582 
PHYSIOLOGY: L. S. PALMER 
Silver indol, CgHeNAg.NHs. 
Potassium carbazol, CisHgNK . 2NH3 and CisHgNK . NH3. 
Calcium carbazol, (Ci2H8N)2Ca.7NH3 and (Ci2H8N)2Ca.4NH3. 
Silver carbazol, Ci2H8NAg.2NH3 and Ci2H8NAg.NH3. 
1 Amer. Chem.J.,28, 1902, (83); 47, 1912, (285); Eighth Int. Cong. App. Chem. 6, 1912, 
(119) and /. Amer. Chem. Soc, 37, 1915, (2279). 
2 Solvolysis is used as a general term to include hydrolysis, ammonolysis, amidolysis, 
aminolysis, alcoholysis, etc. 
3 Franklin and Kraus, /. Amer. Chem. Soc, 27, 1905, (191). 
GROWTH A ND REPRODUCTION IN FOWLS IN THE ABSENCE 
OF CAROTINOIDS AND THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RELATION 
OF YELLOW PIGMENTATION TO EGG LAYING 
By Leroy S. Palmer 
Division of Agricultural Biochemistry, University of Minnesota 
Communicated by W. A. Noyes, November 1, 1919 
The chemical identification of each of the recognized vitamines as 
individual substances or chemical groups is greatly to be desired. As 
the result of certain studies^ which I made on the physiological relation 
between the yellow carotin and xanthophyll pigments of plants and the i 
yellow lipochromes of animal tissues and fluids, I became impressed 
with the fact that there seemed to be more than a casual relation 
between the simultaneous presence of the plant carotinoids and fat- 
soluble vitamine in butter fat and egg yolk and in the leafy parts of 
green plants, and the simultaneous absence of carotinoids and fat- 
soluble vitamine from lard. 
That phase of my carotinoid studies showing the physiological identity 
of egg yolk lipochrome with plant xanthophyll suggested that the fowl 
should be a suitable animal upon which to test the relation of plant 
carotinoids to growth and reproduction. It was decided to approach 
the question by attempting to raise a flock of chickens from hatching 
to maturity on a ration devoid of carotin and xanthophylls. The 
problem which was presented was therefore mainly one of selecting a 
ration devoid of yellow plant pigments but which was presumably 
adequate otherwise for the normal growth of chickens. 
Three experiments were undertaken. The first was a preliminary 
experiment, during the winter of 1916-17, to test the efficacy of a 
ration of white corn, white corn bran, bleached flour, skim-milk and 
