OF WASHINGTON. 151 



also present. Mr. W. V. Warner, i522Kingman Place, N.W., 

 was elected an active member of the Society. 



Dr. Hopkins, under the heading Short Notes and Exhibition of 

 Specimens, showed some oak galls from black oak leaves, re 

 ceived through the Secretary of Agriculture and Bureau of Plant 

 Industry, from Mr. Geo. F. Richards, P. M., Westcott, Missouri, 

 with the statement in Mr. Richards' letter of October 15, that this 

 substance was very abundant in that section, and that cattle, hogs, 

 sheep, turkeys and chickens were all very fond of it and were 

 getting fat on it. Its resemblance to wheat grains and its nutri 

 tive quality suggested to Mr. Richards the name " black oak 

 wheat." 



The same kind of gall was later received from Mr. A. G. Tower, 

 Texarkana, Arkansas, with the statement that hogs fatten on it, 

 and it was known there as " wheat mass." 



The information relating to the nutritive quality of the gall 

 suggested to Professor Hopkins the importance of having a food 

 analysis made of it, and some of the galls were submitted to Dr. 

 W. H. Krug, in charge of v the Dendro-Chemicai Laboratory of 

 the Bureau of Chemistry, who analyzed it and submitted the 

 following report : 



ANALYSIS OF GALLS BY DR. W. H. KRUG. 



Moisture ... 12.24% 



Ether extract 3.37 



Crude fiber (indigestible) 9.34 



Protein...' 8.56 



Ash 2.89 



Carbohydrates (starch, etc.) 63.60 



Relative food value = 93.43. 

 Nutritive ratio = 8.4. 



" The relative food value is high and the nutritive ratio is wide, show 

 ing that this material is especially adapted for fattening animals. 



STARCH DETERMINATION OF GALLS AND RED OAK ACORNS. 



Size of starch grains : 



Red oak acorn 5.7 (1.7-18) M. 



Red oak galls 7.3 (2.6-12) M. 



