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Summary 1.Further studies on urea utilization in the rumen fistula heifer are reported. 2.With timothy hay as the sole ingredient of the basal ration, utilization of added urea took place only partially, if at all. In the presence of starch a suitable substrate was provided for the development of an active flora and urea was efficiently utilized. 3.When casein was added to a timothy hay-starch-urea ration the utilization of urea was markedly reduced.

ConclusionsThe urinary excretion of galactose in the young rat is lower than that of the adult animal when a supplemented skim milk diet is fed.On such a diet, adult rats, with hepatoma induced by azo dyes, excrete a lower percentage of galactose in the urine than do normal adult rats.

Summary Goats receiving trace-mineralized salt (containing cobalt), in comparison to those receiving only iodized salt, were observed to have a higher level of vitamin B 12 in their colostrum and milk during the first week post-partum. Trace-mineralized salt or a 50-mg. supplement of cobalt per goat per day had no influence upon the level of this vitamin in the goat's milk after this time. The addition of trace-minerals to the diet of the goat did not influence the free folic acid level of the goat's milk. The lower folic acid content of goat's milk observed in this study is believed to be more accurate than the previous data of Collins et al . (1).

We were interested in the recent report by Norris, Heuser and Wilgus1 on the occurrence of a peculiar type of paralysis in poultry involving the legs and feet, the cause of which has been attributed by them to the lack of some hitherto unrecognized factor occurring in milk, vitamin in nature. In 1925 we had begun a series of experiments on the effect of varying calcium-phosphorus ratios on the growth and skeleton development of the chick. Three series of experiments were started using Barred Rock chicks, each group receiving the Wisconsin Baby Chick ration as such or somewhat modified in respect to its calcium-phosphorus content, but each series receiving no or different sources of vitamin D. One series was kept out-of-doors in sunlight; another series started at the same time was kept in the attic of our laboratory but given 10 minutes’ daily irradiation with the emanations from a quartz . . .

SummaryIn order to study the paralysis described in dogs by Smith, a ration similar to that described in her work was prepared and fed to growing dogs. When placed on this ration, our animals failed to grow and developed a paralysis which was curable with potassium. Even though Smith has obtained cures with the administration of biotin, one of our animals receiving biotin became paralyzed and responded to potassium therapy.

SummaryHigh oral intakes of folic acid are stored inefficiently in chick livers and have little if any effect on the content of this vitamin in chick muscle tissue. Chicks given large oral doses of folic acid and then placed on a folic acid-deficient diet grew as well as chicks receiving an equivalent amount of folic acid by injection. The distribution of folic acid in some representative chick tissues has been studied.

Summary 1.The effect of moisture level and temperature on carotene losses in dehydrated alfalfa and cereal grasses was studied under sealed conditions. The moisture levels studied were 2.5 to 15 per cent and the temperatures employed were 22 to 25° C. and 33 to 36° C. 2.In most instances, almost complete carotene preservation resulted with 10 to 15 per cent of water. Preserving both the carotene and the green color was best accomplished at 7.5 to 10 per cent of water with 10 per cent as the preferred level because of the more optimum carotene preservation with no detrimental color change. At 7.5 per cent of water, the amount of loss was unpredictable and varied from 2.5 to 17 per cent. The losses increased with decreasing water levels below 7.5 per cent and at 2.5 to 5 per cent varied from 5 to 32 per cent. 3.Storage at 22 to 25° C. (room temperature) was more favorable for the preservation of the green color at 10 to 15 per cent of water level than storage at 33 to 36° C. Little difference in color preservation was observed at either temperature with the moisture below 10 per cent. Postitive pressures seldom were observed with 10 per cent moisture or less and storage at 22 to 25° C. 4.Storage under sealed conditions at 33 to 36° C. of a mixed feed containing 15 per cent alfalfa as the main source of carotene resulted in complete carotene retention with 10 per cent of moisture. Below 7.5 per cent the losses were large. The feed became bleached in the unwaxed carton but retained a pleasant aroma. In waxed eartons feed at any moisture level remained green and had pleasant aromas. 5.Where the mixed feed contained the added trace elements Fe, Cu, Mn and Co, the contents of the unwaxed carton were bleached and also possessed a rancid or tallowy odor. Under sealed conditions the green color and fine aroma were retained, and at 10 per cent and above of water, the carotene was preserved completely. 6.Investigation of many materials as barriers to oxygen and carbon dioxide transmission finally led to the use of Saran, a plastic film. It was found effective for the preservation of carotene in dehydrated alfalfa, with a proper water level.

