DESCRIPTION OF FEEDING-STUFFS 225 



succeed in this direction has not prevented dozens 

 of manufacturers of cattle powders and similar 

 preparations from claiming, without any investi- 

 gation, that they have been successful. The greater 

 the ignorance of these people the more persistently 

 do they push forward their so-called discoveries, 

 which serve only to obtain other people's money. 

 For of what are these powders largely composed ? 

 Only quite ordinary substances as a rule, such as 

 common salt, Glauber's salt, bicarbonate of soda, 

 charcoal, powdered sulphur, bone-ash, etc. 



In order that these powders may smell or taste 

 like a chemist's shop they are mixed with all sorts of 

 rubbish from the manufacture of drugs with a little 

 fennel, aniseed, gentian root, locust bean, etc., accord- 

 ing to whatever is most convenient. Testimonials as 

 to the favourable effect of the powders are naturally 

 not forgotten, but the value of such testimony is well 

 known, for often a packet of the powders is bought 

 simply to get rid of a persistent seller, and the next 

 time when the man appears with a ready-prepared 

 testimonial the former buyer is glad to sign it so 

 as to be left in peace. Even so-called experts 

 who have never conducted an investigation on 

 the question of animal nutrition can be suborned 

 by high remuneration for this, as for any other 

 fraud. 



It is therefore the urgent duty of all those who 

 enjoy the confidence of their fellow- workers to 

 Q 



