I. AGRICULTURE AND RURAL ECONOMY. 415 



plant. The hay used for these experiments was kept stored 

 during the winter, and was analyzed at the times of the ex- 

 periments in November, February, and April. 



In November the amount of nitrogenous material in the 

 bean-hay was 24 per cent.; in April it had fallen to 23.3 per 

 cent. During the same interval the nitrogenous material in 

 the aftermath decreased from 14.6 per cent, to 13.9 per cent. 

 There was likewise a decrease in the digestibility of the hay 

 during; this interval. In November 64.9 per cent, of the or- 

 ganic substance of the bean -hay was digested; in April 

 only 62.3 per cent. With the aftermath the decrease in di- 

 gestibility was greater, being in November 67.1 per cent., 

 in April 72. 7 per cent. The authors of the experiment con- 

 sider it undecided whether this less digestion was clue to 

 a loss of easily digestible parts of the plant or to an actual 

 decrease in the digestibility of the ingredients. The obser- 

 vations made in other experiments, particularly at Wunde, 

 substantiated by these, show that the crude fibre of grami- 

 naceous plants is considerably less digestible than that of 

 leguminous plants. 28 C, 1874, 339. 



PURE AND MIXED LINSEED CAKES. 



The journal for 1873 of the Royal Agricultural Society 

 of England contains a very valuable report by Professor 

 Voelcker on " The Characters of Pure and Mixed Linseed 

 Cakes." As chemist to the society, Dr. Voelcker often re- 

 ceives in a single year 150 or 200 samples of various kinds of 

 feedinsr-cakes and meals for examination. Some of the re- 

 suits of this extensive experience are presented in the report 

 referred to, which discusses the composition and characters 

 of pure linseed cakes, and the means of distinguishing genu- 

 ine from inferior or adulterated cakes ; the materials used in 

 the manufacture of mixed or compound feeding-cakes, and 

 the properties of various substances employed for adulterat- 

 ing linseed cake ; the composition and properties of inferior 

 and adulterated mixed cakes ; and the causes which render 

 feeding-cakes either poisonous or more or less injurious and 

 dangerous to the health of the stock. In order to find an ex- 

 planation of the remarkable difference in the quality of lin- 

 seed cakes, a large number of samples of commercial linseed 

 from various parts of the world were examined, and foreign 