Summary Butterfat prepared from butter made in various months of the year has been fractionated into two fractions by cold crystallization from an acetone solution. A liquid fraction obtained from September, 1945, butter allowed rats to grow at a superior rate, while a solid fraction prepared from this butter caused a very slow rate of growth. This phenomenon was not repeated to the same degree in subsequent trials using other samples of butter. Corn oil was separated into two fractions by a similar procedure but rats grew equally well when fed either of these fractions or corn oil itself. The treatment of either fat by solvent had no deleterious effect on its nutritive value.

Summary The addition of urea as a source of nitrogen definitely increased the synthesis of riboflavin, nicotinic acid, biotin and pantothenic acid in the bovine rumen when a readily available carbohydrate was present. Pyridoxine and “folic acid” could not be too closely correlated with ration composition. In the absence of a readily fermentable carbohydrate and probably a low population of microorganisms the synthesis of the members of the B complex is not at a maximum. The data indicate that thiamine may not be synthesized in the rumen. However, it seems more than probable that it is synthesized, but absorbed or destroyed at a rate greater than its synthesis.

Studies on the comparative nutritive value of butter fat and certain vegetable oils (1) showed that butter fat homogenized into raw skimmed milk with ample fat soluble vitamins and minerals added and fed ad libitum to weanling rats gave better growth than did corn oil, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil fed in a like manner. Further study disclosed that the factor (or factors) responsible for the superior growth of rats on butter fat milk did not lie in the non-saponifiable fraction of butter fat (1), nor did such compounds as egg lecithin, sphingomyelin, sphingosin, or ethanol amine have any effect on the nutritive value of the vegetable oils used in our experiments. Choline was also tried and showed slight growth promoting effects on the females (2). Later experiments (unpublished) have shown that the addition of choline (30mg. per day) has had no growth promoting effect when added to butterfat or any of the vegetable oils fed in skimmed milk.

Summary Twenty-nine samples of plant products including hays and grains were assayed for thiamine, riboflavin, biotin, nicotinic acid and pantothenic acid. These samples were stored in the dark at 20–25° C. for one year, ground and unground, with no apparent loss of the vitamins mentioned above.

Summary 1.Further studies on urea utilization in a rumen fistula heifer are reported. 2.With timothy hay as the sole ingredient of the basal ration utilization of urea was low. Corn molasses provided a suitable substrate for the development of an active flora, and urea was fairly well utilized. The protein of the rumen contents (dry basis) rose from a basal level of 7.7 per cent to 9.28 per cent. 3.With timothy hay, starch, corn molasses and urea as the ration the protein level in the rumen contents rose from 7.7 per cent to 10.9 per cent. Apparently somewhat better utilization of urea was made on a starch-containing ration than on one containing mainly a more soluble sugar. 4.In growth experiments with young heifer calves a ration made of timothy hay, cane molasses and urea fortified with common salt, bone meal, and vitamin A gave a subnormal rate of growth (0.6 to 0.8 pound daily). 5.When this ration was supplemented with 0.3 pound of crude casein daily normal growth was attained. Substitution of an equal weight of corn starch for the casein likewise resulted in normal growth. 6.For maximum growth of calves a ration made of a roughage, molasses and urea must be supplemented with some additional source of a more insoluble but fermentable carbohydrate or insoluble protein which can be drawn from the cereal grains or concentrates, such as the oil meals. In our limited experience this supplemental material need not be more than 3−5 per cent of the total ration.

