The microscope is invaluable for identi- 

 fying ingredients and harmful weed seeds 

 in feeds. 



mixed feeds, mineral supplements, 

 and animal tonics. To prevent the 

 use of exaggerated claims, analysis 

 of the products is necessary. 



Animal Diet Superior 



We all know that vitamins are 

 necessary in the human diet. Mt- 

 amins in animal feeds are just as im- 

 portant. Commercial feeds provide 

 animals with a far more adequate 

 and a far better balanced diet than 

 the diet of most humans. No stone 

 is left unturned by research workers 

 in their zeal to produce a feed com- 

 posed of ingredients so scientifically 

 blended that not a single nutritional 

 factor is lacking. By comparison, 

 the human diet is usually a hap- 

 hazard collection of food items that 

 may or may not provide the required 

 amounts of vitamins and minerals. 

 Of course, a daily fare of dairy ration 

 or poultry mash would hardly be an 

 attractive dish for humans. 



Many Samples Analyzed 



Drugs, including nitrophenide and 

 sulfaquinoxaline, are used in poultry 

 rations to prevent such diseases as 

 coccidiosis. Enheptin, for example, 

 is added to turkey feeds to prevent 

 blackhead disease. Other drugs such 

 as nitrosal act as growth stimulants 

 as well. 



Most of these drugs are effective 

 only when present in concentrations 

 that can vary only slightly. If too 

 little of the drug is present, it does 

 not produce the desired effect. On 

 the other hand, if present in only a 

 moderate excess over the guaranteed 

 amount, the drugs may be toxic. 

 Since some of the drugs are present 

 in amounts of only .0125 percent, it 



is a difficult task to mix the drug 

 into the feed so that it is uniformly 

 distributed. Some of the drugs de- 

 teriorate if the feed is stored for a 

 considerable time Therefore, it is 

 frequently necessary to analyze 

 feeds containing drugs to make cer- 

 tain that neither too little nor too 

 much of the drug is present. 



Each year the Control Service re- 

 ceives many samples of feed suspec- 

 ted of being deficient in vitamins or 

 some other nutritional factor or of 

 causing the death of livestock be- 

 cause of the presence of toxic in- 

 gredients. Sometimes the stomach 

 contents and viscera of dead animals 

 are submitted for analysis in cases 

 of suspected poisoning. These 

 samples necessitate tests for such 

 chemicals as arsenic, lead, cyanide, 

 DDT, and parathion. 



The state institutions that have 

 poultr>' or livestock buy feeds that 

 must be mixed by contractors ac- 

 cording to specifications given by 

 the state purchasing agent. The 

 Control Service receives over 1000 

 feed samples a year from the lots de- 

 livered to these institutions. These 

 feeds are examined microscopically 

 and tested chemically whenever 

 necessary. They are accepted or re- 



