value. The law does prevent an inferior feed being offered for sale as a 

 high-grade product. 



The dealer, in purchasing feed from the manufacturer, and the con- 

 sumer in purchasing feed from the dealer, should make the specifica- 

 tion that the feed delivered must comply with the New Hampshire Com- 

 mercial Feed Law. If the feed is not registered ; if the protein, fat, and 

 crude fiber are not guaranteed ; and if the ingredients of which the feed 

 is composed are not plainly stated on the bag or on a tag attached there- 

 to, the purchaser is not protected by the law. He has no recourse under 

 the commercial feed law if the feed he purchases is of inferior quality. 

 If the buyer fails to assure himself that the legal requirements have 

 been met, he accepts the feedingstuffs at his own risk. 



The cost of a feedingstuffs inspection is a fraction of a cent per 

 100-pound bag sold. The funds for this inspection are allocated by the 

 State for this purpose since each brand of feed sold must be registered 

 and a registration fee paid annually by the manufacturers as provided 

 by law. 



TERMS USED IN REPORTING ANALYSIS 



The terms used in reporting the chemical analysis of a f eedingstuff 

 as required by law, are briefly defined as follows: PROTEIN is a collec- 

 tive term for a considerable group of compounds, all of which contain 

 nitrogen. Ingredients high in protein are usually more expensive than 

 the other ingredients, therefore, protein is one of the most important 

 nutrients determining the commercial value of a feedingstuff. The 

 nutritional value of the proteins varies widely ; therefore, a feedingstuff 

 should contain protein from several sources to insure inclusion of all 

 essential types. FAT is separated from the other components of a feed- 

 ingstuff by extracting the moisture-free sample with anhydrous ether. 

 In such ingredients as the cereals, the seed-meals, and animal products, 

 the extract is nearly pure fat. Some ingredients such as alfalfa meal 

 contain some other soluble material which is not fat. When sulphur is 

 present, the "ether extract" or "fat found" is much too high, since sul- 

 phur is soluble in anhydrous ether. CRUDE FIBER is composed of cel- 

 lulose and related compounds. Since crude fiber has little feeding 

 value, the law requires that the maximum fiber be guaranteed rather 

 than the minimum, as in protein and fat. 



There are times when it is desirable to determine the moisture, or 

 water, present in a feed. Any material in contact with the air will 

 absorb or release some moisture depending upon the humidity and the 

 kind of material. Since feeds are in contact with the air and since the 

 moisture content varies somewhat with the moisture of the surroundings, 

 it is the usual custom to report the analysis of a feed on the basis as it is 

 used, rather than on a perfectly dry basis. The ash or total mineral 

 matter content is of value at times and is obtained by burning a sample 

 of the feed until all of the carbon is removed and only the minerals re- 

 main. The nitrogen-free extract contains the more soluble carbohy- 

 drates such as sugars and certain simple cellulose materials. The term 

 carbohydrates includes the nitrogen-free extract plus the crude fiber. 

 The nitrogen-free extract and carbohydrate content of a feed is deter- 



