Studies of the Hemicelluloses of Forage Plants

One hundred samples of forages of known digestion data were analyzed for hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. The method for hemicellulose is described, and it depends on the total reducing power of the nonf ermentable components produced by acid hydrolysis. The hemicelluloses in grasses had higher digestion coefficients and were in greater quantity, both in percent and in proportion to cellulose, than in alfalfa. In both types of forage the digestibility of the carbohydrates was adversely affected by the quantity of lignin, and a higher ratio of hemicellulose to cellulose was associated with higher digestibilities. The results are discussed from the standpoint of the relation between lignin and the carbohydrates of the cell wall.