PRESERVATION FOR STOCK FOOD 769 



vestigations indicate the presence of an enzyme in maize CHAP, 

 stalks, which may give rise to the formation of prussic acid xv - 

 by the splitting up of glucosides, and that this would account 

 for a certain percentage, at least, of the cases of cornstalk 

 disease; see U.S.D.A., Bur. Anim. hid. Rep., 1904, pp. 66-75 

 (reprinted as Circular 84) and E.S.R. XVII, p. 702, 1905-6. 



Craig notes that a disease referred to by this name ap- 

 peared quite extensively in Indiana during [902 and 1906. 

 After summarizing the theories held by different observers, he 

 concludes that there are probably several diseases referred to 

 under the same name. While the symptoms resemble those 

 of toxic poisoning, which it had been suggested might be due 

 to potassium nitrate in the maize stalks, it is by no means 

 certain that potassium nitrate in the maize is the cause of the 

 trouble. He suggests that prussic acid may at times be de- 

 veloped in the corn. See Indiana Sta. Circ. 3, p. 10, 1906, 

 and E.S.R. XVIII, 676-7, 1906-7. 



Though subjected to a thorough test, Alway and Trumbull 

 reported failure to find even a trace of prussic acid in cornstalks 

 or suckers from a field in which several cattle had just died. 

 Feeding tests to calves gave negative results. Similar tests 

 with Sorghum confirmed Brunnich's findings of prussic acid 

 (E.S.R. XV, p. 355), so that the negative results with maize 

 do not appear to be due to fault in the method adopted. 



Further information on the cornstalk disease may be found 

 in the publications cited in the Bibliography under the names 

 of Price, T. H. ; Craig, R. A. ; Alway, F, J., and Peters, 

 A. T. ; Billings, F. S. ; Peters, A. T, and Avery, S. ; Peters, 

 A. T. ; and Mayo, N. S. 



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