NONPROTEID NITROGENOUS COMPOUNDS 9 



2. In succulent parts of plants (roots, tubers, pumpkins, squash). 



3. In fermented feed (silage) and in feeding stuffs decomposed by 

 molds and bacteria. 



The nonproteid nitrogenous compounds include : 



1. Amido compounds which occur in plants, in part as proteids in 

 process of formation, in part as cleavage products of reserve proteids. 

 These include: Asparagin (in young green forage, malt sprouts; in pota- 

 toes half of the nitrogenous matter consists of asparagin), glutamin (in 

 beets, beet leaves, spurry [Spurgula arvensis']), leucin, tyrosin and xan- 

 thin (in various plant juices), hypoxanthin (in bran, potato juice, mustard 

 seed), vernin (in vetches, red clover leaves), guanin (in young shoots), 

 guanidin (in freshly germinated vetches), allantoin (in the leaves of 

 trees), and finally adenin, caffein, theobromin (in tea, coffee, cocoa). 



The amid compounds are all readily soluble and digestible. In rations 

 rich in carbohydrates and crude fiber and very deficient in proteids (ratio 

 of 1 to 19 or 20) fed to ruminants, they (especially asparagin) conserve 

 the proteids and to a certain extent take their place (Kellner, Zuntz, etc.). 

 This action or property of the amid compounds is of limited practical im- 

 portance, since rations of this character would be fed to domestic animals 

 only in years of extreme famine. Their effect is not noticeable in ratios of 

 1 to IS. In the usual feeding operations the amids are oxidized directly 

 into carbonic acid and water. The slight amount of heat produced in this 

 process is of little significance even in mere subsistence rations. 



Special methods for the determination of amids do not exist. By tacit consent, 

 the difference between pure and crude protein is assumed to represent amid com- 

 pounds. 



2. The nitrogenous glycosids (amygdalin in vetch seed, linamarin in 

 flax seed and linseed cake, solanin and solanidin in the sprouts, seeds and 

 tops of potatoes, sinigrin and sinalbin in rape and mustard seed) in large 

 doses act as irritants and even as poisons (mustard seed). In very small 

 doses they act as stimulants. 



3. The organic bases (alkaloids) such as betain (mangolds, vetch 

 seeds, barley and wheat sprouts, molasses, cottonseed meal), cirsin (this- 

 tles), choHn (vetches, peas, peanuts, sesame and cottonseed, cocoanut, 

 palm seeds, etc.), lupin alkaloids (lupines), occurring in minimal quanti- 

 ties as they do, probably act as slight stimulants to digestion, or as appe- 

 tizers. In larger doses (sometimes in lupines and certain poisonous plants 

 like hemlock, colchicum, hellebore, nightshade, stramonium henbane, acon- 

 ite, etc.) they act as active poison. ChoHn, which is a constituent of many 

 tonic foods, may, through the agency of microorganisms, be converted 

 into neurin, which is very poisonous. This fact may possibly explain the 

 toxic action of certain feeding stuffs, such as cotton seed cake and meal, 

 which manifests itself under certain conditions. 



4. Salts of ammonia and nitric acid. Among the feeding stuffs in com- 

 mon use nitrates in any quantity are found in beets only (in exceptional 



