REQUEST BY INDIVIDUALS FOR THE ANALYSIS 

 OF FEEDINGSTUFFS 



Under the feedingstuffs law the Agriculture Experiment Station 

 is charged only with the analysis of samples of feedingstuffs collected 

 by the State Inspector under the direction of the Commissioner of 

 Agriculture. It does, each year, however, analyze a considerable 

 number of samples drawn by individuals representing stock purchased 

 by them for their own use. Frequently the reason for sending the 

 sample is that the feed is suspected of causing sickness or death of 

 livestock or poultry. While in very rare instances the feed may have 

 caused the trouble, disease is usually found to be the cause. Many 

 times feeders, suspecting the feed, lose valuable time in the treatment 

 of the disease by sending a sample of the feed for analysis and waiting 

 for the report. Losses could have been reduced had a veterinarian 

 or poultry specialist been consulted immediately and proper treatment 

 given promptly. The most conclusive method of determining whether 

 or not the feed is the cause of the trouble is a biological test. Such 

 a test can be conducted on the premises of the feeder. If chicks have 

 died and the feed is suspected, confine in sanitary pens two lots of 

 healthy chicks. Give to one lot the suspected feed and to the other 

 lot a feed known to be good. Should the chicks receiving the suspected 

 feed become ill and the others remain healthy, there is evidence the 

 feed is the cause. Under such circumstances, notify the Commissioner 

 of Agriculture and an official sample will be drawn. The official 

 sample will be analyzed to determine if the manufacturer is responsible. 



The most common reason the purchaser has for asking to have 

 the sample analyzed is to satisfy himself whether the feed meets 

 its guarantee and if it does not, to obtain evidence upon which to 

 base a claim for shortage. The Station can assume no responsibility 

 for the drawing of an unofficial sample but can attest only the accuracy 

 of the analysis of the sample as submitted. It is practically impossible 

 to secure a representative sample of a feedingstuff composed of sev- 

 eral ingredients varying widely in composition without the aid of a 

 sampling tube for drawing the sample and proper equipment for mixing 

 it. A feed may contain as one of its ingredients gluten meal averaging 

 40 per cent protein, and as another ingredient oat mill feed averaging 

 5 per cent protein. These materials are so different in physical con- 

 dition that the shaking in transit tends to seperate them even though 

 they may have been perfectly mixed by the manufacturer before 

 bagging. It is apparent that an accurate sample of a ton of this feed 

 can only be had by drawing a core from several bags. The official 

 method requires ten. Since a representative sample is as essential 

 as an accurate analysis in judging the value of a shipment of feed, it 

 is evident that a satisfactory adjustment can seldom be effected on 

 the basis of an unofficial sample. 



Notwithstanding the objections which may be raised to the an- 

 alysis of samples taken without proper sampling equipment, the Station 

 is disposed to continue this work as long as there is evidence that it 

 constitutes a useful service. The samples so submitted should be 

 drawn from at least ten bags in a manner which will insure that the 



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