368 
AGRICULTURE: JOHNS AND JONES 
phane. For the sake of comparison the percentages of lysine in the pro- 
teins of sonae common seeds and in muscle from some animals are also 
given in the following tables: 
Lysine content of some vegetable proteins 
PROTEIN SOURCE PER CENT 
Zein Maize 0.00^ 
Gliadin Wheat * 1.218 
Legumin Pea 4.29^ 
Phaseolin Kidney bean 4 . 58* 
Arachin Peanut *4 . 98 
Conarachin Peanut *6.04 
Lysine in muscle substance of diferent animals^ 
Scallops {Pecten irradians) 5 . 77 
Halibut {Hippoglossus vulgaris) 7 . 45 
Chicken 7.24 
Ox 7.59 
The figures marked by an asterisk were obtained by the Van Slyke 
method and, therefore, probably represent the maximum percentage of 
lysine obtainable. Those not so marked were obtained by Kossel's 
absolute method and may be somewhat too low. It is seen, however, 
that the percentages of lysine in arachin and conarachin of the peanut 
are relatively high and, indeed, approach the lysine content of muscle 
substance of different animals. It will also be noted that no lysine has 
been found in zein and that the maximum percentage of lysine obtained 
from gliadin is only 1.21%. 
Osborne and Mendel^^ and other workers have shown that lysine 
is essential to the growth of animals. Nutrition experiments indicate^^ 
that the animal organism cannot synthesize lysine which must, there- 
fore, be provided in suitable quantity in the food to insure normal 
growth. Since the muscle substance of animals contains about seven 
per cent of lysine, foods deficient in this essential amino acid should be 
supplemented by the addition of other foods which contain a high per- 
centage of lysine. Diets of wheat and corn, both of which contain but 
Httle lysine, should therefore prove more efficient if supplemented by 
some food of high lysine content. Peanut meal appears to be well adapt- 
ed to this purpose. From a nutritive standpoint it is one of our cheap- 
est foods and seems to possess no objectionable properties. Animals 
fed on it thrive well and increase rapidly in weight. therefore, 
seems probable that corn and wheat could be much better utilized and 
a considerable saving in the cost of feeding effected by supplementing 
these cereals with peanut meal. 