SummaryEvidence is presented to show that biotin is essential for normal embryonic development in the hen's egg. A satisfactory synthetic ration for use in studies of the vitamin requirements of laying and breeding hens is also presented.

Summary 1.Two separate experiments involving the utilization of urea and ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen with 10 growing calves have been conducted. 2.The experiments indicate definitely that such nitrogen can be used for at least a partial supply of protein nitrogen. The most probable explanation is the production of protein by bacterial cell multiplication in the rumen and later digestion in the fourth stomach and intestine. Apparently most efficient utilization occurs when some soluble sugar such as corn molasses is fed in the ration. 3.With urea nitrogen constituting 43 per cent of the nitrogen of the ration the growth rate was but slightly less than that secured with a ration containing 66 per cent of its nitrogen as casein nitrogen. This does not imply that urea nitrogen in the ration used is superior to casein nitrogen. 4.Where casein nitrogen constituted 43 per cent of the total nitrogen of the ration, as in the case of animal No. 2, the growth rate over a period of 16 weeks was 1.5 pounds daily as compared with 1.3 pounds daily for the comparable level of urea nitrogen. 5.The nitrogen of ammonium bicarbonate was also utilized. 6.Analysis of the tissues at the end of the experiment indicated that the increments in weight with urea or ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen were of normal composition with a protein content similar to that of the casein fed animal. Extractable non-coagulable nitrogen was no greater in the leg tissues of the urea or ammonium bicarbonate animal than in the tissues of the casein animal.

AS Hou (1928) has pointed out in his review of the literature, the preen gland in birds has long been a subject of discussion; but, as yet, no specific indispensable function has been assigned to it. Hou, on the basis of his own work, concluded that the removal of the preen gland from adult birds caused a disturbance of the feather growth and an impairment of general health, while in young birds its removal caused rickets, in spite of normal feeding and sunshine treatment. One of the functions of this gland, as proposed by Hou, is the production of a secretion which the bird, during the act of preening, rubs over its feathers. Activation of some of the constituents of this material, during its exposure to the sun, leads to the formation of vitamin D. The vitamin is then taken in by the bird, via the mouth, at a subsequent . . .

SummaryThe curative action of corn oil in healing the “spectacled eye” condition has been demonstrated. The identity of the factor in liver which prevents these symptoms with the other members of the vitamin B complex has been discussed. Direct and indirect evidence is offered that, besides the crystalline vitamins contained in the ration, the factor concerned is not identical with pantothenic acid, factor W and the factor preventing nutritional achromotrichia. A possible relationship of this factor to the so-called “accessory factor” preventing acrodynia and of this condition to the “type III” dermatitis of Gyorgy and Eckardt is pointed out. Further, the relation of this condition to the deficiency of the essential fatty acids is discussed.

Summary 1. The rate of carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption by dehydrated alfalfa and cereal grasses under sealed conditions was studied at moisture levels of 10–25 per cent. The rate of respiration increased as the level of moisture and the temperature were increased. The extent of carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption was variable with time at a given moisture level. 2. The rate of carbon dioxide production in a dehydrated alfalfa with 10 per cent of total water is less than one-third the rate observed when the product contains 20 per cent of total water. 3. With 10 per cent or less of total water, the rate of carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption generally is too slow to insure complete carotene preservation under sealed conditions. The carotene losses may vary from 5–30 per cent during storage at room temperatures of 22–25° C. for 3 months. With 12.5 per cent of total water under sealed conditions for 3 months, both products (alfalfa, Heil Drier, and alfalfa, Fulmer Drier) retained completely their carotene content as well as their green color.

