The horse-chestnut as a source of food for livestock. I. The composition, digestibility and nutritive value of alcohol-extracted horse-chestnut meal, water-extracted horse-chestnut meal and horse-chestnut residue

Repeated attempts have been made, both during the recent war and the war of 1914–18, to make the store of starch and other nutrients in the horse-chestnut available for farm animals. Unfortunately, the extremely bitter taste of the horse-chestnut, due to the presence of saponins and, to a smaller extent, of tannins, has proved a severe obstacle, and horse-chestnuts have been found to be an unsuitable food for livestock both on account of their unpalatable character and their constipating action.