274 The Nutritive Value of Alkali-treated Cereal Straws
(d) Digestibility and nutritive value of untreated and treated wheat straw.—
The percentage composition of the feeding stuffs and the quantity of each item
consumed are shown in Tables X and XI.
TABLE X
Percentage composition of the feeding stuffs
|
Untreated |
Treated |
Rape cake |
|
|
Per cent dry matter . . . . . . |
90.9 |
92.5 |
92.9 |
|
Per cent composition on dry basis |
|||
|
Crude protein . . . . . . . |
2.69 |
1.76 |
35.55 |
|
Ether extract . . . . . . . |
0.47 |
0.35 |
13.41 |
|
Crude fibre . . . . . . . |
39.43 |
51.49 |
7.88 |
|
N-free extract . . . . . . . |
47.24 |
37.63 |
34.93 |
|
Ash . . . . . . . . . |
10.17 |
8.77 |
8.23 |
|
Calcium . . . . . . . |
0.20 |
0.41 |
0.50 |
|
Phosphorus . . . . . . . |
0.09 |
0.06 |
1.00 |
TABLE XI
Food-consumption (on dry basis)
|
Animals |
H 45 |
H 46 |
H 48 |
H 51 |
|
gm. |
gm. |
gm. |
gm. |
|
|
Period 1 |
||||
|
Untreated wheat straw . . . . . . . |
5035 |
4181 |
5228 |
4279 |
|
Rape cake . . . . . . . . . |
843 |
740 |
843 |
740 |
|
Period 2 |
||||
|
Treated wheat straw . . . . . . . |
5130 |
4260 |
5085 |
5040 |
|
Rape cake . . . . . . . |
829 |
726 |
776 |
726 |
The data of the two digestibility trials are detailed in Tables XII and
XIII.