Coinjjosition and Nutritive Value of Cotton-cake. 423 



and fattening as other samples. Those who have been fortunate 

 enough to secure the best decorticated cake I doubt not will be 

 led by their experience to consider it a most valuable feeding 

 substance, whilst the experience of buyers of inferior cake, made 

 from the whole seed, must lead to a much less favourable prac- 

 tical opinion. 



1. Thin Decoeticated Cotton-cake. 



This cake, as mentioned already, is made from the shelled 

 seed. It has about the same thickness and shape as American 

 linseed-cake, but differs from the latter in outward appearance 

 and in composition. Tiie best decorticated cotton-cake has 

 a light yellow colour, and is free from any strong smell ; 

 neither has it any well-defined taste. It shows here and there 

 a few threads of cotton fibre, and contains very little of the 

 dark-brown coloured seed-shells. Mixed with water, in a roughly 

 powdered state, it does not become gelatinous like linseed- 

 cake, nor does it develop any pungent smell under this treat- 

 ment like rape-cake. 



Cotton-cake does not contain any large amount of mucilage, 

 nor anything that produces on mixing with water a volatile, 

 pungent, and injurious essential oil. 



Cattle often take at once to it, and even when fed upon linseed- 

 cake they soon get accustomed to the taste of cotton-cake, and 

 apparently eat it as readily as linseed-cake. 



In the following Table I have incorporated the results obtained 

 in the analysis of seven samples of decorticated cotton-cake ; — 



Composition of Decorticated Cotton-cake (Thin Cake). 



No.l. 



No. 2. 



No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. I No. 6. 



Water 



7-67 



Oil 14'93 



■■* Albuminous compounds (flesh-) 

 forming principles) / 



Gum, mucilage, sugar, and di-1 

 gestible fibre (heat-producing i 

 matters) J 



Cellulose (indigestible fibre) 



t Mineral matters (ash; 



43-21 



14-47 



11-45 



8-27 



8-27 9-01 I 10-37 



19-19 1 17-93 I 13-98 



42-62 I 41-81 40-68 



I 



12-25 I 13'67 I 18-88 



10-12 

 7-45 



8-80 



8-78 



9-01 



t7-08 



10-01 

 17-21 



40-48 



9-41 

 15-64 

 42-75 



18-09 I 14-83 



6-67 

 7-54 



7-71 

 9-66 



100-00 

 * Containing nitrogen 6-91 



t Containing sand 



earthy phosphates 

 alkaline salts, includ- 

 ing phosphoric acid 



100-00 

 6-82 



100-00 100-00 

 6-69 ' 6-58 



Not determined. 



•68 



