The arrangement of these pens has so far proved entirely satisfactory, and is commended to those who desire to undertake digestion experiments.

The excrement bags in use by this Station consist on the inside of the ordinary rubber cloth which can be purchased at any drug store, and on the outside of bed ticking, which gives strength and durability. These bags are attached to the animal by means of a light harness. This harness is made as follows: A collar passes around the animal's neck, and a band around the body just back of the fore legs. To the neck collar are attached four straps which pass lengthwise of the body, two along the back and two between the fore legs. The straps slide through slots in the body band, and are attached to the bag on the back and under the belly just front of the hind legs. The lower end of the bag is not sewed together, but is closed when necessary by tying a s'ring around it. In this way the bags can be emptied by simply untying the string and allowing the contents to drop into a dish placed underneath.

DIGESTION EXPERIMENTS.

The digestion experiments, the results of which are given in the following pages, were not wholly accomplished within the year 1891, but were in part performed during the latter part of 1890.

The materials which were made the subject of these experiments were produced on the College Farm in the summer of 1890, excepting, of course, the bran and gluten meal. The mere determination of digestion coefficients was not, in every case, the main object of the work. While a knowledge of the digestibility of these foods is of value in itself. here it was in large part essential to correct conclusions in regard to quite different questions.

EXPERIMENTAL FOODS.

The foods whose digestibility was determined were the following: CXXI Hungarian Grass.

CXXVIII. Hungarian Hay (cxxi dried).

CXXVII. So. Conn Fodder.

CXXV. Field Corn Fodder.

CXXVI. Sweet Corn Fodder.

CXL. Timothy Hay.

CXLI. Timothy Hay.

CXXXIII. Sugar Beets.

CXXXII. Mangolds.

CXXX. Rutabagas.

CXXXI. English Flat Turnips.

The gluten meal and wheat bran were purchased in the Bangor market and the other foods were produced by the Station.

DIGESTIBILITY OF HUNGARIAN GRASS.

Time of experiment, August and September, 1890.

Animals used, Sheep.

Daily ration, 2.250 grams.

Total period, 12 days.

Feces collected, last five days.

A certain amount of the grass was cut daily, from which, after chopping, the rations were weighed. A portion of the fresh grass unchopped was also put aside each day and carefully spread for drying.

Samples for analysis were selected daily and were immediately dried in the laboratory by the aid of steam heat.

Analytical data -The composition of the fresh grass is given below, as well as that of the water free material.

Dry

substance.

Water free

grams

The digestibility of the Hungarian Grass as calculated from the preceding data was as follows:*

DIGESTIBILITY OF HUNGARIAN HAY.

Time of experiment, November, 1890.

Animals used, sheep.

Daily ration, 800 grams air dry hay.

Total period, 12 days.

Feces collected, last five days.

This, hay was made from the grass used in the digestion experiment previously described; the grass was dried under cover by spreading it thinly on a scaffold.

Analytical Data.-The tables below give the composition of the hay and feces and the weights of materials.

Tables showing the necessary calculations for these and other coefficients can be found in the appendix to this part of the report.

Fresh

grams.

Water-free

grams,