392 



Scientific Proceedings (124). 



ment is hardly to be regarded as conclusive, especially in view of 

 the fact that the animals did not eat the almond very readily. 



In the present investigation, attempts were first made to feed a 

 diet of ground unblanched almonds, supplemented by a suitable 

 salt mixture and a little starch, the almonds constituting 81 

 per cent, of the diet by weight. The records of daily food intake 

 show that this diet was eaten in about the same amounts as the 

 control diet, and the average calorie intake was higher than for the 

 control diet. However, young rats placed on this diet at the age 

 of about six weeks made no gains in weight in six or seven weeks. 

 The addition of 2 grams of fresh compressed yeast to the ration 

 of each rat caused a slight temporary increase in weight, but no 

 permanent gain. 



Thinking that there might be some inhibiting factor in the 

 integument, as reported by Cajori in the case of the pecan, 1 the 

 nuts were blanched before grinding and supplemented as in the 

 case of the unblanched almonds, with no better results. 



It then seemed probable that the high fat in the diet was the 

 disturbing factor, and a press cake containing about 35 per cent, 

 fat was used in making up a diet with the same protein and salt 

 content as the original almond diet. The animals remained in 

 somewhat better condition on this diet, showing less roughness of 

 coat, but they declined steadily in weight. 



A basal ration was then prepared consisting of meat residue, 

 starch, lard, yeast and a suitable salt mixture, and containing the 

 same percentage of protein as the almond diet. When young 

 rats were fed this ration until they ceased to increase in weight 

 (about four or five weeks), and then put on the same plus three 

 per cent, of the blanched almond diet, they immediately began 

 to gain in weight, and continued to grow well for five or six weeks. 

 They then ceased to grow or declined in weight. Similar experi- 

 ences were had with 5 per cent, blanched almond diet added to 

 the basal ration. In case of three rats, increases to 10 per cent, 

 of the almond mixture and later to 15 per cent, were followed by 

 further growth. Considering the very good growth with only 3 

 per cent, of the almond mixture added to the basal diet, almonds 

 would seem to be fairly rich in the fat-soluble A vitamin. The 



1 Cajori, Jour. Biol. Chem., 192 1, xlix, 389-397. 



