Feb. io, 1923 
Iron and Manganese Content of Seeds 399 
contained in oats. The manganese content of wheat and oats is approx¬ 
imately three times that contained in peas and beans. 
In 10 different varieties of soybeans the average percentage of iron 
was nearly three times as large as the average percentage of manganese. 
Since soybeans have some use as a food and feed material it is of interest 
to note that they supply a relatively large amount of iron in the diet. 
Soybeans contain less iron than garden peas and beans, but more man¬ 
ganese. 
The average results for nine varieties of clover show an iron content 
of nearly four times that of manganese. The average percentage of iron 
is about twice the iron content in soybeans, while the manganese con¬ 
tent is about the same. Alsike clover contains nearly 20 times as much 
iron as manganese. While white sweet clover contains a little more 
than 10 times as much iron as manganese, yellow sweet clover contains 
nearly equal amounts of each of these elements. Both the white and 
yellow sweet clover seeds had been decorticated. The iron content of 
Japan clover is about twice that of manganese. The clovers contain 
considerably more iron than any of the other species of seeds examined. 
In the grasses, redtop contained more than three times as much man¬ 
ganese as iron, while bluegrass contained more than four times as much 
iron as manganese. Orchard grass contained more than twice as much 
manganese as iron. 
White and yellow field corn contained the smallest amounts of iron 
and manganese of any seed examined. Since most of the iron and man¬ 
ganese contained in com is found in the germ and bran and since the 
food products of com as they are prepared to-day exclude these parts 
of the grain, it is evident that such food products would be practically 
a negligible source of manganese. 
Hemp seed contained relatively large and nearly equal amounts of 
iron and manganese. The largest amounts of iron were found in Alsike 
clover, bluegrass, Japan clover, hemp, and redtop, respectively, while 
the largest amounts of manganese were found in redtop, Japan clover, 
orchard grass, hemp, and bluegrass, respectively, Japan clover seed 
retains the calyx and pod, which may account for its high manganese 
content. 
It is to be noted that the manganese content is much less than the 
iron content in legumes, whereas in cereals the iron and manganese 
contents are more nearly equal. 
Seeds containing the most iron did not contain the largest amounts 
of manganese. In the grasses there appears to be considerable fluctua¬ 
tion in the iron and manganese content in one variety as compared with 
another. Thus manganese is in excess in redtop while iron predominates 
in bluegrass. 
CONCLUSIONS 
The average manganese content of the seeds of wheat and oats pro¬ 
duced under natural conditions in the soil is equal to the average amount 
of iron found. 
The amount of manganese in the seeds of legumes is much less than 
the iron content. 
The amount of iron and manganese found in grasses showed consider¬ 
able fluctuations with varieties, but the average results are nearly equal. 
