270 THE CHEMISTRY OF CATTLE FEEDING 



home-grown cereals. There is, however, a certain prejudice 

 against it. It is said to have a deleterious influence on the 

 quality of butter, and also that it is liable to prove injurious 

 to the health of the animals, especially horses. The same, 

 however, is true in greater or less degree of all cereals when 

 new. 



Oats. The weight per bushel the usual test of quality 

 in cereals of oats varies from about 35 to 48 Ibs. These 

 limits are much wider than in the case of other corn crops, 

 and the fact has been attributed to the variation in the thick- 

 ness and proportion of the husk and skin. Those which have 

 the highest weight per bushel about 45 Ibs. and upwards 

 are used for making oatmeal. The husk is valueless for 

 feeding purposes, but the other offal, called oat bran, contains 

 about 50 per cent, of carbohydrates, and is therefore useful 

 when it can be obtained. 



The chemical composition of oats differs markedly from 

 that of the other cereals. Oats contain about three times as 

 much fat, more fibre, and a smaller percentage of starch. The 

 peculiar "nutty" taste, which is characteristic of this grain, 

 has been ascribed to the presence of .a small proportion of 

 free fatty acid, which is, of course, included in the ether 

 extract. The coefficients of digestibility also are generally 

 somewhat lower than in wheat and barley. 



The lighter varieties and qualities of oats are generally 

 given to the horses, for which it is the food par excellence. 

 The animals exhibit a preference for this grain above all 

 others, and there is a universal consensus of opinion that it 

 " puts more spirit into them." This has been attributed to 

 the presence of a peculiar protein to which the name avenine l 

 has been given. It is probable that the peculiar stimulating 

 effects of oats are due to the nitrogenous matter, and that the 

 substance belongs to the protein group, but it has not been 

 isolated or described. 



New oats tend to produce colic and inflammation of the 



1 The name " avenine " is now given to one of the proteins of oats 

 (p. 74), but this is not the hypothetical substance above referred to. At 

 least it it not known to have the properties described in the text. 



