The Bulletin. 17 



Molasses is a carbohydrate, and when properly mixed with ma- 

 terials which contain protein and fat makes a very satisfactory feed. 

 The only danger in buying this class of goods is that some manufac- 

 turers use the molasses to cover up worthless adulterants in the 

 feeds. 



Mill screenings have been found to compose a large part of some of 

 these feeds. This introduces into the feed a large quantity of weed 

 seeds. Experiments at several Stations have shown that in many cases 

 weed seeds when fed to animals are not affected by the digestive 

 process, and hence a large amount viable weed seeds are left in the 

 manure. When feeds contain considerable amounts of weed seeds 

 the purchaser is not only paying for worthless materials, but is in- 

 troducing weeds on his land. Oat hulls, barley hulls and rice hulls, 

 all of which are practically worthless as feeds, have been found in 

 considerable quantities in some of these feeds. Two contained a 

 small amount of salt. This is not objectionable when it is used 

 in small amount and so stated on the package. 



From the tabulated analyses it will be seen that there ara several 

 brands of molasses feeds on the market which are of good quality, 

 and it will also be seen that there are several brands in which 

 the molasses is used merely as a cover for low-grade materials and 

 adulterants. As this is the case, the purchaser should buy these 

 feeds strictly on the basis of the analysis and ingredients of which 

 they are composed. 



ALFALFA FEEDS. 1 



The rapid growth of the industry of grinding alfalfa hay into 

 meal has recently put on the market a large number of mixed feeds 

 in which alfalfa is the principal ingredient. Various materials are 

 mixed with the meal to increase the percentage of fat and make them 

 more nearly balanced feeds. The materials which have been found 

 in the brands on the markets are as follows: Cracked corn, oats, 

 oat hulls, cotton-seed meal, linseed meal, corn meal, dried brewers' 

 grains, wheat bran and middlings. As will be seen from the analysis, 

 these feeds are composed of nutritious ingredients, and in only a few 

 cases have low-grade materials been introduced into them. 



COTTON-SEED MEAL FEEDS. 



Cotton-seed meal is mixed with varying amounts of hulls and sold 

 for feeding purposes- under a trade name or as cotton-seed meal 

 feed. Low-grade meal, or meal which does not come up to the 

 standard of 6.18 per cent nitrogen, is also sold largely for feed. In 

 such cases it should be branded as a feed and have a feed guarantee 

 in place of nitrogen guarantee. 



•For a fuller discussion of Alfalfa Feeds, see Circular No. 1 of the Division of Chemistry, 

 by G. M. MacNider. 



November — 2 



