ANNUAL REPORT, 1947-48 57 



No successful way was found to detect fast-developing birds through the 

 inspection of plumage at an early age. There was enough variation between the 

 development of different individuals to indicate that larger and faster growing 

 birds could be produced. 



Seeds in Relation to Rodents. (R. E. Trippensee.) The destruction of tree 

 seeds by rodents prevents the establishment of stands of many trees, both soft- 

 woods and hardwoods, by direct seeding methods. 



In this experiment, tests were run with pelleted pine and spruce seeds to which 

 forty difterent chemicals had been incorporated as part of the series of coatings. 

 The list of chemicals used can be furnished on request. 



Concentrations of repellent substance varied from 1 to 5 percent. The trials 

 were run with graj' and red squirrels, chipmunk, and pine, meadow, house, and 

 white-footed mice. The pelleted seeds were fed in special cages in which the 

 feed was placed in a glass feeding receptacle. No other feed was available during 

 the feeding trials. The test animals were given normal food after intervals of 

 about three days. 



These trials indicated that different rodents react differently, but in general 

 none of the forty repellents gave much promise of protecting tree seeds from the 

 rodents tested. 



DEPARTMENT OF HOME ECONOMICS NUTRITION 

 Anne W. Wertz in Charge 



The Effect of Certain Factors in Wilson's Liver Fraction L on the Utilization 

 of Thiamine. (A. W. Wertz, L. E. Lloyd, and P. Shaw.) The widespread use of 

 crystalline thiamine in the food-fortification program lends importance to the 

 question of whether the utilization of thiamine may be influenced by other 

 members of the vitamin B-complex. A norit eluate preparation which contained, 

 in addition to pteroylglutamic acid, other factors in the vitamin B-complex was 

 prepared from Wilson's Liver Fraction L. Albino rats fed this preparation stored 

 more thiamine in their tissues than their pairmates which did not receive the 

 eluate preparation but were fed identical amounts of thiamine. The urinary 

 output of thiamine and pyruvic acid did not differ significantlj' in the two groups. 

 These facts indicate that there was some factor present in the norit eluate prepara- 

 tion that influenced the storage of thiamine in the albino rat. Work is continuing 

 on this project in order to determine, if possible, the factor responsible for this 

 effect on thiamine. 



The Effect of Pteroylglutamic Acid on the Appetite and Growth of Thiamine- 

 deficient Rats. (P. Shaw and A. W. Wertz.) Preliminary work indicates that 

 pteroylglutamic acid stimulates the appetite and growth of rats fed a thiamine- 

 deficient ration. The rats fed pteroylglutamic acid consumed their food in a 

 much shorter time and maintained their weight at a higher level than their litter- 

 mate controls not receiving this vitamin. Further work is in progress on this 

 problem. 



The Effect of Alcohol Consumption on the Utilization of Thiamine. (L. E. 



Lloyd, P. Shaw, and A. W. Wertz.) The similarity between alcoholic polyneuritis 

 and the polyneuritis caused by thiamine deficiency suggests the hypothesis that 



