CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF MAIZE GRAIN 66; 



Table CVI. 

 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES AND BREEDS. 



CHAP. 

 XIII. 



At the suggestion of the writer, Mr. R. D. Watt (3) later 

 carried out a further series of analyses of Transvaal-grown 

 maize in order to prove or disprove the idea then prevalent in 

 some quarters that a broad-grained type of maize like Hickory 

 King is of higher feeding value than the narrow, wedge-shaped 

 type. " As the feeding value of maize depends almost entirely 

 on the percentage of protein it contains, this ingredient, only, 

 was determined." The protein-content, as shown in Table CVII 

 (following;, entirely upsets this idea, for all the broad dent 

 varieties, except Woods Northern White Dent, are very near 

 the bottom of the list ; Hickory King itself comes very low. 

 The average protein-content of the four breeds of the broad 

 type is 9-44 per cent, whereas the average of the thirteen wedge- 

 shaped breeds is 9-77 per cent. It is evident from the table 

 that the colour of the maize grain is no guide as to its protein- 

 content, though the difference in flavour of the yellow maize 

 may affect its feeding-value. 



1 Two other samples of Golden King analysed at the Pretoria laboratories 

 gave only 8-98 and 8-88 per cent of protein respectively. It is evident that this is 

 not a good breed of maize for feeding purposes. 



