430 Composition and Nutritive Value of Cotton-cake. 



meal, and clover-hay. Mr. Fryer enclosed the following report 

 of the veterinary surgeon : — 



" Surgeon's Post-mortem Examination. 



*' Internal and external appearance healthy, nothing inflammatory. Paimcli 

 enormously distended with food. The manifold (I speak as butchers speak) 

 crammed and jammed full of substance like tough dou2:h rolled haid and 

 adhering to the folds. Lower stomach quite empty. The duodenum, for 24 

 inches in length, entirely blocked up with two or more pormds of the irretiular- 

 shapen concave and comminuted husks. Upon comparing them microscopically 

 with the cake before eaten, they were found to be identical." 



This report leaves no doubt about the cause of death. The 

 distension of the first bowels was evidently caused by cotton- 

 husks, which, I am informed, were pressed so tightly into the 

 bowel as to give externally the appearance of stones. 



On examining Mr. Fryer's cotton-cake, I found it to contain 

 more than half its weight of cotton-husk. I am inclined to think 

 that this cake was prepared by pressing the refuse from the 

 manufacture of decorticated cotton-cake with a small quantity of 

 cotton-seed. 



Cakes similar to that forwarded by Mr. Fryer have been 

 lately sent to me for examination. I am glad to have reported 

 them unfit for feeding purposes, having suspected the hard husks 

 of common cotton-cake as likely to do harm. Mr. Fryer's case 

 shows that my suspicion was not altogether imaginary, and con- 

 firms the opinion expressed above respecting the feeding value of 

 ordinary cotton-cake. 



Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, 

 December, 1858. 



XVIII. — Directions for Working Portable Steam- Engines, and 

 keeping them in Proper Order. By Messrs. Ransome and Sems. 



EeSPECTED Friend, Ipswich, December, 1858. 



Referring to thy request to us on this subject, we now 

 have the pleasure to hand thee some directions which we have 

 prepared in reference to the management of Agricultural Steam- 

 Engines. It is especially desirable that they should not only be 

 observed by the engine-man, but be studied by the proprietor 

 and employers. Hoping that we may have carried out thy view^. 



We are thine respectfully, 



Ransomes and Sims. 

 H, S. Thompson, Kirby Hall, York. 



