130 



DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



When it is stated that the ash of the whole grain of wheat is but 3 

 per cent, while the ash of wheat bran is 7.3 per cent, and that in the 

 case of the former 46.38 per cent of the ash is phosphoric acid, and in 

 that of the latter 50 per cent, it can easily be understood how a too 

 liberal use of wheat bran should prove dangerous if fed dry. The 

 following table shows the relative proportion of ash and phosphoric 

 acid in wheat bran and in some common farm seeds: 



Ash and phosphoric acid in bran and some common farm seeds. 



Kind of grain. 



Wheat bran 



Wheat, grain 



Oats, grain - 



Barley, grain 



Bean, grain 



Peas, grain 



Tare, grain __ 



Indian corn, grain 

 Rye, grain .__ 



Ash. 



Per ct. 

 7.3 

 3 



2.50 

 3.10 

 3.10 

 0.75 

 3 



1.5 

 1.6 



Phosphoric 

 acid in ash. 



Per 



cent. 

 50 



46.38 

 86.5 

 39.6 

 31.0 

 34.8 



39.9 



Phosphoric 

 acid in the 

 entire food. 



Per cent. 



1.3914 

 .6685 



1.2276 

 .9864 

 .957 



Wheat bran, it will be observed, contains three times as much phos- 

 phoric acid as is found in any of the other grains, and four times as 

 much as oats, beans, pease, or rye; so that if fed in excess it will 

 readily overcharge the urine with phosphates. 



There is another point to be considered, however, in estimating this 

 danger. Wheat bran contains a far greater amount of albuminoids 

 and other nitrogen-containing constituents than the common grains 

 (these being made up mainly of starch, which contains no nitrogen); 

 and, all nitrogen-bearing products contained in the blood and tissues 

 being expelled from the body mainly through the kidneys in the form 

 of urea and (in cattle) hippuric acid, it follows that the excess of 

 urea formed when such food is consumed must load the urine with 

 solids and bring it constantly nearer to the point of saturation, when 

 such solids (or the least soluble of them) must be deposited. 



The following table will show the relative amounts of the nitrogen- 

 bearing products in wheat bran and some of our common grains : 



Nitrogenous matter in wheat bran and some common farm seeds. 



Kind of grain. 



Albuminoids 

 (nitroge- 

 nous). 



Woody fiber 

 (nitroge- 

 nous). 



Total nitrog 

 enous-bear- 

 ing constit- 

 uents. 



Wheat bran.. 

 Wheat, grain 

 Barley, grain 

 Oats, grain... 

 Eye, grain ... 

 Indian corn . . 



Percent. 

 16.1 

 12.5 

 12.4 

 11.8 

 10.6 

 10.1 



1.8 

 2.7 

 9.5 

 1.7 

 1.7 



Per cent. 

 24.1 

 14.3 

 15.1 

 21.3 

 12.3 

 11.8 



