26 o 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVII, No. s 
Table VII .—Digestion coefficients (individual results and average of two sheep) 
Material 
Oat hulls, untreated. 
Do. 
Average. 
Oat hulls, treated i per cent NaOH.. 
Do. 
Oat hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Do.. 
Average. 
Increase due to treatment (1 per cent NaOH).. 
Percentage increase. 
Increase due to treatment (1.5 per cent NaOH) 
Percentage increase. 
Barley hulls, untreated. 
Do. 
Average. 
Barley hulls, treated 1 per cent NaOH. 
Do. 
Average. 
Barley hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Do. 
Average.] 
Increase due to treatment (r per cent NaOH).. 
Percentage increase. 
Increase due to treatment (1.5 per cent NaOH). 
Percentage increase. 
Rice hulls, untreated. 
Do. 
Average. 
Rice hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Do. 
Average. 
Rice hulls, treated 3 per cent NaOH. 
Do. 
Average. 
Increase due to treatment (1.5 per cent NaOH). 
Percentage increase. 
Increase due to treatment (3 per cent NaOH). . 
Percentage increase. 
Cottonseed hulls, untreated. 
Do. 
Average. 
Cottonseed hulls, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH... 
Do. 
Average. 
Increase due to treatment. 
Percentage increase. 
Flax shives, untreated. 
Do... . 
Flax shives, treated 1.5 per cent NaOH. 
Do... 
Average. 
Increase due to treatment. 
Percentage increase. 
Total 
dry 
matter. 
Crude 
fiber. 
N-free 
extract 
Pento- 
: sans. 
Lignin. 
36.37 
36.11 
36. 24 
26. 50 
56.32 
48.82 
52. 57 
57- 88 
31- 73 
36.42 
34- 08 
26.65 
33-43 
38.38 
35-91 
51.18 
11.25 
(a) 
(a) 
70.37 
82. 77 
64.67 
71. 07 
39-63 
73-31 
84.91 
71- 55 
84. 56 
28.15 
87.90 
97*22 
86. 53 
62.99 
46.56 
80.61 
91-07 
79-04 
73- 78 
^ 37-36 
J 34- 13 
6 30. 20 
0 30. 59 
f 35* 16 
b 28.40 
0 94. 17 
6 57- 43 
6 89. 76 
b 97.91 
b 252. 89 
44-37 
38. 50 
44. 96 
37- 87 
26.13 
122.43 
73- 24 
131.92 
105. 46 
232.68 
65.77 
42. 73 
64.24 
50. 02 
18.76 
53-17 
59-97 
64. 56 
46. 86 
44- 79 
37- 99 
55* 47 
59- 85 
70.04 
44- 77 
47- 40 
52- 87 
(a) 
23- 85 
72. 83 
66. 55 
79- 57 
76.91 
45- 55 
68. 69 
52. 28 
74- 81 
64. 89 
34-70 
79 49 
70. 76 
81.98 
73-91 
00 
85-52 
82. 50 
8- 72 
91. 80 
81. 28 
87. 22 
84. 60 j 
14.96 1 
92.16 
83. 04 
17- 49 
(0) 
7-49 
15. 96 
14. 54 
16. 72 
25-00 
36. 90 
84.97 
22- 53 
36. 49 
24-75 
25. 64 
(0) 
37-57 
81.47 
41-35 J 
75- 19 
( a ) 
(«) 
(a) 
14-57 
3-34 
(«) 
4- 97 
12. 08 
' 5-21 
9.89 
(a) 
(a) 
23. 72 
20. 28 
35- 04 
51.36 
13- 87 
34- 60 
36. 67 
4 1 - °4 1 
60.43 
18. 06 
29. 16 
28. 48 
38. 04 
55- 92 
15- 97 
34-02 
28. 42 
50- 53 
48.91 
io.97 
33.96 
22. 71 
39-57 
29. 27 
21. 73 
33-99 
25-57 
45- 05 
39-09 
16-35 
24. 19 
16. 40 
28. 15 
52. 58 
15-97 
486. 72 
135- 76 
284. 63 
1,674.25 
00 
29. 02 
13-49 
35- 16 
35- 75 
16. 35 
583. 90 
hi. 67 
355-Si 
1,170.36 
00 
46. 06 
54- 00 
54-74 j 
92. 26 
(a) 
59- 98 
53-02 
5i. 84 
62. 41 
58. 21 
51. 29 
62. 66 
58. 70 
66.84 
88. 10 
90. 18 
108. 87 
31. 26 
(<0 
57- 21 
54- 52 
1. 50 
53- 83 
52. 56 
d 5- 65 
68. 53 
67. 69 
8. 99 
92. 70 
100. 78 
10. 60 
9- 45 
d 21. 81 
2. 83 
d 9 . 7 i 
15. 32 
ii- 75 
d 69. 77 
(«) 
(a) 
e 3- 92 
« 6.91 
(a) 
30- 15 
18. 67 
33- 18 
25-36 
27. 79 
18. 31 
20. 15 
31-34 
39-09 
(0) 
39. 21 
28. 76 
d 1. 41 
25-37 
22. 76 
4- 09 
45-43 
38. 38 
5- 20 
46-32 
42. 71 
17-35 
20. 32 
d 7 . 47 
d 4. 61 
21. 91 
15-67 
68. 41 
d 26. 88 
Sheep. 
0 Negative. 
b For some reason sheep 16 did not digest the oat hulls fed in this trial at all well. As it is not wise to 
average results which vary so widely as do those for these two sheep on this material, the figures for sheep 16 
in this trial are not made use of in subsequent calculations. 
c Can not be computed; no basis to start from, as digestibility of lignin in the untreated material was nil. 
d Decrease. 
e It would be unwise to average these results. The figures for sheep 19 are employed in the subse¬ 
quent calculations. 
Where varying strengths of NaOH were used on the same material, an 
increase in strength of solution was almost invariably accompanied by a 
considerable increase in digestibility of the hulls, most marked when the 
comparison was between i per cent NaOH and 1.5 per cent NaOH, not so 
marked where 3 per cent NaOH was used. In this connection it should 
be noted that losses in weight due to treatment were slightly increased by 
an increase in strength of the soda. 
