258 
Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xxvn, no. 5 
of fiber, 27 per cent of pentosans, and 33 per cent of lignin, the most 
lignified of the several substances examined, should prove to be the 
least digestible. 
Table V.— Starch , pentosans , and lignin in grain hulls (untreated and treated) 
* Material (dry matter basis). 
Starch 
per cent. 
Pentosans 
per cent. 
Lignin 
per cent. 
Oat hulls, untreated.. 
4 - 73 
40. 02 
20. 20 
Oat hulls, treated 1 per cent NaOH. 
5 - 59 
43. 80 
23 - 54 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+ 18. 18 
+ 9-45 
+ l6. 53 
Oat hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
7. 67 
44. 16 
18. 6l 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+62. 16 
+ io -34 
- 7.87 
Rice hulls, untreated.. 
5 - 65 
21. 98 
22. 72 
Rice hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. .. 
5 * 6 7 
24. 10 
23. 09 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+ o -35 
+ 9-65 
+ I.63 
Rice hulls, treated 3 per cent NaOH.. 
5 - 67 
25. 28 
25. IO 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+ 0.35 
+ 15.01 
+ 10. 48 
Barley hulls, untreated. 
13.41 
23 - 50 
14. 87 
Barley hulls, treated 1 per cent NaOH. 
15. 78 
26. 61 
15* 8 3 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+ 17. 67 
+ 13 - 2 3 
+ 6. 46 
Barley hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
22- 55 
26. 21 
15. 01 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+68. 16 
+ 11 - 53 
+ 0.94 
Cottonseed hulls, untreated. 
5 . 87 
32. 52 
25. 29 
Cottonseed hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
6. 08 
34. 10 
21. 97 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+ 3 - 58 
+ 4.86 
“ 13-13 
Flax shives, untreated. 
6. 26 
27. 16 
33- 28 
Flax shives, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
6. 89 
25. 92 
32. 40 
Percentage increase or decrease due to treatment 
+ 10. 06 
i 
~ 4-57 
— 2. 64 
+ Increase. — Decrease. 
The losses due to treatment seem to be distributed between the ash, 
protein, fat, pentosans, and lignin. The most pronounced losses occur 
in the pentosans and lignin. Even after all of these are accounted for, 
there is more or less loss of alkali-soluble constituents not identified, 
which because of a lack of complete identification are still grouped 
under the term nitrogen-free extract. In fact, in substances of this 
nature the nonnitrogenous materials are of such a complex nature and 
are so interwoven with each other that it does not appear possible to 
determine the different constituents with quantitative exactness. This 
difficulty in the case of starch has led Armsby ( 2 , p. 72) to remark 
that 44 unfortunately starch can be determined only more or less ap¬ 
proximately.” 
Table VI .—Net loss of starch , etc., due to treatment 
Material, 
Loss in pounds for each 100 
pounds of dry matter treated. 
Starch. 
Pento¬ 
sans. 
Lignin. 
Oat hulls, treated i per cent NaOH. 
a 0. 26 
a 1.67 
.68 
a 4. 56 
.86 
.91 
.38 
1.09 
0.98 
3-16 
2. 03 
2. 61 
x- 64 
1-63 
x. 72 
7 - 73 
a 0.81 
4.67 
2.10 
2.91 
3- 23 
2. 52 
5 - 45 
8.99 
Oat hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Barley hulls, treated 1 per cent NaOH. 
Barley hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Rice hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Rice hulls, treated 3 per cent NaOH. 
Cottonseed hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Flax shives, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
° Represents a gain, which of course is impossible and is explainable only on the basis of analytical or 
experimental error. 
