Laurel hemicellulose

Trial 3. At the conclusion of the factorial design, four sheep received 50% Laurel hemicellulose and another group of four sheep received in sequence the high energy ration and then the high energy ration supplemented with 15 and 30% dried hemicellulose. The composition of the rations is shown in Table VI. Composition of the rations was determined by standard AO AC procedures ana the energy content by methods previously reported by mis station (21). 

The following abbreviations are used L—Laurel, Mississippi, Raw material about softwood HC—Hemicellulose N—Neutralized. 

Trial 2. A 2 X 2 X 2 factorial design was used. The variables were hemicellulose from Laurel, neutralized or unneutralized and hemicellulose from Ukiah, neutralized or unneutralized, each fed at 15 and 30% of the ration. The rations are shown in Table V. There were four sheep per treatment. The standard procedure for digestibility trials as developed by the informal forage evaluation committee (30) was used. Each animal was fed individually on the ration for approximately three weeks during which time an estimate of the voluntary feed consumption was made and during days 21 to 30, a standard digestibility trial was completed. 

In the first trial, purfled fibres were added to the control diet to determine any effect of overcoming toxin-induced feed refusal. Cellulose (United States Biochemical Corp., Cleveland, OH), hemicellulose (Masonite Corp., Laurel, MS), pectin (United States Chemical Corp., Cleveland, OH) and lignin (Reed Paper Co., Quebec, Quebec) were fed at 20% of the control diet by substitution for cellulose and a fraction of cornstarch. 

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