No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 343 



It will be of interest to you gentlemen to learn some of the prob- 

 lems with which the Department has been confronted during the 

 past year. In former reports I took up the subject of the analysis 

 and composition of the various feeds being sold on our markets. This 

 information has been from time to time, also published in our annual 

 bulletin, therefore, I will not take up your time by again going over 

 this subject in detail. This information can be obtained by getting the 

 last Feeding Stutt's Bulletin No. 249. In watching out for foreign 

 materials which might be used as ingredients in mixed feeds, the 

 chemists identified a by-product, which was in the form of a light 

 colored finely ground substance, as being vegetable ivory. It was dis- 

 covered that this product was the ground residues or borings and 

 cuttings from the manufacture of buttons from the ivory nut. This 

 nut resembles true ivory in its color and texture hence its name, and 

 it grows on a specie of palm tree in South America. This ground 

 up button borings, from what we could learn, is likely to be put into 

 mixed feeds and sold in states where they do not have a rigid en- 

 forcement of the feeding stulfs law. It has no feeding value what- 

 ever, and as a result of our finding out the character of this ma- 

 terial, we are now prepared to identify it if it is ever used as an 

 ingredient in feeds sold in our State. 



Another product that certain dealers tried to sell in our State as 

 an ingredient in mixed feeds is a substance known as "Peat" and 

 which in some cases is called "Humus." This material is dug out of 

 the bogs and lowlands of the West. Feeding value is claimed for it 

 when used or mixed with molasses in these kind of feeds. As a re- 

 sult of the investigation and study of this material, the Department 

 has refused to register feeds containing it or to permit its sale in the 

 State for the reason that as it contained approximately 13% of in- 

 soluble matter. It was not believed to have any feeding value. 



Another problem to which considerable attention has been given 

 is in keeping Avhole weed seeds out of chicken feeds, as required b}^ 

 the law. The character of chicken feeds sold in the State is getting 

 better and better each year; however, there has been a few brands 

 found which contains them. And in several cases it was found neces- 

 sary to take action against the parties handling them. As a result 

 of this work, and after a conference with the officials of one com- 

 pany, it was finally agreed by this company to keep whole weed seeds 

 out of their chicken feeds which were being sold in the State without 

 causing a lengthy court trial to be held to settle the contention of 

 the Department. The promise of this concern, as well as of others 

 who sell chicken feeds to comply with the requirements of the law, 

 will tend to make this class of feeds better than ever before. It will 

 also not be necessary for the department to analyze so many samples 

 of this brand and be continually on the watch for this form of viola- 

 tion. One class of feeds with which we had considerable trouble 

 early in the enforcement of the law, was the so-called molasses feeds. 

 A few years ago these feeds contained large amounts of whole weed 

 seeds and other adulterants, but at the present time this class of 

 feeds sold in our State are practically free from whole weed seeds. 

 The various kinds of grain screenings that are usually used in the 

 manufacture of molasses dairy feeds, and Avhich contain varying 

 amounts of cereal grains and weed seeds, are now being finely 

 ground, pulverized and in some cases bolted before they are used. 



