K. C. SEN, S. C. RAY AND S. K. TALAPATRA               287

The results set out in Table XXV giving digestibility coefficient of the
whole ration, have again shown that the treatment of a cereal straw with a
solution of caustic soda markedly improves the digestibility of crude fibre
and nitrogen-free extract. Compared to 62.7 per cent and 54.7 per
cent digestibility of these constituents in the ration fed in period 3, the
improvements brought about by the alkali treatment of the straw in
period 4 were 86.1 per cent and 63.5 per cent respectively. The nutritive
value of the untreated and treated straw can be calculated in the same way
as in the case of wheat straw. Similar observations would also show that the
nutritive value of the treated and untreated straw was solely confined to
the total carbohydrate traction. In Table XXVI is shown the amount of
total carbohydrate digested from the whole ration, the rape cake and the
straw separately. The digestibility coefficients of the total carbohydrates in
the straw has been calculated and is given in Table XXVII.

                            TABLE XXVI

                Digestible total carbohydrates

                                 TABLE XXVII

    Digestibility coefficients of total carbohydrates in straw