Mar. 24. 1919 Effect of Grain Rations on Growth of Chicks 307 



This experiment, as shown in Table I, covers a period of nine weeks 

 in which both lots of chicks received identical treatment, except as to 

 the preparation of the food. The growth of lot A was approximately 

 normal as to weight and mortality, but their vigor and general condition 

 was not good. In lot B, which received the cooked grain ration, a 

 decided deleterious effect was shown by the weight and mortality record 

 which can properly be ascribed to the ration. If we regard this ration 

 in the light of the present-day conception of nutrition, it is balanced with 

 reference to the dietary essentials, fat-soluble A being abundantly sup- 

 plied in the sprouted oats, shredded cabbage leaves, and butter fat con- 

 tained in the not-too-closely skimmed milk, while sufficient water-soluble 

 B was obtained from the grain mixture before them as a dry mash at all 

 times. The incomplete proteins of the grains were supplemented by the 

 casein of the milk in the wet mash and the proteins in the cabbage and 

 sprouted oats. These factors, with the mineral content amply supplied 

 by grit, oyster shell, and milk, satisfy all conditions in making a com- 

 plete diet. However, the food hormones were destroyed by heating the 

 ration fed to lot B. 



The experim.ents of McCollum and his coworkers have demonstrated 

 the nutritive limits of seeds. I^IcCollum states ^ in substance that when 

 seeds are fed, supplemented by suitable inorganic salts and sufficient fat- 

 soluble A, the limiting factor with respect to growth is the quality of 

 protein. The data presented in this paper and the experimental work 

 to be described corroborate this statement and throw further light on 

 the following points : 



1. That the soybean may enter into the dietary of the White Leghorn 

 chick without having an accumulative deleterious effect. 



2. The efifect of heat on the food value of certain grain mixtures. 



3. That under approximately ideal conditions chicks which had been 

 stunted by dietary measures and had survived by reason of greater 

 vitality may remain in a fairly good state of health over a long period 

 of time. 



The plan of the experiments was as follows: Four grain rations were 

 selected so that two would contain grains the proteins of which were 

 supposed to be high in lysin (one to be fed as a mash and one as a grain) ; 

 the other two grain mixtures were supposed to contain proteins low in 

 lysin and were to be fed in the same way as the first two. After this 

 experiment had been started an effort was made to determine the amino- 

 nitrogen distribution in these mixtures, but, owing to their large carbo- 

 hydrate content, no satisfactory results have been obtained. The effort 

 to analyze these complex grain mixtures is still in progress, and it is 



1 McCoLLTJM, E. v., and Simmonds, N. a biological analysis of pellagra-producing diets, m. 



THE value of some seed PROTEINS FOR MAINTENANCE. In JoUr. Biol. Chem., V. 32, no. 3, p. 347-368, 12 



charts. 191 7. 



