MISCELLANEOUS FEEDS 213 



tions similar to those that prevailed in these experiments, the addi- 

 tion of a stock feed to the ration is a positive disadvantage, both 

 with reference to the production of the animals and the relative 

 cost of the production. 



Home-made Stock Tonics. If a farmer considers it necessary 

 to use stock feeds for animals in poor condition of health, off feed, 

 or ailing in one way or another, that is not plainly a case for a 

 veterinarian to attend to, it would seem that the better plan would 

 be to buy the separate ingredients at a drug store and mix them in 

 the proportions indicated below. He will save money thereby and 

 will have the satisfaction of knowing just what he is feeding his 

 stock and of feeding it in a much more concentrated form than in 

 the case of commercial preparations. The following three mixtures 

 of drugs, etc., have been suggested by the Vermont station 5 and the 

 Iowa station (Formula 3) : 



Formula 1. Ground gentian, one pound; ground ginger, 14 pound; 

 powdered saltpeter, % pound; powdered iron sulfate, % pound. Mix and 

 give one tablespoonful in feed once daily for ten days, omit for three days, 

 and feed as above for ten days more. 



Formula 2. Fenugreek, y 2 pound; ginger, y a pound; powdered gentian, 

 y 2 pound; powdered sulfur, % pound; potassium nitrate, y 2 pound; resin, y a 

 pound ; cayenne pepper, % pound ; ground (iaxseed meal, 3 pounds ; powdered 

 charcoal, 1% pounds; common salt, iy 2 pounds; wheat bran, 6 pounds. 



Formula 3. Powdered gentian, 1 pound; powdered ginger, 1 pound; 

 fenugreek, 5 pounds; common salt, 10 pounds; bran, 50 pounds; oil meal, 

 50 pounds. 



Summary. 7 The evidence at hand with regard to condimental 

 stock feeds shows that there is practical unanimity of opinion 

 among scientific men who have given the subject special study, in 

 regard to several points connected with these so-called feeds or 

 tonics. 



1. They are of no benefit to healthy animals when fed as 

 directed, either as to increasing the digestibility of the feed eaten 

 or rendering it more effective for the production of meat, milk, 

 wool, etc. 



2. They are of no benefit as a cure-all for diseases of the various 

 classes of live stock; neither do they possess any particular merit in 

 case of specific diseases, or for animals out of condition, off feed, 

 etc., since only a small proportion of ingredients having medicinal 



6 Bulletin 104. 



6 Bulletin 87. 



7 Condensed from Wisconsin Bulletin 151, "Condimental Stock Feeds," 

 by the author (May, 1907, 40 pp.). Bibliography on stock feeds up to 1907 

 is given in this bulletin. 



