MANUAL OF OATTLE-FEEBIira. 271 



Besides temporary disturbances of digestion and tlie 

 weak digestion caused by old age^ animals of tlie mim 

 species and breed and of tiie same age and live-weiglit 

 often sliow constant differences in digestive power, wliidb, 

 liowever, seldom exceed 2 to 4 per cent, of tlie total dry 

 matter of the fodder. 



Greater differences in digestive power sometimes sIiow 

 tliemselves in single individuals whiclt fall strikingly below 

 otter animals of the same age in development and live- 

 weight. For example, a difference of 7 per cent in the 

 digestibility of the total organic matter, and of 15 per 

 cent, in that of the crade fibre, was observed in such a case 

 in Proskau. At the same time, however, it wm fonnd 

 that those animals of a herd which, attained the gi-eatest 

 live- weight in a certain time on a given kind of fodder did 

 not always possess the greatest digestive power nor produce 

 the most live-weight from the same weight of food. The 

 greater or loss appetite, and the quantity of fodder daily 

 eaten, are much more important conditions of the increa^ 

 in weight of growing or fattening animals tlian an increased 

 digestive power. 



Actually stunted animals, those which have been insufS- 

 ciently nourished in youth, especially during suckling, have 

 alsogenei-ally a relatively weak digestive power in later sta- 

 ges of development. How far the latter can be strengthened 

 by the manner of rearing still remains to be investigated. 



JHfeet ef Wmtk. on Digestion. — A question of some 

 importance is the effect of the performance of work on the 

 digestibility of the fodder. In the recent experiments at 

 11 olienheim on the horse, already alluded to, this question 

 was made the subject of investigation.* 



* Landw. Jabrbuclierj YIII., I. Supplement, p. 73. 