THE essential nature of vitamin B6 for the chick was first shown by Carter and O’Brien (1939), Hegsted, Oleson, Elvehjem, and Hart (1939), and Jukes (1939). No attempt was made by these workers to establish the actual requirement of this vitamin, probably because their rations were low in other necessary factors as evidenced by the poor growth obtained at three weeks when vitamin B6 was added to their rations. Stokstad, Manning, and Rogers (1940) reported that chicks receiving 250 micrograms of vitamin B6 per 100 grams of ration weighed 99 grams at three weeks. Increasing the level of vitamin B6 produced no increase in growth. These workers state that their basal ration was also low in factor U. The first observations on the actual requirement of the chick for vitamin B6 were made by Hogan, Richardson, Patrick, O’Dell, and Kempster (1941) while studying anemia and perosis in chicks. These workers . . .

Summary 1.Destruction of the lipoxidase by autoclaving for 1hour at 15 lbs. pressure did not preserve the carotene content of dehydrated alfalfa or cereal grasses exposed to air at room temperature. 2.The addition of 5 to 10 per cent of water to these dehydrated materials and then lightly packing them in receptacles sealed with flexo wax or Durex wax preserved the carotene completely for 3 months, when held at room temperature (22–25° C). The total water content for the oats was 15–20 percent and for the alfalfa 12–17 percent. 3.The process of preservation appears to be a restoration of more rapid respiratory enzyme action with utilization of the oxygen and formation of carbon dioxide. There was no indication that bacterial action directly was responsible for the changes that occurred. Temperature changes during the process of respiration were negligible in the masses of material used. 4.It is evident that receptacles with minimum or no air and CO 2 effusion rates are necessary for success in the preservation of the carotene by the method outlined. Oxygen must be excluded or at least held at a low concentration. This phase of the problem is under further study.

Summary 1.Evidence is presented through "in vitro" experiments that conversion of inorganic nitrogen to protein can occur through the use of bacteria from the cow's rumen. 2.Bacterial activity, and hence conversion, is dependent on the pH of the media, the optimum range being 5.5 to 7. 3.The carbohydrates used in the media were of equal efficiency in influencing conversion, with the exception of cellulose which was not an acceptable carbohydrate for these studies. 4.NH 4 HCO 3 is as efficient as urea in the rate of utilization by rumen organisms. 5.The decrease in NH 3 can be accounted for by an increase in protein nitrogen. 6.The level of protein in the media has a negative influence on the decrease in NH 3 - N. 7.Amylolytic activity of rumen liquid has been demonstrated, with only slight activity in the saliva itself. 8.Proteolytic activity of cow's saliva is absent.

HART, Steenbock, Lepkovsky, and Halpin (1925) demonstrated the synthesis of vitamin C in the chick by using the livers from chicks on vitamin C deficient diets to cure the avitaminosis in scorbutic guinea pigs. The chicken livers were found to contain more vitamin C than could be accounted for on the basis of the vitamin C content of the diet. The role of vitamin C in the metabolism of hens was studied by Bell, Satterfield and Cook (1941) who observed a reduced egg production in heavy laying breeds fed diets low in vitamin C. Injection of vitamin C increased the egg production. Briggs, Luckey, Elvehjem, and Hart (1944) observed a growth stimulation in chicks when vitamin C was added to a purified diet containing crude concentrates of folic acid. Since synthetic folic acid has become available to replace the semi-crude liver preparations used in the earlier work, a consistent growth . . .

IN A series of papers; Rose and co-workers (1936); Rose (1937); Womack, Kemmerer and Rose (1937); Womack and Rose (1941), presented evidence proving the dispensability of cystine and the indispensability of methionine in the diet of the rat. These workers also showed that cystine is capable of stimulating growth in rats only if the diet is suboptimal in methionine. Their findings indicate that on a cystine deficient diet, body cystine arises from dietary methionine and that on a suboptimal methionine diet, cystine included in the diet has methionine sparing action. That the sulphur of cystine synthesized in the body actually originates from methionine was established by Tarver and Schmidt (1939) and confirmed by Rose and Wood (1941). The relationship between choline, homocystine and methionine was worked out by du Vigneaud et al. (1939) who showed that in the presence of choline, homocystine is capable of replacing methionine in the diet . . .

