~Animal Digestion of the Constituents of Bran.~--Observations on a steer fed upon wheat bran only established the following percentage digestion of the several constituents:
Soluble carbohydrates 96.9 Starch 100.0 Free pentosanes 60.2 Cellulose 24.8 Lignin complex 36.7 Proteid 82.96 Ether extract 42.73 _____________________ ______
Nitrogen-free extract 76.08 Crude fibre 32.21
(Research Department, Vols. 1-2, 1895-6).
(p. 109) In this journal appear a series of notices of the results of analyses of vegetable fibres by the method described in 'Report on Miscellaneous Fibres' (Col. Ind. Exhibition Reports, p. 368) [C. F. Cross]. These investigations deal with the following subjects:
1895. p. 29 Various Indian Fibres--more particularly Sida. 118 (a) Fibres from Victoria; (b) Special Analyses of (a) Samples of Jute; (c) Paper-making Fibres from S. Australia. 202 Fibres from Victoria. 287 Fibres from Victoria. 366 Sisal from Trinidad. 373 Rope-fibres from Grenada. (b) 398 Report of Experiments on Indian Jute (1). 435} Fifth and Sixth Report on Australian Fibres. 473} 1896. 68 Hibiscus and Abroma Fibres. 104-5 Hibiscus, Urena, and Crotalaria Fibres. 141 Indian Sisal (c) 182-3 Report of Experiments on Indian Jute (2). 264 Sanseviera from Assam.
From the above we may draw the general conclusion that the scheme of investigation has been found in practice to answer its main purpose, viz. to afford such numerical constants as determine industrial values. In illustration we may cite (a) the results of analyses of specially selected samples of jute, from which it will be seen that there is a close concordance of value as ordinarily determined from external appearance, with the chemical constants as determined in the laboratory.
__________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Quality of Jute | |____________________________|_____________________________________| | | | | | | | | Low | Medium | Extra | Extra Fine | |____________________________|_______|________|_______|____________| | | | | | | | Moisture | 11.0 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 9.6 | | Ash | 0.87 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | | Alkaline hydrolysis (a) | | | | | | 5 mins. boiling | 13.2 | 11.6 | 8.5 | 9.1 | | Alkaline hydrolysis (b) | | | | | | 60 mins. boiling | 16.1 | 17.5 | 12.5 | 13.1 | | Mercerising treatment | 9.2 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 8.5 | | Nitration (increase p.ct.) | 36.6 | 35.7 | 37.5 | 36.7 | | Cellulose (yield) | 71.4 | 70.0 | 79.0 | 77.7 | | Acid purification | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | |____________________________|_______|________|_______|____________|