7 
New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 99 
The facts displayed in the above figures are very suggestive. 
It appears that in both periods the animal excreted more calcium 
oxide than she received, and the somewhat surprising result is 
shown that the animal gave up from her body store much the larger 
amount of calcium compounds when the income of phosphorus was 
less than the outgo. This fact will be considered later. 
The supply of magnesium and potassium compounds was greater 
in the food in both periods than was the amount excreted. In fact, 
there was a storage of magnesium in both periods and especially of 
potassium in the period of low phosphorus feeding. It is not easy 
to draw from these facts the conclusion that the unlike physi- 
Ological influence of the two rations is due to a withdrawal from 
the bran of the bases under consideration. In both periods there 
was a Calcium balance against the animal and an apparently suffi- 
cient supply of both magnesium and potassium. Our knowledge of 
materia medica suggests, of course, that the larger supply of 
magnesium compounds in ration 1 may have had some influence of 
a laxative character and it is also conceivable that the greater 
amount of excreted potassium compounds may have increased the 
flow of urine. Outside of these suggestions it is difficult to even 
theorize as to why the extent of the supply of these bases should 
explain the physiological influences that are under discussion. The 
authors are inclined to the view that the compound known as 
phytin exerts specific physiological influences. | 
The supposed laxative effect of whole wheat bread.—lIt is gen- 
erally believed, how correctly is not definitely established, that 
whole wheat bread is a desirable food for persons of a constipated 
habit. This supposed influence is usually attributed to the effect 
of the coarser material upon the peristaltic action of the intestines. 
The outcome of this investigation very naturally suggested the 
thought that if whole wheat bread really possesses the laxative 
properties assigned to it, this may be due. to the amount of phytin 
it carries rather than to its mechanical condition. With this point 
in view, analyses were made of the milling products from a par- 
