MAIifUAL OF CATTLE-FEEDIFa. 257 



average digestibility of the protein and the other ingre- 

 dients of fodders as well as the range of variation ob- 

 served. (See table in Appendix.) Some of these innn- 

 bers are the average of more than fifty experiments, 

 and therefore may be regarded as expressing, with con- 

 siderable accuracy, the average digestibility of these sub- 

 stances. Others are the result of only a few trials, and 

 hence are moi*e liable to correction by the results of new 

 experiments. Furthermore, we are able to judge, to some 

 extent, of the digestibility of the protein in coarse fodder of 

 different qualities and cut in various stages of growth, and 

 of its digestibility by different kinds of animals, and have 

 acquired some knowledge of the influence exerted upon it 

 by the addition of concentrated feeding-stuffs to the ra- 

 tion. These points will be considered in the following 

 sections. 



Non-Protein. — Besides protein, coarse fodder, especially 

 when cut young, is likely to contain a greater or less 

 quantity of amides and other nitrogenous substances which 

 we may, for convenience, designate as 9wn-j}rotein. These, 

 so far as investigated, are soluble su])stances, and there 

 ib little doubt that they are easily and completely di- 

 gested. 



In all the statements of the previous paragraph inference 

 was had to " crude protein," thM is, to the total nitro- 

 genous matters of the fodder. If account be taken of the 

 amount of "non-protein" present, the digestibility of the 

 true protein would" of course, be less ; but how much less 

 fature investigations mxist show. 



Ash. — Phosphoric Add, — When ruminants are fed 

 exclusively on coarse fodder, only traces of phosphoric 

 acid are found in their urine. Only so much of the phos- 

 phoric acid of the fodder seems to be resorbed as is neces- 



