K. C. SEN, S. C. RAY AND S. K. TALAPATRA              267

Godden [1920] recorded a loss of 33.5 per cent, when the straw was treated
with 1.5 per cent caustic soda solution and subsequently washed with water
to free it from alkali. The loss in dry matter, as will be shown later, could
be accounted for by the individual losses sustained by all the constituents
except crude fibre. The two constituents which contributed most to the
loss in dry matter were nitrogen-free extracts and total ash.

(b) The percentage composition of straws were significantly altered
after the alkali treatment. The change in the composition is shown in
Table II.

                                                TABLE II

                            Percentage composition on dry basis

In the different straws, although the alteration in the composition of the
constituents was not similar, the change followed a uniform course in all
cases. Thus the percentage of crude protein, ether extract, total ash and
nitrogen-free extracts was lowered and that of crude fibre increased. Crude
fibre, unlike the other constituents, was apparently not affected by the alkali
solution. This will be more clearly evident from the data presented in Table
III, in which the recovery of the constituents has been shown on the basis of
the total dry matter obtained after the treatment.

                                                      TABLE III

                              Recovery of nutrients after alkali treatment