50 



MAINTENANCE EATIONS OF FARM ANIMALS. 



table, which also shows the metabolizable energy equivalent to the digested 

 organic matter (3.5 therms per kilogram), both per head and per 50 kilograms 

 live weight, computed in proportion to the two-thirds power of the latter. The 

 average result is equivalent to 1.634 therms per 100 pounds live weight. 



Maintenance rations of sheep — Wolff. 



Breed. 



Number 

 of 



animals. 



Live weight. 1 



Digested 

 organic 

 matter per 

 day and 

 head. 



Equivalent metaboliz- 

 able energy per day. 



Initial. 



Final. 



Per head. 



Per 50 kilo- 

 grams live 

 weight. 



Electoral merino 



1 ; 



{ i 



Kilos. 

 39. 85 

 42. 05 

 49. 85 

 47. 45 

 67. 55 

 59. 05 



Kilos. 

 39. 20 

 40.50 

 49.50 

 47. 20 

 66. 20 

 59. 70 



Grams. 

 345.35 

 342.34 

 537. 97 

 523. 24 

 680. 43 

 620. 38 



Therms. 

 1.209 

 1.198 

 1.883 

 1.831 

 2.382 

 2. 171 



Therms. 

 1.414 

 1.361 

 1.891 

 1. 898 

 1.963 

 1.936 



Natives 



Southdowns 



Average 











1.779 



1.744 













1 Average of 5 or 6 consecutive days. 



In 1892-93 Wolff 1 made a series of experiments with sheep on the influence 

 of salt upon digestibility. In the first two periods of this series an approxi- 

 mate maintenance ration of 1,000 grams of meadow hay per day and head 

 was fed. Since the salt was found not to affect the digestibility of the feed, 

 we may use the results of the two periods as a basis for computing the main- 

 tenance ration. The average live weights per head were as follows : 





January 

 2, 3, and 4. 



February 

 5, 6, and 7. 



Sheep No. 1 



42.9 

 43.8 

 42.8 

 42.2 



44.0 

 42.8 

 44.5 

 42.0 



Sheep No. 2 



Sheep No. 3 



Sheep No. 4 



Average 



42.9 



43.3 





The feed consumption was uniform with all the animals and the percentage 

 digestibility showed but very slight variations, so that we may regard the 

 average of the eight trials as representing approximately the maintenance 

 ration. The average amount of organic matter digested per day and head 

 was 476.28 grams. Reckoning, as before, 3.5 therms of metabolizable energy 

 per kilogram, this corresponds to 1.667 therms per head, equivalent to 1.841 

 therms per 50 kilograms or 1.725 therms per 100 pounds live weight, computed 

 in proportion to the two-thirds power of the latter. 



Wolff 2 has also computed the digestible matter in the rations consumed by 

 sheep in a number of the earlier experiments by Henneberg. The average of 

 six rations which appeared amply sufficient for maintaining the live weight of 

 the animal was, per head : 



Kilograms. 



Live weight 40. 05 



Organic matter digested . 566 



Equivalent metabolizable energy therms__ 1. 981 



1 Landwirtschaftliche Jabrbiicher, vol. 25, p. 175. 



2 Ernahrung der Landwirtschaftliche Nutztiere, pp. 416-419. 



