COLORADO FODDERS. 
9 
cellulose can be digested by sheep, and further, while the sheep re¬ 
ceived a much larger amount of energy in the form of saltbush cellu¬ 
lose than in that of the alfalfa cellulose, they were able to utilize only 
two-thirds as much energy, again showing that it is the character 
of the carbohydrates, peculiar, perhaps, to each individual tribe of 
plants which determines its feeding value. 
§ i8. We have now rapidly examined these fodders in their 
main features, the most interesting of which is the relation of the en¬ 
ergy values. There may be many errors in our work and serious mis¬ 
takes of judgment, but all of these can not obscure the fact that a small¬ 
er amount of energy consumed as alfalfa produced a bigger result than 
a larger one consumed in the form of saltbush. In order to make this 
clearer to the casual reader, I will state this result a little more fully. 
The sheep consumed .forty-nine million units of energy as alfalfa hay 
and gained nine pounds; the same sheep under as favorable conditions 
as could be produced, consumed fifty-nine million units of energy as 
Saltbush and lost eight and one-half, a total difference of seven¬ 
teen and one-half pounds of flesh. The repeated obser¬ 
vation that the carbohydrates of the saltbush, whether in the form 
of cellulose or the other forms making up the whole structure of the 
hay, are more difficult}^ digestible than those of the alfalfa may be in¬ 
terpreted as indicating that the work necessary to prepare the carbo¬ 
hydrates for assimilation is so great that it cannot be accomplished by 
the digestive processes in the sheep, when the saltbush is the only fodder 
fed, except by using up energy stored in the body in the form of flesh, 
muscle or fat. The amount of energy supplied was more than abun¬ 
dant to have produced excellent results, had the sheep been able to set 
it free without the expenditure of too much energy previously stored 
in the form of flesh. In the case given, there were actually ten million 
more units of energy in the fodder consumed as saltbush than in that 
consumed as alfalfa, but the energy which the sheep appropriated from 
the saltbush was, in round numbers, eight millions less than that appro¬ 
priated from the alfalfa. 
§ 19. The amount of energy appropriated by the sheep with 
which this experiment was conducted was a little over twenty-three 
millions units, a quantity somewhat in excess of the amount appropri¬ 
ated from two other fodders on which each lot of sheep made a gain 
of three and one-half pounds. This indicates that the absolute amount 
of energy appropriated in the case of the saltbush was considerably 
more than would have sufficed to maintain the animals in the condition 
in which they were at the beginnig of the experiment, but the fact is 
that they each lost. The question in regard to the cause of this loss 
is answered above in that we suggest that not only this energy was 
used up, but as much more as corresponds to eight and one-half pounds 
of flesh, in converting these carbohydrates into proper food for the 
animals, in warming the excessive amount of water which this fodder 
caused the sheep to drink, and in maintaining the animal functions. 
§ 20. We have so far presented the study of the two fodders, 
alfalfa and saltbush, only incidental mention having been made of the 
