THE DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENT CONTENT OF NAPIER
GRASS SILAGE, CROTALARIA INTERMEDIA SILAGE*
 AND NATAL GRASS HAY

 W. M. NEAL, R. B. BECKER and P. T. Dix ARNOLD


 CONTENTS
 Page
Statement of the problem .. ... ......................... .............. 4
Experimental method's ........... .. .... ........ .................. ........... ........... 5
Experimental feeds ............. .............. ... ... ....... ......... 7
Presentaton of data ...... ...... ....... .. ........ ....... ............................ 7
 Digestibility of the basal ration ..... ....................... 7
 Digestibility of Napier grass silage ........ .... ... ............ ........ .............
 Digestibility of Grotalaria intermedia silage ......... ... ..... ...................... ... ........ ..... 9
 Digestibility of Natal grass hay........................ ......... .. .......... ......... 10
D discussion of results......................... ... .. .. .. .. ........ ..... ........ ............... 11
Sum m ary.. ~~....... ... ............... ....... .... .. ... ...... ....... ... .. ........... ......... 15
Literature cited ....................... ............ .... .... .......... ... .. ......... ..... ..... 15
Appendix tables ............... .............. ..... ..... ................................ 17


 Many of the crops grown in the lower Coastal Plain area are
of tropical and sub-tropical types, some of which are not adapted
to other latitudes. An appreciable number of them have been
introduced from foreign lands having similar climate, but few
have been subjected to exact studies of their feeding value.
 Three forage crops in the above category that are finding
increased use in the feeding of livestock are Napier grass, Natal
grass, and Crotalaria intermedia. The first, a perennial grass,
is adapted for silage and is being used in experimental feeding
of steers at this station. Napier grass also is used as a soiling
crop and as a pasture grass to a limited extent. Natal grass
is being used as hay in studies of nutrition at the Experiment
Station, and is fed at times to livestock in other parts of the
state. Crotalaria intermedia is a legume adapted to the lighter
sandy soils and matures in the late rainy season, so that it can
be preserved to best advantage as silage.
 This report deals with the composition, coefficients of digesti-
bility, and digestible nutrients of Napier grass and C. intermedia

 The study of Crotalaria intermedia silage was a part of a cooperative
investigation of the Crotalarias being conducted jointly by the Division of
Forage Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, United States
Department of Agriculture, and the Agronomy and Animal Husbandry
Departments of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. Mr. George
E. Ritchey was in charge locally for the Division of Forage Crops and
Diseases.