BULLETII^ ^o. 174. 



DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. 



THE COMPOSITION, DIGESTIBILITY AND 

 FEEDING VALUE OF PUMPKINS. 



BY J. B. LINDSEY. 



Summary of the Results. 



1. The pumpkin contains some 17 per cent, of shell, 73 per cent, of 

 flesh, and 9 to 10 per cent, of seed and connecting tissue. It is a watery- 

 fruit, showing extremes of 84 to 91 per cent., with an average of 88 per 

 cent. 



2. The whole pumpkin is relatively rich in ash; the seed shows notice- 

 ably less ash than the remainder of the fruit. 



On the basis of dry matter, the entire pumpkin contains rather more 

 total protein than is found in grains and roots. It also contains some 18 

 per cent, of total sugars, of which one-third was found to be present in 

 the form of cane sugar. The fruit minus the seeds contains nearly 43 per 

 cent, of total sugars, which explains in a measure its desirability as a hu- 

 man food. The pumpkin seeds are very rich in fat, and are composed 

 substantially of one-third fat, one-third protein and one-fifth fiber, the 

 balance being carbohydrates and ash. 



3. A number of digestion trials were made with sheep, and showed the 

 pumpkin to be about 81 per cent, digestible. On substantially the same 

 water basis, and allowing for the increased food value of the fat, the pump- 

 kin appears to have about 20 per cent, greater feeding value than mangels 

 and turnips. 



4. Feeding experiments were made with daily cows, substituting in the 

 ration 30 pounds of cut pumpkins for 5 pounds of hay. The results se- 

 cured indicated that 5 to 6 pounds of pumpkins were equal in food value 

 to 1 pound of hay. The Vermont station concluded that 2| pounds of 

 pumpkins were about equal to 1 pound of silage, and that 6^ pounds were 

 fully equal to 1 pound of hay. On page 66 will be found the conclusions 

 of other investigators. 



