67. The Nutritive Value of Proteins for Milk Production. II. A Comparison of the Proteins of Blood Meal, Pea Meal, Decorticated Earth-Nut Cake, and a Mixture of Decorticated Earth-Nut Cake and Flaked Maize

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Abstract
The results of the present experiments and of those reported in the previous paper(1) may be summarised as follows: 1. When minimal quantities of protein are fed in the production rations of milking cows, a deficiency of either lysine or tryptophane will lead to a marked reduction in milk yield. There is, however, some evidence of the storage of reserve N, which can be utilised when the food protein is inadequate. 2. The feeding of a lysine- or tryptophane-deficient ration causes a marked increase in urinary N, indicating a poor utilisation of food protein. On the other hand, the feeding of a ration containing adequate quantities of these essential amino acids reduces the urinary N, indicating efficient protein utilisation. 3. The utilisation of body tissue in an attempt to maintain normal milk production on a deficient protein ration is shown by the high creatine excretion. The fact that the S: N ratio of the excess sulphur and nitrogen excreted during the deficient protein periods approximates that of body tissue (circa 1: 15·7) confirms this conclusion.