20 BULLETIN 1138, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
other is surprising. The most reasonable explanation is that this 
variation is due to a difference in the antineuritic properties of the 
rations fed to the animals. This view is supported by the work of 
various investigators who have studied the effect of the character of 
the ration upon the vitamin content of milk—Dutcher and associ- 
ates (11) (1920); Drummond and associates (12) (13) (1920) (1921); 
and Kennedy and Dutcher (1/4) (1922). Unfortunately we have no 
data as to the effect of the character of the feed consumed upon the 
antineuritic properties of the muscle of either the ox, sheep, or hog. 
It is possible, also, that the hog may have the peculiar function of 
storing up a larger proportion of the vitamin in its tissues than do 
the other animals named. | 
It is hardly necessary to state that, while the experiments which 
have been reported in this paper indicate that ox muscle has a much 
lower antineuritic value than hog muscle, it, of course, does not follow 
that beef has a low nutritive value. Rather, meat has a high nutri- 
tive value regardless of its vitamin content, and the presence of one— 
or more of the vitamins in considerable quantities simply enhances 
the value of meat as a food. Naturally, if meat were the sole source 
of vitamin B in the diet, or even the most important source, then 
pork would be preferred to beef; on the other hand, if an ample sup- 
ply of the B vitamin is furnished by other foods, then the relative 
antineuritic properties of beef, pork, and mutton become a matter of 
minor importance. : 
SUMMARY OF PART I. 
The results of experiments to determine the antineuritic values of 
ox, hog, and sheep muscle when fed to pigeons may be summarized 
as follows: - 
1. Ox muscle (mature ox).—The samples of ox muscle examined had 
relatively low antineuritic values when used in rations to the extent 
of 25 per cent. This percentage would correspond to 3.75 grams of 
the dried tissue in the daily ration of a pigeon weighing 300 grams. 
2. Ox muscle (calf).—The average antineuritic value of the samples 
tested was practically the same as the average value of the samples 
from the mature ox. 
3. Sheep muscle (lamb).—TIwo samples of muscle had relatively 
low antineuritic values; one had a fair value (tongue); and the fourth 
had a reasonably high value, 25 per cent of the dried muscle in the 
ration protecting a pen of pigeons against polyneuritis and loss in 
weight during a period of 32 days. 
4. Hog muscle.—The antineuritic values of the samples of uncooked 
hog muscle tested were very much higher than those of the ox or 
sheep muscle. Fifteen per cent of each of the samples tested was 
sufficient in a ration to protect a pen of pigeons against polyneuritis 
for a period of 55 days, and in only one instance did a pen of the 
birds lose shghtly in weight, the other pens gaining from 3.1 to 16.8 
per cent. 
5. Effect of cooking upon the antineurttic value of hog muscle.—Baked 
tenderloin had practically the same value as the uncooked muscle, 
but cooked ham had a slightly lower value than the raw product. 
However, 15 per cent of cooked ham in a ration protected a pen of 
pigeons against polyneuritis and loss in weight during a period of 55 
days. 
