THE CONCENTRATES 167 
The hulls serve a similar purpose as corn cobs in grinding the 
grain, making the meal lighter and more easily digested. Oats 
are generally fed whole, however, except in the case of old or very 
young animals that cannot masticate their feed thoroughly. Ground 
or rolled oats are to be preferred for feeding such animals. The 
favorable effect of oats on horses has long been known, and it has 
been held that no other grain or feed is equal to oats for them. 
It has been stated by various scientists that oats contain a special 
stimulating principle not found in other grains, but the matter has 
not yet been fully settled. In 1883 Sanson, a French chemist, 
claimed to have discovered, a characteristic nitrogenous alkaloid 
in oats called “avenin,” having a stimulating effect on the motor 
nerves of the horse, but subsequent investigators have been 
unable to verify the presence of such a compound. The careful 
and exhaustive studies by Osborne have shown that the proteins 
of the oat kernels are made up of glutenin (about 11 per cent) 
and a small amount of a globulin called avenalin (1.5 per cent). 
It is very likely that the digestive ferments found in oats are 
of importance in the digestion of this grain. The mechanical 
effect of oats in inciting a free flow of digestive juices may also be a 
factor in bringing about the favorable results which oats doubtless 
produce in the feeding of horses. 
’ New oats must be fed with care to horses, as they have a decided 
loosening effect on the bowels. The change in this respect that takes 
place in oats in storage also, in all probability, comes as a result of 
the action of the oat enzymes on some of the constituents of the oats.* 
Digestibility of Oats——The following summary of digestion 
coefficients shows the extent to which the different classes of farm 
animals can digest oats: 
Average Digestion Coefficients for Oats, in Per Cent 
Nitrogen- 
Animals used Reber ~of ee Protein Fiber : free Fat 
Ruminants..... 6 70 77 — 31 77 89 
Horses........ 4 74 84 22 82 81 
Poultry........ 13 63* 71 90 88 
* Organic matter. 
Horses are evidently able to digest the dry matter of oats, as 
well as the protein and nitrogen-free extract, better than do rumi- 
‘Farmers’ Bulletin 420. 
