THE MICROSCOPIC IDENTIFICATION 



OF 

 CATTLE FOODS. 



By G. H. Chapman. 

 INTRODUCTION. 



The microscopical examination of stock feeds, condimentals 

 and poultry feeds, that is, practically all the commercial feed- 

 ing stuffs of the United States, has not been taken up systemati- 

 cally to any great extent thus far. Although several books have 

 appeared dealing with the microscopical examination of vege- 

 table foods, spices and technical products, no single work has 

 appeared which has dealt exclusively with the microscopical ex- 

 amination of commercial feeding stuffs. This phase of microscopy 

 is becoming more and more important, as the number of 

 commercial feeds put out each year by various manufacturers 

 increases. 



The examination of stock feeds microscopically is much more 

 difficult in a way than the examination of vegetable foods, inas- 

 much as there are as a rule a great many different constituents in 

 a stock feed, especially in condimentals. The commercial 

 feeding stuffs may be enumerated briefly as follows: cotton- 

 seed meals, linseed meals, gluten meals, corn products, wheat 

 feeds, mixed feeds, sugar and molasses feeds, miscellaneous feeds, 

 proprietary stock feeds, animal meals and poultry feeds, and 

 these may be classed under a few general heads, viz: 1st, cereal 

 products, under which come the grains; 2nd, byproducts such as 

 linseed, cotton seed, corn cobs, malt sprouts, peanut residues, 

 distillers' grains and the like; 3rd, animal residues including ani- 

 mal meal, bone meal, dried blood; 4th, mineral residues such as 

 ground rock, ground oyster shells and sand; 5th, weed seeds. 

 Most condimental feeds contain in addition one or more drugs of 

 vegetable or mineral origin. Under the first may be placed such 

 substances as anise, capsicum, fennel, fenugrec, gentian and ginger. 

 Under the second head such chemicals as alum, calcium carbonate, 

 charcoal, iron oxide, resin, saltpetre and Epsom salts. 



It is especially important that in addition to having a thorough 

 knowledge of the appearance of the whole grain and its various 



