INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FEEDSTUFFS 



By Philip H. Smith' 



During the season extending from September 1, 1941, to May 1, 1942, 1,518 

 samples of feeding stuffs were collected and examined. For the first time in 

 many years, however, the results will not be published, as it is believed that, be- 

 cause of the scarcity of certain materials and enforced priorities, these results 

 would not form an accurate basis for judging commercial feedstuffs to be pur- 

 chased in the immediate future. With few exceptions the samples examined 

 corresponded closely to the required guarantees of protein, fat and fiber. In no 

 instance were they enough out of line to warrant prosecution. 



Considerable time has been spent upon matters which, while they are not a 

 part of the requirements of the feed control law, have direct relation to the value 

 of feeding stuffs. These include the carotene content of alfalfa meals, the ribo- 

 flavin content of various products, the manganese content of commercial poultrv 

 rations, and the protein quality index of meat and fish by-products. The results 

 of this work form the basis of the present bulletin. 



Since the use of dried skim milk in poultry feeds has been curtailed, poultry- 

 men have been forced to find substitutes which also carry a relatively high ribo- 

 flavin content. The dried solubles contained in distillery refuse appear to be an 

 important source. Dried distillers grains without the dried solubles are generally 

 sold as "light" distillers grains while those which contain the dried solubles are 

 sold as "dark" distillers grains. This terminology is not entirely correct, as faultv 

 drying may cause a dark product which does not carry the dried solubles. Pur- 

 chasers should demand distillers grains with dried solubles if they expect to ob- 

 tain a product with an appreciable riboflavin content. 



Our attention has been called to the use of ground whole wheat in various 

 grades of middlings. At certain times there has been a spread in price of about 

 ten dollars a ton between middlings and Government wheat, which lends plaus- 

 ibility to the assertion. The addition of ground wheat to middlings would de- 

 crease both the fat and fiber content. It is also probably true that certain mills 

 have modified their milling process to include a greater proportion of the wheat 

 berry in the flour with a consequent gain in the nutritive value of the flour at the 

 expense of the by-products. 



aik^ £ c t g ? members assisted in the inspection: John \V. Kuzmeski, H. Robert DeRose 

 Albert F. Spelman, Leo V. Crowley, and C. Tyson Smith, chemists; Frederick A MclauYhfn' 

 microscopist; James T. Howard, inspector; Cora B. Graver, Clerk ivici-augnnn, 