SummaryA study of the effects of dietary constituents upon the activity of synthetic folic acid in chick nutrition shows that no definite requirement for this compound can be established since the response to a given amount of folic acid depends upon the type of ration used. Folic acid produced the least response with high-fat diets or diets containing glucose, sucrose, or starch as the sole carbohydrate, and the best response with diets containing high protein, low fat, or corn-meal and dextrin as the carbohydrates.Hemoglobin responses were better on diets containing dextrin or corn-meal than diets containing other carbohydrates.Feather development cannot be correlated with either the amount of folic acid in the diet or the rate of growth of the chicks when low levels of folic acid are included in the diet.Whole liver substance when added to a diet containing sucrose as the carbohydrate gave an increased growth response that could not be attributed to its folic acid content.We thank Merck and Company, In...

A NUMBER of products have been found to supplement chick rations in which the protein was furnished by soybean oil meal, cereal grain products, and alfalfa leaf meal (Christiansen, Deobald, Halpin, and Hart [in press], Hayward, Halpin, Holmes, Bohstedt, and Hart, 1937). The value of the materials used as supplements does not always appear to be consistent with the quality of their protein. A number of vitamin deficient basal rations (Norris, Wilgus, Ringrose, Heiman, and Heuser, 1936; and Jukes, 1937) have a composition similar to that of the basal ration used in these studies of soybean oil meal. The growth trials reported here were devised to test the relative value of the vitamin or protein carried in various crude supplements to the “soybean meal—grain ration.” EXPERIMENTAL Day-old Single-Comb White Leghorn chicks were placed in experimental groups and housed in heated brooder houses which opened onto screened-in sun porches. Heat . . .

Since cod liver meal is now coming on the market in considerable quantities as an ingredient for poultry feeds it was believed important to ascertain the vitamin A and vitamin D potency of this material by testing it with chickens. The particular meal used was obtained in 1926 from St. John’s Newfoundland and had a high oil content, viz., 45 per cent; while it also contained 43 per cent of protein. VITAMIN D In testing the vitamin D content, nine groups of chicks (one day old Leghorns) were used; seven birds in six of the groups and six in the remaining three. These birds were housed in pens in an attic where direct light had no access. They were kept on screens in place of shavings. The basal ration used was one that will invariably lead to a rachitic condition in chicks in 5 to 6 weeks . . .

THE availability of several of the vitamins in crystalline form has allowed the use of rather highly purified diets for rats (Oleson et al., 1939; Edgar et al., 1938; Lepkovsky et al., 1936). When chicks are placed on similar purified rations complete failure results. Variation in the nutritional requirements of chicks and rats has long been recognized. Thus in work with chicks it has been necessary to continue to use crude rations fortuitously low in certain factors, or rendered so by proper treatment. However, a few simplified diets containing liver, fishmeal, bran, and other supplements, as the crude materials have been used by some workers with varying degrees of success. Graham et al. (1934) and Van der Hoorn et al. (1935) obtained good growth on a simplified diet containing 10 percent of wheat germ middlings and crude casein, although an “arthritic” condition developed when the casein was extracted (Van der . . .

Summary1. Mature rats were maintained on a fat free diet for relatively long periods without showing any deficiency symptoms except emaciation.2. Severe depletion followed by ad libitum feeding of the fat free diet precipitated in mature rats symptoms including those typical of essential fatty acid deficiency.3. This method is suggested for other types of experiments where a “strain” on body functions is desired.4. Either ethyl linoleate or corn oil prevented entirely or cured rapidly the symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency when they appeared.5. When the rats, after depletion, were maintained on the fat free diet ad libitum for sufficiently long periods, spontaneous disappearance of all the symptoms was observed, for which the explanation of some synthesis of essential fatty acid is suggested.