75318723.htm

278 The Nutritive Value of Alkali-treated Cereal Straws

TABLE XV

Digestible total carbohydrates

Animals	Period 1			Period 2
	Whole ration	Rape cake	Wheat straw	Whole ration	Rape cake	Wheat straw
	gm.	gm.	gm.	gm.	gm.	gm.
H 45 . . . . . .	2434	245	2189	3293	241	3052
H 46 . . . . . .	1983	216	1767	3073	211	2862
H 48 . . . . . .	2549	245	2304	3499	230	3269
H 51 . . . . . .	2229	216	2013	3457	211	3246

TABLE XVI

Digestibility coefficients of total carbohydrates in straws

Animals	Period 1			Period 2
Animals	Ingested	Digested	Digestibi- lity coeffi- cients	Ingested	Digested	Digestibi- lity coeffi- cients
	gm.	gm.		gm.	gm.
H 45 . . . . . .	4364	2189	50.2	4552	3052	67.0
H 46 . . . . . .	3640	1769	48.7	3804	2862	75.3
H 48 . . . . . .	4531	2304	50.9	4532	3269	72.7
H 51. . . . . .	3709	2013	54.3	4492	3246	72.1
Average .	4061	2069	51.0	4345	3157	71.8

The data presented in Tables XV and XVI thus show that on. treatment
with dilute alkali, the digestibility coefficient of the total carbohydrates in
straw had increased from 51.0 to 71.8. The consequent improvement in the
starch equivalent value, when calculated by the Kellner's fibre method, shows
that per 100 lb. of dry matter, the S.E. increases from 21.3 lb. in untreated
straw to 34.1 lb. in treated straw, that is the increase in the starch equivalent
of the wheat straw on alkali treatment was 60 per cent.

(e) Nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus balances under the feeding conditions
of periods 1 and 2.—Under both regimes of straw feeding, the balances (aver-
age per day) of intake and output of nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus have
been worked out. The results are presented in Table XVII.