T h e Comparative Biological Value of Crystalline Riboflavin, Alfalfa Leaf Meal, and Lespedeza Meals as Sources of Riboflavin for Chicks*

ALFALFA meals are generally used in- poultry rations as a source of vita-min A activity and riboflavin. The use of lespedeza meals in poultry feeding is not a common practice although the production of lespedezas has been increasing rapidly and their value as pasture, forage, and soil building crops is well recognized. Ringrose and Morgan (1940) reported that Korean and lespedeza sericea meals could be used to replace a similar amount of alfalfa leaf meal in poultry rations. Fur-ther work by these authors (1941) dem-onstrated that Korean lespedeza and lespe-deza sericea meals were excellent sources of vitamin A activity. They found that the carotenes of the lespedezas were as well utilized by the chick as those of dehy-drated alfalfa leaf meal. Ringrose and Morgan (1942) also re-ported on the use of lespedeza meals as a source of riboflavin for chicks. Slightly greater growth rates were obtained with Korean lespedeza meals (sun and shade cured) than with lespedeza sericea and de-hydrated alfalfa leaf meals when thes