MAKUAli OJ' OATTLE-FEBBINa 



259 



§ 2. OmcuMSTAiqcES affecting the Digestebilitt of Coarse 



FODBBB. 



Influence of tHe Quantity of Fodder. — Feeding vary- 

 ing qxiantities per day and head of the same coarse fodder 

 does not alter the percentage digestibility of the various 

 mitrients. E, g.^ if on a certain ration of hay an animal ' 

 digests 76 per cent, of the total quantity of crude protein, 

 and the amount of the ration be increased by one-third or 

 one-fourth, 70 per cent, of the protein will still be digested, 

 and the absolute quantity will aceorduigly be one-third or 

 one-fourth greater. 



This fact is shown by a number of the "Weende experi- 

 ments in which varying quantities of meadow hay or 

 clover hay were fed to oxen, and also in experiments by 

 Wolff,* at Ilohenheim, on sheep fed on clover-hay. 



In the latter experiments the following results were ob- 

 tained : 





rodder per day. 

 Pounds. 



Tymis&Tws>. 





Protein 

 Per cent 



Fafc 

 Per cent. 



Crude fibre 

 Per cent 



Nitrogen 



fi-ee 



extract 



Per cent. 



3 



59 

 61 

 00 



55 

 56 

 54 



51 



54 

 51 



63 



2 



2 



64 

 63 









Some later experiments by the same investigator f have 

 shown that the same fact is true of the digestibility of 

 lucerne hay by sheep and likewise by the horse. The re- 

 sults on the latter animal wei-e as follows : ^^ 



* '* Die Versuohs-Station Hohenheim," p. 75. 

 f Landw. Versuchs-Stationen, XXI. , 30, 



