Fenugreek-seed. 19 



organism of cattle requires for its healthy condition a more bulky 

 and less concentrated food. 



On the other hand, working horses cannot be fed with a more 

 economic or better food than with beans a fact which is well 

 known to every farmer. The high feeding value of beans, when 

 given to working horses, is readily explained by the great waste of 

 muscle to which working horses are subject, which waste is 

 readily and cheaply supplied in beans, a food very rich in flesh- 

 forming constituents. 



Fenugreek- seed. Fenugreek is the seed of Trigonella focnu- 

 grsecum a plant which is much grown in the East, on account of 

 the leguminous seed which it furnishes. This seed has a peculiar 

 aromatic smell, and a slightly bitter aromatic taste. Ground into 

 a powder, it is frequently employed by veterinary surgeons to 

 promote the appetite of horses, and also enters into the composi- 

 tion of curry-powder. Fenugreek-seed is used occasionally in 

 England for feeding purposes, and is described by those who 

 have tried it as an excellent food for fattening sheep. A sample 

 of the seed forwarded to me by E. Holland, Esq., of Dumbleton, 

 on analysis yielded the following results : 



Composition of Fenugreek-seed. 



Water 11-994 



Flesh-forming constituents (chiefly legumin) .. 26 '665 



Starch, gum, and pectin ... .. 37 '111 



Sugar 2-220 



Fatty matters and some essential oil 8-320 



Woody fibre 10-820 



Inorganic matter (ash) 2-870 



100-000 



It will be observed that, like all leguminous seeds, fenugreek 

 contains a large amount of flesh-forming constituents: it re- 

 sembles thus in composition peas, beans, and lentils, but is dis- 

 tinguished from these seeds by a much larger amount of fatty 

 matters. This fully explains its high value as a feeding material. 

 I am informed by Mr. Holland, that sheep to which it was given 

 got fat in a remarkably short time. But a curious circumstance 

 connected with the use of this seed was brought to light, which 

 showed that, notwithstanding its highly nutritious qualities, it is 

 unavailable for practical purposes. It was found, namely, that it 

 imparted a peculiar disagreeable flavour to the mutton. This 

 flavour no doubt arose from the essential oil contained in the 

 seed. An interesting example is thus presented to us in fenu- 

 greek-seed, which illustrates that purely practical considerations 

 will often guide the feeder of stock in the selection of food, and 

 that it is impossible to predict by analysis, or even by actual 

 feeding experiments, the economic value of an article of food. 



