COLORADO FODDERS. 
7 
into the animal as food. But here is a big difference, one which 
appears to be too great to be explained away by unavoidable errors in 
the work. The individual extracts in the different fodders were exam¬ 
ined in this way and also the residues or the cellulose that resulted from 
the treatment adopted. In this connection, it is shown, the carbo¬ 
hydrates yielding this substance taken as a common measure, that 
these residues or celluloses are very different in their values. The 
caustic soda does not, it is true, dissolve very much of this class of 
substances, but ^ the alfalfa yields about one-third as much as the 
saltbush, of which but a small part was digested, while that dissolved 
out of the saltbush is not only nearly three times as great but a very 
much larger proportion of it serves as food. The most striking differ¬ 
ence in the character of these carbohydrates is presented by the 
residues obtained which ought to be approximately pure cellulose 
and consequently have nearly the same value. This, however, is not 
at all the case, for this portion of the alfalfa has almost three times 
the value of that of the saltbush if the coefficient of digestion is a 
proper guide in judging of their value. A little later we will find 
that this fact is shown by another method, establishing with a con¬ 
siderable degree of certainty, that there is a very great difference 
in the character of this portion of the respective fodders. 
§ 14. The muriatic acid extract of the alfalfa contains, as pre¬ 
viously stated, less of the substance corresponding to the wood 
sugar than the saltbush, but the alfalfa yields a sugar that may also 
be obtained from milk sugar and which is not present in the saltbush, 
or if present at all, constitutes a very small portion of the fodder. 
This sugar is apparently very digestible. The coefficient obtained 
for all the sugar found in the muriatic acid extract which included 
both kinds of sugar mentioned is high. There is but little of the 
material corresponding to the wood sugar present in this portion of 
the alfalfa, but there is some. The alfalfa and the saltbush belong 
to entirely different orders of plants, and the pea family, to which 
the alfalfa belongs, yields this sugar which may be derived from the 
sugar of milk, while the saltbush and ordinary hays yield but little 
of this, yielding wood sugar in its stead. 
§ 15. The energy relations, i. e., the amount of heat gotten 
out of the fodder by the animals and also out of the different parts 
or extracts of the fodders were determined and the fodders were 
found to be very different in this respect, as well as in those respects 
already pointed out. Furthermore, it was shown that the same amounts 
of energy appropriated from different fodders produce different re¬ 
sults, measured by the loss or gain in the live weight of the animal, 
or we may say that the efficiency of the energy varies in different 
fodders. 
§ 16. As we have, in the main, taken alfalfa and the saltbush 
for our purpose so far, we will continue to use them though we 
will have to take up the grasses later. 
§ 17. AVe have previously related that it was found that the 
extract obtained by treating the fodders with alcohol appeared to be 
