344 FEEDING WITH SUGAR BEETS, SUGAR, ETC. 



the case by feeding to oxen acidulated bran, that had been previously saturated 

 in hot water, whereby the digestibility of its protein had decreased. By heat- 

 ing bran with alkalies, very much the same result was obtained. 



Concentrated feeds ; their influence upon digestion. As has been previously 

 pointed out, various conditions, such as age, method of harvesting and keeping, 

 etc., of coarse fodders, influence their digestibility, and concentrated or by- 

 fodders added to make up the ration, must also be considered. The digesti- 

 bility of these when fed alone, is not the same as when commingled with hay, 

 etc. A fact to be constantly remembered, is that while in some cases the by- 

 fodder may help the digestion of coarse fodders, if not properly used the effect 

 will be depressing. To fully determine the influence of a by-fodder upon 

 digestion, it should be added in increasing quantities to a ration, so that, 

 knowing the digestibility of the compound considered as a whole, and also 

 that of the coarse fodder separately, by subtraction an idea may be had of the 

 influence of this fodder. These results are not very accurate, but are suffi- 

 ciently so for the calculation of rations. Jf in the various experiments made 

 the same coefficient of digestibility is obtained, it would give the digesti- 

 bility of the by -fodder added; if changes have occurred, the difference of 

 digestibility would show what the depressing effect had been. In all 

 these experiments it is supposed that the digestibility of hay has remained 

 unaltered. In all such experiments, it must be understood that the coefficient 

 of digestibility means the result obtained by dividing the digestible protein by 

 the carbohydrates, including digestible crude fat reduced to its equivalent of 

 starch by the factor 2.25. Experiments of Schulze and Maercker show that 

 the addition of albuminoids to a ration has no depressing effect. These experi- 

 ments were upon sheep that received 2.2 Ibs. of hay per diem, to which were 

 added 120 grams wheat gluten containing 78 per cent, albumin; in the second 

 series 262 grams of gluten were added. 



The proportion of digested protein of hay remained almost unchanged; the 

 difference noticed may be ignored in view of the fact that some of it was not 

 entirely assimilated; for ciude fibre, etc., the depression was very slight, the 

 difference becoming even smaller when the whole ration was considered. 



It may consequently be concluded that gluten is almost entirely digested, 

 and that albuminoids, taken as a whole, have very little influence upon the 

 digestibility of a fodder. It is interesting to examine the influence of nitro- 

 genous by-fodders, where the coefficient varies from 1-1 to 1-5. These have 

 very little influence upon the by-fodders to which they may be added. Experi- 

 ments in sheep, goat and oxen feeding were made with rape, cake, bean, cotton 

 seed, meal, crushed beans, etc. Other by-fodders, such as oil cake, distillers' 

 residuum, etc. , would lead to the same results. It is important to understand 

 that in these concentrated fodders each element has its own special digestibility 

 that remains nearly the same, notwithstanding the percentage of these used in 

 the ration. For example, 90 per cent, of the protein substances of peas and 

 other vegetables of the same class may be digested by ruminating animals, 85 

 per cent, when in flax oil cake, etc. On the other hand, the proportion of 

 digestible protein of coarse fodders remains nearly the same when fed alone or 



