New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 103 
upon. The fact that the nitrogen excretion was not increased 
during the feeding of the low phosphorus rations would indicate that 
there was no cleavage of the nucleo-proteid bodies stored in the 
tissues unless, indeed, it is possible for such cleavage to occur and 
leave the proteid component of these bodies intact. 
It would appear reasonable to expect that the deficiency in the 
phosphorus compounds of the food would be made good from the 
body supply of what may be called the circulatory phosphorus 
compounds, that is, those which are soluble or transferable. Facts 
are available which enable us to consider this point of view more 
or less intelligently. Emmett & Grindley®®* in their researches on 
the chemistry of the flesh of steers, have made a study of its phos- 
phorus content in various forms. Their results show that the 
total phosphorus from such flesh soluble in cold water ranged from 
146 per ct. to .257 per. ct., averaging approximately .2 per ct. Of 
this .12 per ct. consists of soluble inorganic phosphorus bodies, 
chiefly potassium phosphates, only about .08 per ct. being in the 
form of organic phosphorus compounds. 
In an experiment by Jordan®® concerning the relation of food 
to the growth and composition of the bodies of steers, it was 
found that the soft tissues of the bodies of the experimental ani- 
mals, exclusive of the blood and the contents of the stomach and 
itestines, represented about 51 per ct. of the total body weights. 
Assuming the same relations for the bodies of the animals in these 
experiments and that the soft tissues contain .2 per ct. of phos- 
phorus in soluble or transferable combinations, we find by compu- 
tation that the total quantity of such phosphorus would be approx- 
imately 525 and 450 grams for cows I and 2 respectively. The 
figures of the preceding tables show that there was one period at 
least in which the phosphorus deficiency approximated Io grams 
daily for 30 days. The question is, then, whether from the store 
of soluble phosphorus compounds an amount equal to 300 grams 
of phosphorus could be withdrawn without serious results to the 
animal’s health. That this could happen certainly seems im- 
probable. 
Attention has been called to tables 39-41, which shows the income 
and outgo of the oxides of calcium, magnesium and potassium 
“Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc., 28:25. 1906. 
* Maine Agr. Expt. Sta., Rpt. 1895, p. 36. 
