Colorado Fodders. 
91 
the character of the carbohydrates that it contains. The nitrogenous 
matters contained in the saltbush are abundant and are highly diges¬ 
tible. The carbohydrates are resistant to the processes of digestion. 
The sheep digested large amounts of protein, 1,090 grams, but rela¬ 
tively small amounts of carbohydrates, and the lot lost 8^2 pounds 
in five days. The results obtained with this fodder are in strong 
contrast with the other two; with the alfalfa the sheep ate and di¬ 
gested large quantities of both nitrogenous compounds and carbo¬ 
hydrates, both those soluble in hydric chlorid, i per cent, solution, 
and those which resisted the action of all of our solvents; with the 
corn fodder, they consumed a relatively small amount of nitrogen¬ 
ous compounds, having a low coefficient of digestion, 37.7 per cent., 
and a relatively large amount of carbohydrates with a high coeffi¬ 
cient of digestion. The total amount of dry matter consumed as 
corn fodder was smaller than with any other fodder used, still each 
of the animals gained flesh, the lot gaining 3^4 pounds in five days. 
§215. The urine was not collected in any instance, an omis¬ 
sion which is especially regretable in the case of the saltbush, be¬ 
cause a large amount of nitrogenous matter was digested and there 
was a pronounced loss, especially with one of the sheep, 6 pounds. 
This is the only case in which we found marked differences in the 
individuals, but we did observe that one of the animals evidently 
did not like portions of the timothy, and while two of them lost a 
little, one gained a little, while on an exclusively timothy ration. 
With the other fodders, they either all lost or all gained. With the 
alfalfa they each gained three pounds, with the sorghum they each 
lost about three pounds, with the corn fodder and native hay they 
each gained, the total gain for each lot being three and one-half 
pounds. 
§216. The other fodders, timothy hay, native hay and sor¬ 
ghum, were not studied to the same extent as those already given. 
Of these three, the native hay is the only one on which the lot made 
a gain; one sheep made a gain^of one-half a pound on the timothy, 
but each of the others showed a loss, so that the lot showed a 
slight loss. 
§217. As the same general result, i. e., a gain of three and a 
half pounds in each case, was obtained with the corn fodder and na¬ 
tive hay, we will present the salient points in the character of these 
fodders so far as we can; the alcoholic extract of the corn fodder 
furnished 1,789 grams of digestible matter, 73.79 per cent, of the 
total extract; that of the native hay furnished 1,297 grams, 58.55 
per cent of the total; the hydric chlorid extract of the corn fodder 
yielded 1,245 grams digestible matter, equal to 69.42 per cent, of 
the extract; that of the native hay 1,422 grams, equal to 64.04 per cent, 
of the extract; the sodic hydrate extract of the corn fodder yielded 
