278 THE CHEMISTRY OF CATTLE FEEDING 



These remarks are also applicable in large measure to 

 niger cake, hempseed cake, and seasame cake. They resemble 

 rape cake more or less closely in composition and general 

 properties, but are now difficult to obtain. 



Earthnut Cake. When made from decorticated seed, 

 earthnut, or ground-nut cake compares favourably with 

 decorticated cotton cake in composition, and is, usually, not 

 inferior in other respects. It is very similar to the latter in 

 general properties, and may be used for the same purposes. 

 The greater concentration of the nutrients in the earthnut 

 cake is, of course, of no particular advantage to the purchaser 

 unless it can be obtained at the same or a lower price. The 

 undecorticated variety of earthnut cake is now comparatively 

 rare. It contains a considerable amount of fibre, and is 

 necessarily much inferior, weight for weight, to the other. 

 These cakes never became very popular in this country, and 

 are not easily obtainable. 



Cocoanut Cake. In recent years there has been an in- 

 creased demand for cocoanut oil. It is expressed from copra, 

 the dried fleshy part of the nut, and larger quantities of cocoa- 

 nut cake have been put on the market. The cake exhibits 

 the characteristic flavour and odour of the nut, and when 

 fresh it is relished by the animals. The oil, however, rapidly 

 goes rancid, and becomes very distasteful. 



Palmnut Cakes. Palm oil is expressed both from the 

 fleshy part of the nut which surrounds the kernel and from 

 the kernel itself. The cake produced from the latter should 

 be distinguished as palmnut kernel cake, but the two parts 

 are often crushed together. These cakes have a somewhat 

 rank but not altogether disagreeable flavour. As in the case 

 of cocoanut cake, however, the oil is apt to turn rancid. 



Cakes made from poppy seed, sunflower seed, indigo 

 seed, etc., are occasionally offered for sale, but not often in 

 this country. Mustard cake and castor cake should not be 

 used for feeding. Acorns and beechnuts are also undesirable. 

 They both contain considerable quantities of tannin or other 

 bitter, astringent principles which inhibit or retard the 

 processes of digestion. 



