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[nafex] Re: honeylocust pods



--- In nafex@egroups.com, "R. Keith Etheridge" <grandpa@c...> wrote:
> Does anyone on this list have any experiance regarding the 
utilization of whole honeylocust pods by goats?
> Keith Etheridge
> Central Illinois

I don't have any experience, but deer and cattle eat them for the 
sweet pulp around the seeds. The seeds are not digested but are 
scarified by the animal's digestive system and so prepared for 
germination. The scientific opinion seems to be that honey locusts 
evolved to use deer and other large herbivores of the North American 
past to distribute their seeds.

I seem to recall that honey locust pods, and carob pods, have been 
collected and ground (including the seeds) for livestock feed in the 
past. See the book "Tree Crops" by J. Russell Smith (Devin-Adair, 
1950?) which should be fairly widely available in libraries.

I have a rather vague memory of reading that when used as a major 
constituent of livestock feed, ground honey locust pods were slightly 
toxic to animals or their digestive systems, presumably because of 
something in the seeds. You might want to check up on this.

If you look at a recent Pomona, you will see that we have a Honey 
Locust consultant in NAFEX, and he may be able to advise you further.

NAFEX member Gregory Williams of 750 Black Lick Road, Gravel Switch, 
Kentucky 40328, may have the information you need. I recall that 
about 20 years ago he was doing considerable literature research on 
tree crops in general and was collecting cultivars of honey locust.

Members of the Northern Nut Growers Association may know something 
about this question. There used to be considerable interest in honey 
locust as a tree crop and some work must have been done.

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada