286 MAKtTAL or CATTLE-rErDma. 



der, like oil cake, in order to narrow tlie nutritive latio 

 and ensure as complete a digestion as possible, botli of tlio 

 nitrogenous and the non-nitrogenous nutrients. 



As noted, all the above expeiinients were made on sheep, 

 and their results are applicable, in the first place, to rumi- 

 nants. A similar depiession in the digestibility of the 

 crude protein in the food of the hog is produced by starch, 

 and presumably by roots, while the digestibility of the non- 

 nitrogenous nutrients seems little or not at all affected. 



i mally, it should be added that the digestibility of pota- 

 toes, when fed exclusively to hogs, has been the subject of 

 investigation at the Expeiiment Stations of Proskaii and 

 Ilohenheim. The results of these experiments are inclu- 

 ded in Table II. of the Appendix. 



Effect of Fap. — Experiments on the effect of the ad- 

 dition of small amoimts of fat or oil to a ration on the 

 digestibility of the constituents of coarse fodder have 

 hitherto given very variable and more or less discordant 



results. 



There is little doubt that in high feeding, intended to 

 cause a rapid production, the fat of the ration is of im- 

 portance, and has considerable influence on tlie nutritive 

 effect, but the weiglit of evidence goes to show that the 

 d^gestiUlity of the various nutrients is not essentially al- 

 tered by an addition of fat to the fodder. 



Care must be taken, however, not to give niminating 

 animals too much fat, since it may easily cause a gradual 

 loss of appetite and even serious disturbances of diges- 

 tion. It is to be noted that such an injurious effect is 

 much less noticeable when the fat forms an actual con- 

 stituent of the fodder, as, e. g,, in oil cake, etc., than when 

 pure fat is mi\ed with the fodder. 



This is illustrated by some Ilohenheim experiments on 



