May s, 1923 
Nutritive Value of the Georgia Velvet Bean 
439 
It has already been stated that Sherman, Rouse, Allen, and Woods {4) 
found that wheat in certain proportions supplemented milk to the extent 
of enabling mother rats to rear their yoimg successfully, and on these 
diets they secured normal nutrition through three generations. The 
authors found in an extensive study of the nutritive value of the Georgia 
velvet bean that the velvet bean seed, a legume, supplements whole milk 
to the extent that three generations have been secured, all of the animals 
having performed even a little better than normal in their rate of growth. 
Even on such a simple and poorly constituted physical diet as that com¬ 
posed of 40 per cent velvet bean hay, 60 per cent starch, and a liberal 
supply of skimmed milk, three generations have been successfully pro¬ 
duced by the authors. 
The leaf of the Georgia velvet bean is an efficient carrier of salts and 
vitamineB. Portions of the leaf (10 and 26 per cent) added to 53 per cent 
of the seed improved the nature of growth considerably from the stand¬ 
point of both salts and the B vitamine, respectively. The hulls, however, 
seem to have no biological value. The authors' results show, however, 
that they interfere with the utilization of the A vitamine when added to a 
60 per cent intake of the seed in the same proportion in which thiey occur 
in the seed. It might be argued that the inferior growth obtained by the 
addition of 7 per cent hulls could be due to a reduction of the total plane 
of intake from 60 to 53 per cent. However, such is not the case, because 
comparable growth was obtained when only 20 per cent of the seed, with¬ 
out the hulls, served as the only source of vitamine A. 
The composition of velvet bean hulls, as reported by Tracy and Coe 
{7» P- 3^)i is as follows: 
Percent 
Ash. 6. o 
Cnide protein. 5.7 
Fiber. 30.0 
Nitrogen-free extract.... 57. o 
Fat... 1.1 
It will be noted from the above table that the hulls are very abundant 
in fiber, or indigestible celluloses. It seems reasonable, therefore, to sug¬ 
gest that the interference of the hulls with the utilization of vitamine A 
may be attributed to their indigestible celluloses. Autoclaving the hulls 
for two hours at 15 pounds pressure did not change the nature of their 
disturbing effect. 
SUMMARY 
(1) The velvet-bean seed (cooked) when fed at a level of 60 per cent 
together with 40 per cent dextrin, and velvet-bean hay (whole plant) 
when fed at a 40 per cent plane of intake together with 60 per cent starch, 
supplement milk in a manner satisfactory for growth and reproduction. 
(2) The Georgia velvet-bean leaf is quite abundant in the B vitamine 
and contains salts of excellent biological value. 
(3) The hulls have no supplementary value, and interfere with the utili¬ 
zation of the A vitamine in the seed. Autoclaving for two hours at 15 
pounds pressure did not change their disturbing effect. 
