146 



THE SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



According to resolutions of the Association of German Agricultural Experiment 

 Stations, bran, and above all, meal or flour, must be the product of previously 

 thoroughly cleaned grain. The term "bran" can not properly be applied to ground 

 hulls, pods, chaffs, etc., like ground peanut shells, millet hulls, rice chaff, oat hulls, 

 etc. The terms grout or groats (German Schrot) are applied to coarsely ground 

 whole grain with no parts thereof removed nor any foreign material added. 



Of the numerous weed seeds mention is here made merely of the poisonous corn 

 cockle, vetches, the various species of Polygonum or knotgrass, cow wheat, Atriplcx 

 or notchweed, corn crowfoot (Ranunculus arvensis), poisonous darnel and other 

 grass seeds, field mustard, charlock, corn flower, etc. 



The seeds of corn cockle when viewed with the unaided eye appear as roundish, 

 reniform, blackish structures about 2 mm. in diameter (Fig. 81, a). Under low 



g. 82. Corn cockle. 1, Outer seed coat; A and A', protuberances; a, warty excrescence 



same; b, 2, and 3, strata of parenchyma; .;, starch cells; 5, starch grains in cross section; 

 B, tangential section, figures as preceding. (X 200.) (After Boehmer.) 



magnifying power the spirally arranged protuberances can be recognized. When 

 cleared material (p. 143) is viewed under the microscope the characteristic cells 

 of the seed coat can be recognized (Fig. 82). The starch grains have the char- 

 acteristics mentioned on page 141. In searching for the latter the meal, bran, etc., 

 under examination should be moistened with water only, and not brought in con- 

 tact with or boiled in acids or caustic solutions. 



In regard to Vogl's reaction see page 133; hemolysis, page 135. The saponin 

 reaction is also sometimes used to detect the presence of corn cockle seed. Extract 

 one part of meal with two parts of 85 per cent hot alcohol, filter while still hot, and 

 when cool treat with absolute alcohol. Saponin precipitates when cold. It may be 

 purified by redissolving in alcohol and precipitating in absolute alcohol. Identifica- 

 tion: Effervescence in water and reddish violet color when treated with concen- 

 trated sulphuric acid. 



