142 MAINE AGRICULTURAIv E^XPERIMEJNT STATION, I906. 



Digestibility of nutrients and energy of total food. 





Protein. 



<x> 

 ? 



•S 

 ;>. 



.a 

 

 /= 



ci 







■c 



III 







J! OJ 

 S tH 

 (JSP. 





 C 3 



tc8 



Hominy, simple diet 



Per 

 cent. 



83.6 



88. 9 



82.3 

 89.0 



89.6 

 90.1 



87.4 

 89.5 



87.0 

 84.4 

 90.0 



89.3 

 92.6 



Per 

 cent. 



89.2 

 93.6 



89.2 

 94.0 



94.9 

 94.8 



94.7 

 95.5 



93.9 

 92.6 

 94.6 



94.0 

 96.1 



Per 



cent. 

 99.0 



98.8 



99.0 

 98.9 



98.7 

 99.3 



98.7 

 99.4 



98.7 

 99.2 



98.8 



98.9 

 99.0 



Per 

 cent. 



96.4 





96.3 



Hasty pudding, simple diet 



mixed diet 



95.9 

 96.9 



Johnny-cake, simple diet 



93.8 



mixed diet 



93.9 



Brown bread, simple diet 



93.5 



mixed diet 



92.9 



Hoe-cake, simple diet 



93.7 



witlj ftyrap 



95.5 



mixed diet 



92.6 



White bread, simple diet 



94.0 



mixed diet 



98.2 







Discussion o^ the; Resui^ts Obtained by the Digestion 



Experiments. 



1. In every case but one, the protein of the mixed diet was 

 more completely digested than that of the simple diet. The 

 low digestibility of a simple diet has been often noted in previous 

 experiments. 



2. With a simple diet the protein of the johnny-cake and the 

 brown bread seems to have been slightly more digestible than 

 that of the white bread. With the mixed diet, the white bread 

 shows a digestibility distinctly greater than that of the corn 

 breads. 



3. The use of syrup with the hoe-cake to a slight degree 

 depressed the digestibility of the protein. This is in accordance 

 with other experiments in which the digestibility of the protein 

 apparently varied with the ratio existing between the protein 

 and the other nutrients. 



In this connection attention may be called to the large propor- 

 tion of carbohydrates in the food used in this work. The 

 requirements of the body seem to be most economically met by 



