the writer's notice appear to prove that nitric elements are more easily 

 digested in very young animals than in those a year old; but as previously 

 said, the difference is very slight. Great differences may be observed in the 

 same animal at different periods of its existence; the variation may be even 

 greater than it is with different animals of same breed. Weike has remarked 

 that in feeding sheep the proportion of organic substances digested may be 

 reduced 7 per cent, and cellulose 15 per cent., as compared with normal con- 

 ditions. 



It is curious to observe that the animal which has the best digestion is not 

 necessarily the one that will most rapidly increase in weight; in other words, 

 the amount of fodder consumed has far greater influence upon the augrnenta- 



