Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xxii. No. i 



The experiments reported in this paper were conducted ^vith albino 

 rats, employing the standard technic adopted by the Department of 

 Agricultural Chemistry of the University of Wisconsin. 



Preliminary experiments showed that young rats, 40 to 90 gm. in 

 weight, will exist only from 7 to 12 days on a diet composed solely of 



Fig. I. — Gain in weight of lot 51 on ration of velvet beans, So per cent; butter fat, s per cent; No. 32 salts, 

 4 per cent; and dextrin, 1 1 per cent. The dextrin carried alcoholic extract of 10 gm. ether-extracted wheat 

 embryo. At point x 9 per cent of the velvet beans was replaced by 9 per cent casein. 



the raw hull-less velvet bean seed and a liberal supply of distilled water. 

 The food consumption could be increased 50 to 60 per cent, however, 

 by feeding young animals the seed after it was autoclaved for one hour 

 at 15 pounds pressure. Consequently, autoclaved velvet beans were 



Fio. 2. — G^a in weight of lot 52 on ration of velvet beans, 60 per cent; butter fat, s per cent; No. 32 

 salts, 4 per cent; casein, s per cent; and dextrin, 26 per cent. The dextrin carried alcoholic extract of 

 10 gm. ether-extracted wheat embrvO, 



used in all- this work. In order to determine whether the water-soluble 

 vitamin was destroyed in the process of autoclaving, controls were 

 run with uncooked beans. 



Even when fed upon autoclaved beans, ammals, although consuming 

 considerably more of the seed, existed only for a period of 17 to 21 



