240 THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY [II, III

Test (d). 4 Normal Concentrate + Sulphate. Loss of sulphate is very greatly
diminished. Much organic sulphur has been oxidised (1.057 grms.).

The results resemble those obtained earlier with groundnut cake. Again up
to a certain point the organic sulphur has little or no effect. Feeding in excess of
this amount causes a large increase in urinary sulphur.

                                        SUMMARY.

1. Total sulphur and sulphate balance experiments have been carried out with
bullocks using two types of fodder.

2. The following distinctive features of the urine were noted :—

      (a) Ragi straw ration. The urine contains excess of sulphate. The volatile
       phenol accounts for most of the ethereal sulphate.

      (b) Mature hay ration. The urine shows a deficiency of sulphate. There is
      no free sulphate and the ethereal sulphate corresponds approxi-
      mately to the volatile phenol. This urine contains other phenolic
      bodies which conjugate with sulphuric acid if excess of the latter is
      provided.

3. Numerous sulphate balance experiments with both rations invariably showed
a loss of sulphate. As far as the author is aware, this phenomenon has not been
described before.

4. Total sulphur balance experiments showed that this lost sulphate sulphur
was present, mainly in the faeces, in some other form and was not lost as H₂S.

5. A feature of these rations is that the amount of sulphide formed in the
intestinal tract is exceedingly small. Further it has been noted that the amount
formed is related to the nature of the fodder and not to the quantity of sulphate in
the ration.

6. The amount of inorganic sulphate in the faeces is normally very small. The
amount is slightly increased when a large sulphate supplement is added to the
ration.

7. Concerning the elimination of organic sulphur (Groundnut cake) it has been
found that when small quantities are fed, very little of this S is excreted in the
urine. The major part passes out in the faeces.

On increasing the amount fed, the whole of the extra organic S is found as
sulphate in the urine.

These results show that the organic S of groundnut cake is digestible and that
there are two courses of elimination, urinary excretion as sulphate presumably re-
presenting luxury consumption.

8. Perhaps it is a significant fact that the fate of the lost sulphate is similar to
that of the organic S in groundnut cake when the latter is fed in small amounts.