IV] I. B. CHATTERJEE, MD. ABDUL HYE AND MD. SAYED ALI 257
therefore considered advisable to see how the composition of this part varied with the rest. A some-
what arbitrary procedure was adopted.
The Napier grass was fed chaffed but as soon as the grass was brought for chaffing not less than
twenty plants were picked at random, the length of each plant was measured and then all the plants
weighed. A sort of eye and hand test was used by which, depending on the nature of individual
plant, the bottom part of the stem (i.e. the coarser part) was chopped off. The lengths of the two
portions, viz. the bottom part as well as the remaining part of the stem, were measured out and both
the pieces were immediately wieghed. The leaves were also separated, measured and weighed.
Proportionate parts after calculation were weighed out first for the dry matter estimation and then
to serve as composite samples for chemical analysis. Daily estimations of nitrogen and dry matter
of the different fractions were carried out. In Tables IV, V and VI the dimensions of
different parts, dry matter and nitrogen are set up.*
* In the feeding trial the coarser part of the stock was removed before the grass was choffed. The animals ate
better and left less.
TABLE IV
Dimensions, and percentage of dry matter of different fractions of Napier grass
Date
11th July 1041
.
12th July 1941
.
13th July 1941 .
14th July 1941 .
15th July 1941
.
16th July 1941 .
17th July 1941 .
18th July 1941
.
19th July 1941 .
20th July 1941
.
21st July 1941 .
22nd July 1941 .
23rd July 1941 .
24th July 1941 .
25th July 1941 .
26th July 1941
.
27th July 1941 .
28th July 1941 .
29th July 1941 .
30th July 1941
.
31st July 1941 .
Leaves
3 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
5 in.
10.35 in.
0.5 in.
6.15 in.
7.2 in.
7.8 in.
7.95 in.
11.8 in.
1.2 in.
2.45 in.
9.5 in.
9.8 in.
8 in.
10.7 in.
10.3 in.
10.8 in.
8.2 in.
11.5 in.
11.1 in.
9.3 in.
11 in.
Softer
stem
3 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
2 ft.
3 ft.
2.5 in.
11.8 in.
6.1 in.
8.95 in.
7.8 in.
4 in.
6.3 in.
11.5 in.
4.7 in.
5.85 in.
3.6 in.
11.1 in.
9.6 in.
2.0 in.
8.2 in.
0.95 in.
11 in.
3 in.
1.9 in.
11.2 in.
5 in.
Dimensions
Coarser
stem
1 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
1 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
0 ft.
1 ft.
0 in.
5.5 in.
94 in.
11.0 in.
8.6 in.
8.7 in.
74 in.
8.25 in.
0.5 in.
7.3 in.
8.6 in.
8.3 in.
7.6 in.
9.4 in.
7.7 in.
104 in.
10.02 in.
11.8 in.
11.4 in.
10.8 in.
0.3 in.
Total
4 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
4 ft.
3 ft.
4 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
4 ft.
4 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
3 ft.
4 ft.
4 ft.
3 ft.
4 ft.
2.5 in.
5.3 in.
3.2 in.
7.95 in.
4.4 in.
0.7 in.
1.4 in.
7.75 in.
5.2 in.
1.15 in.
0.2 in.
7.4 in.
5.2 in.
11.4 in.
3.9 in.
11.05 in.
9.02 in.
2.8 in.
1.3 in.
10 in.
5.3 in.
Leaves
Per cent
21.5
22.5
21.2
20.2
20.7
22.2
23.5
22.9
21.7
21.2
21.0
22.8
23.3
23.0
24.4
25.8
24.6
26.3
22.6
25.3
23.7
Dry matter
Softer
stem
Per cent
12.3
14.5
13.3
12.3
13.1
14.1
16.1
19.0
14.3
15.5
15.1
16.2
15.6
15.2
17.9
17.5
16.6
19.4
18.1
17.6
16.7
Coarser
stem
Per cent
16.1
17.6
16.1
17.1
16.5
18.2
19.8
19.6
18.5
20.2
19.0
20.2
20.0
19.3
22.4
22.3
21.9
25.6
23.2
23.3
21.7
Whole
plant
Per cent
15.4
17.5
16.1
15.0
15.8
17.2
18.9
20.1
17.0
17.8
17.4
18.8
18.5
18.1
20.8
20.7
19.9
22.6
20.5
21.1
19.6
The data covered a daily record of 21 days and broadly it may be stated that, on an average,
the length of the stem (Table IV) can be taken at 4 ft., whereas the so-called rejected or coarser part
was not more than 9 in. on the same basis. In other words the top 3¼ ft. of the stem was the softer
and possibly the more edible and assimilable part.
If now the percentages and distributions of dry matter and nitrogen are examined, it is noted
that the leaves contain the largest percentage of dry matter (20 per cent to 26 per cent), the coarser