254 THE FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



ing in warm water, the maize kernels are crushed into a 

 coarse powder. The various parts separate in water by 

 gravity, the hulls floating on the surface and the germs 

 sinking to the bottom. The starch and harder portions 

 of the kernel remain in suspension in the water, which is 

 conducted slowly through long troughs, where the starch 

 settles to the bottom and the more glutinous portions 

 float off and are recovered. 



It is now easy to see how these various by-products 

 may differ widely. When made up largely of the hulls 

 or bran they are characterized by a relatively high pro- 

 portion of fiber with comparatively low percentages of 

 protein and fat. The presence of the germs increases the 

 relative amount of protein somewhat and of the fat very 

 greatly. The fine glutinous part, that is finally separated 

 from the starch, when unmixed with other materials is 

 distinguished by its high content of protein. 



As found in the market, the principal brands are corn 

 bran, gluten meal, that comes from the flinty portion of 

 the kernel, and gluten feed, which is now a mixture of 

 hulls, the gluten part, and the steep water residue. When 

 unmixed with other parts of the kernel, the hulls are also 

 known as corn bran and the germ portion from which the 

 oil has been pressed is called, when ground, germ oil meal. 

 The corn bran contains the least protein and the gluten 

 meal the most, while the gluten feed and germ oil meal 

 occupy a position between these. 



In recent years the practice has been adopted of add- 

 ing to the gluten feeds the solids found in what is known 

 as the steep water, that is, the water in which the maize 

 kernel and its parts have been soaked during the process 

 of separation of one part from another. This steep water 

 contains all that is soluble in the maize kernel or has 



