MANUAL OF CATTLE-FEEDING. 279 



Here we have ako a nearly constant coefficient for the 

 protehi of the oats, e^icept in the last case, where a felight 

 deprebsion is observed, which may indicate an actual de- 

 crease in the digestibility of the hay. The oats used in 

 Wolff's experiments had a considerably narrower nutritive 

 ratio (1 : 5,16) than those used by Hofmeister & Hanbner, 

 (1 : 7.07), and it is quite possible that the slightly smaller 

 digestibility in the latter case, as well as its decrease in the 

 tliiid expermient, is due to this cause. 



The digestion coefficients of the other constituents of 

 the oats, except those of crude fibre, whose digestibility 

 genei'ally shows considerable variations in all the grains^ 

 were nearly accordant in all, the experunents. 



The recent comparative experiments on the horse and 

 sheep, made at Ilohenheim, and to which reference has 

 more than once been made, included determinations of the 

 digestibility of oats, maize, and beans, when fed with 

 coarse fodder. In no case was any noticeable influence of 

 these feeding-stuffs on the digestibility of the coarse fod- 

 der observed. 



Experiments in Weende by E. Schulze & Marcker* 

 seem to indicate that when the nutritive ratio of the grain 

 or of the whole ration is wide (1 : 8-10), the digestibility 

 ot the coarse fodder may be diminished. We shall pres- 

 ently see tliat feeding-stuffs rich in carbhydrates, especially 

 roots, decrease the digestibility of coai'se fodder. Grain 

 with a nutritive ratio of 1 : 10, like that used in "Weende, 

 begins to approach roots in composition, and may produce 

 a similar effect ; but we may safely say that grain of good 

 quality (nutritive ratio 1 : 5-6) produces no decrease in the 

 digestibility of coarse fodder. 



* Jour. 1 Landwirthscliaft, 1875, 163. 



