In contrast with the abundant data available on the composition of cow's milk, information on ewe's milk is relatively sparse. Among the more extensive analyses which have been published are those

ASHTON 6 WILLIAMS-PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS OF OATS. I 505known of the cause of such variations and they are not revealed by conventional flour-testing methods. The effects of wheat variety and growth conditions on the lipid composition of these cereals and of the flours derived from them and the relation of lipid composition to baking quality could be of fundamental importance, but have been little investigated. If quantitative methods for the separation and characterization of flour lipids can be established, the solution of such problems would be greatly facilitated.

1. This paper provides further information on the mineral content of the milk of Clun Forest ewes, particularly those elements not dealt with in a previous paper, namely, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and certain trace elements.2. The average composition was as follows: calcium 0.200, magnesium 0.0147, sodium 0.046, potassium 0.168, phosphorus 0.140 and chlorine 0.076%; copper 0.22, iron 0.77, manganese 0.07 and aluminium 1.7 parts per million. Where possible the results are compared with those obtained by other workers for ewe's and cow's milk.3. Statistical analysis of the data showed that, with the exception of phosphorus, the content of major elements varied significantly during the lactation period. There was also a significant variation in all major elements between sheep.

Anthoxanthuln species are unusual among British grasses in their content of coumarin, a compound whose presence in sweet clover (MeZiZotus alba) has been alleged to give rise to the production of the anticoagulant dicoumarol in ' sweet clover disease '. By chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques, 7-hydroxycoumarin 6-glucoside (aesculin) and o-hydroxyhydrocinnamic (melilotic) acid, trans-2-hydroxycinnamic (o-coumaric) acid, and 4-hydroxycinnamic (9-coumaric) acid were found in annual sweet vernal ( A . puelzi) and sweet clover. 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxycinnamic (ferulic) acid was also found in annual sweet vernal, and 7-hydroxycoumarin in sweet clover. Dicoumarol formation was studied in spoilt (i.e., mouldy) hay made from perennial sweet vernal (Anthoxanthuln odoratum). The hay contained very small amounts of dicoumarol, and larger amounts were present when the hay was inoculated with Penicillium jenseni and when formaldehyde was added. During spoilage the coumarin content o€ the hay decreased while the related compounds increased in amount and reached a steady value in about 4 weeks.Although the coumarins and related compounds of annual sweet vernal and sweet clover are virtually the same, much higher levels of dicoumarol were found in the latter after spoilage, possibly because, under the conditions of the experiment, it became more mouldy than the former.Experiments with a mixed oatgrass/cocksfoot hay indicated that added trans-.--hydroxycinnamic acid and not coumarin gave rise to 4-hydroxycoumarin which reacted with formaldehyde to produce dicoumarol. This suggests that this acid and not coumarin is the precursor of dicoumarol.The very small amounts of dicoumarol found in spoilt perennial sweet vernal hay, and the results of earlier experiments in which such hay was fed t o sheep and rabbits, do not suggest that the increased use of Anthoxanthum species in pastures would lead to detrimental effects. IntroductionThe occurrence of coumarin in most species of sweet clover appears to reduce the palatability of the crop ; under certain conditions it is said to be converted to the anticoagulant dicoumarol (3,3-methylene-bis-4-hydroxycoumarin), the toxic principle in sweet clover di~ease.l-~ This disease is characterised by a low clotting power of the blood with extensive and frequently fatal haemorrhages in such animals as cattle and sheep. Sweet vernal ( A . odoratum) is the only common British grass that contains considerable amounts of coumarin and, although of little agricultural importance a t present, it is a common constituent of permanent pasture ; it may be more widely used following the study and testing of improved selections of this grass by Borril at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station. The present work is an extension of earlier studies on the coumarin content of this grass in which the related compounds were estimated as a single fraction.4> In view of their possible rBle in dicoumarol formation, they have now been identified in fresh plant material and in spoilt hay. The annual form of sweet vernal...

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