The Relative Vitamin G Content of Alfalfa Hay, Stems, and Leaves from 10 inch and 24 inch Cuttings

VITAMIN G is one of the important nutrients of properly prepared alfalfa leaf meal. The term vitamin G used in this paper pertains to the growth promoting factor and not to the B2 factor as described by Koehn and Elvehjem (1936). Bethke et al (1931) demonstrated the value of alfalfa leaf meal in preventing nutritional paralysis and promoting increased growth in chicks. Norris and co-workers (1934) reported that when alfalfa meal was fed to breeders as a supplement to a diet deficient in vitamin G, hatchability was improved. Hunt, Record, and Bethke (1935) showed with rats that alfalfa hay contained much more vitamin G than vitamin B and that the content of these vitamins decreased in amount as the plant matured. In general, the quantity of these vitamins present was correlated with leafness, greenness, and protein content of the plant. Wilgus, Norris, and Heuser (1936) showed that the average vitamin . . .