8 THE SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



The term vitamin is applied to nitrogenous compounds, essential to the 

 support of life but as yet little understood. Some of these substances are 

 stable on heating and soluble in ether (A vitamins) and occur in the 

 yolk of eggs, in milk, butter, kidney fat of the pig (but not in ordinary 

 lard), cod-liver oil, meat, portions of beef tallow with low melting point, 

 (hence oelomargarine), traces in flaxseed and grains. They are not 

 found in the oil of sunflower seed, olives, almonds or cottonseed. 



Other vitamins are also stable on heating and soluble in water and alco- 

 hol. (B vitamins). They occur in yeast, eggs, milk, meat, vegetables, 

 the germs of seeds, Indian corn etc., but are absent in degerminated pol- 

 ished rice. 



When vitamin-containing food is withheld from animals for a certain 

 time, diseases which are designated by the generic name of avitaminoses 

 make their appearance. This group includes beriberi, scorbutus, pellagra, 

 rachitis (man), morbus Barlowi and polyneuritis gallinarum. 



Harmful effects, as a result of deficiency in vitamins, occur now and 

 then, but only in certain species of animals. Thus rabbits are affected 

 when fed exclusively on Indian corn, while pigeons are not. Guinea-pigs 

 are affected after exclusive feeding on dried peas, while pigeons and rab- 

 bits are not affected. 



Cooper and Funk demonstrated that an alcoholic extract made from the 

 glumes or chaff of rice acts therapeutically. The active element in this 

 extract is thought to be a crystalline substance (nonphosphorous) of the 

 pyrimidin group^, or vitamin Ci^H^gO^Na. A few milligrams are said to 

 be sufficient to effect a cure. A similar action is possessed by torulin, pre- 

 pared from yeast by Edie, Evans, Moore and others, and by lysin, arginin 

 and tryptophan prepared by Roehmann. The latter, with other com- 

 pounds, are present also in the aleurone layer and the pericarpium of rice. 

 The following also have a therapeutic effect: Rice chaff, raw meat (the 

 latter loses its therapeutic effect when heated to 120° C.) Katjang nijdjoe 

 {Phase olus radiatus) is also effective in this respect. Hulshoff Pol pre- 

 pared an effective, slightly acid, crystalline substance, "X-acid," from the 

 latter. 



2. Nonproteid Nitrogenous Compounds 



Non-proteid nitrogenous compounds^ occur as follows: 



1. In the young growth of plants (germs, buds, young leaves). 



^CH — N^ 



iThe pyrimidin group or metadiazins are derived from pyrimidin CH\^ ^-^^ 



2For each 100 parts of nitrogen there are present nitrogenous bodies of nonproteid character 

 as follows: 



Very young meadow hay 22 % Barley 3 % 



Meadow hay at cutting period 15 % Indian corn 5 % 



Overseasoned hay 7.5% Peas and beans 11 % 



Very young red clover 31.5% Straw % 



Red clover in bloom 19 % Beet diffusate 25 % 



Potatoes 43 % Molasses 100 % 



Well-manured field beets 76.5% Malt sprouts 27 % 



Normal field beets 57.5% Potato starch factory wash 31 % 



Wheat 11 % Lupines 7.5% 



Rye 9 % Cottonseed meal 4 % 



Oats 7.5% Peanut meal 7 % 



