INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FEEDSTUFFS 



By Philip H. Smiths 



During the past year 1,070 brands of feed have been registered for sale 

 by 223 manufacturers and dealers; 1,641 samples of feeding stuffs have been 

 collected and subjected to analysis; 176 dealers located in 104 towns and 

 cities have been visited by the feed inspector at least once. 



Of the 1,641 samples of feeding stuffs collected, only 96, or 5.9 per cent, 

 were found to be one per cent or more below their protein and fat guarantee, 

 or more than one per cent over the guarantee for fiber and in no case to such 

 an extent as to materially affect their feeding value. 



Especial attention should be called to feeding oatmeal, a by-product which 

 finds considerable favor as a food for poultry. In most instances the samples 

 of Alpine feeding oatmeal collected carried from 20 to 30 per cent of cereal 

 other than oats and one shipment was found to contain so much white corn 

 meal that it was subjected to seizure by the Federal authorities. It is quite 

 possible that this admixture of other cereal was not, with the exception of 

 added corn in one instance, a direct attempt at adulteration but rather due to 

 the fact that oats which had not been properly separated from other cereals, 

 dirt, and chaff were hulled and the resulting material ground and sold as feeding 

 oatmeal. 



Several samples of ground oats showed an exceptionally high fiber content. 

 These were shipped by Farmers' Service Bureau and Hood Mills Co., of 

 Baltimore, Maryland, both subsidiary companies of Frederick Obrecht & Son 

 of that city. Three samples contained 15.64, 16.20 and 15.15 per cent of fiber. 

 Other samples collected from this source were more nearly normal in fiber 

 content. The average fiber content of 61 samples of ground oats collected 

 during the year was 11 per cent. While it is possible to find oats which carry 

 as high a fiber content as the samples in question, they must be considered as 

 inferior in feeding value. 



A number of samples of ground oats showed a liberal admixture of barley 

 and wheat. While Federal standards allow for an admixture of other cereals 

 in certain grades, the mere grinding of "barley mixed oats" does not change 

 the product into "pure ground oats". The quality and grade of whole oats 

 can be determined in a general waj'^ by their appearance, which cannot be done 

 when they are finely ground. In justice to the purchaser ground oats should 

 be identified by a tag showing the grade of oats from which they are ground. 



Three samples of ground corn and oats (provender) were found to contain 

 approximately as much fiber as ground oats alone. A mixture of corn and 

 oats ground together in equal parts by weight should contain not more than 

 7 per cent of fiber. A higher percentage of fiber places the product under the 



iThe following staff members assisted in the inspection: Albert F. Spelman and John W. 

 Kuzmeski, Chemists; Frederick A. McLaughlin, Microscopist; James T. Howard, Inspector; 

 Cora B. Grover, Clerk. 



