156 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



called " starch liquor, " which contains the starch, gluten, and fine particles 

 of fiber, is then passed slowly thru shallow, slightly inclined troughs where 

 the starch settles like wet lime, while the lighter ingredients the gluten, 

 fiber, etc. are carried off in the current of water. In this process there 

 are thus obtained, (1) the germ, from which corn oil and germ oil meal 

 or corn oil cake are secured, (2) the bran, consisting of the hulls, (3) 

 the starch, and (4) the gluten. The bran, together with some light 

 weight and broken germs, was formerly dried and sold as corn bran. 

 Also the gluten was dried, ground, and sold as gluten meal. Now, how- 

 ever, the bran and gluten are usually united while still wet, and then 

 dried and ground, the product being sold as corn gluten feed, or corn 

 starch by-product with corn bran f as it is sometimes called. 7 



210. Corn gluten feed. Formerly, the steep water, which contains the 

 soluble materials, such as soluble protein and phosphates, was allowed to 

 run to waste. It is now often evaporated and the residue, called corn 

 solubles, is added to the gluten feed. Gluten feed is rich in crude pro- 

 tein, contains a fair amount of carbohydrates and fat, and is bulkier 

 than corn. The protein content varies from 18 to over 29 per ct., 

 depending chiefly on how completely the starch has been removed. The 

 average protein content of high-grade gluten feed is 25.4 per ct. The 

 ash content ranges from less than 1 per ct. when the corn solubles have 

 not been added to 5 or 6 per ct. when this residue has been incorporated. 

 Owing chiefly to the acid nature of some of the protein and phosphorus 

 compounds naturally occurring in the corn solubles, gluten feed to which 

 these have been added has an acid taste unless the acid has been neutral- 

 ized in the process of manufacture. While the small amount of acid 

 present is probably not injurious to live stock, the feed is more pal- 

 atable when the acidity is neutralized, as is now usually done. 



Gluten feed is extensively used for dairy cows. (590) It contains 

 21.6 per ct. digestible crude protein, while wheat bran contains only 12.5 

 per ct., and it also furnishes more total digestible nutrients than bran. 

 It is therefore worth considerably more per ton than this feed. Gluten 

 feed may also be satisfactorily fed to beef cattle and sheep as a sup- 

 plement to rations low in protein. (757, 856) As the protein in gluten 

 feed is, of course, corn protein (201), gluten feed is not a satisfactory 

 supplement to corn or the other cereals for swine when fed as the only 

 supplement. Better results are secured when gluten feed is fed along 

 with tankage or dairy by-products. (981 ) 



211. Gluten meal. This by-product, now sometimes called corn by- 

 product without corn bran, is one of the richest of concentrates in crude 

 protein and fat, while fair in carbohydrates and low in mineral matter. 

 It is a heavy feed, and, as mentioned before, is usually mixed with corn 

 bran to form gluten feed. (491, 591, 981) As gluten meal is richer than 

 gluten feed in digestible crude protein, it is worth more per ton. 



7 Wagner, U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Chem., Bui. 122, 1909, Lindsey, Mass. (Hatch) 

 Bui. 78. 



