EXPERIMENT STATION. 459 



eral addition of common salt, an article which would conform 

 to the composition claimed by the manufacturer of " The Con- 

 centrated Feed," and at the same time could be sold with a 

 good compensation to the agent, even in remote localities, at a 

 less price per ton than " The Concentrated Feed " sells for per 

 five hundred pounds. 



From remarks in previous pages it must be apparent that 

 a mere analysis of a fodder article, without any further reliable 

 information concerning its source and its special character, 

 is no safe basis for a decision regarding its particular value 

 for feeding purposes. The practice of buying compound feed- 

 stuffs in the general market, without a sufficient actual knowl- 

 edge regarding the kind or the character of their varied ingredi- 

 ents, ought to be decidedly discouraged ; for the farmer who 

 pursues that course leaves his best interests to mere chance. 

 To feed commercial compound feed-stuffs without some more 

 positive knowledge of the articles which constitute them can 

 impart but little useful information for future operation beyond 

 the lesson to be less credulous hereafter. 



3. ANALYSES OF FEED-STUFFS WITH REFERENCE TO THE 

 FERTILIZING CONSTITUENTS THEY CONTAIN. 



The composition of the various articles of food used in farm 

 practice exerts a decided influence on the manurial value of 

 the animal excretions resulting from their use in the diet of 

 different kinds of farm live-stock. The more potash, phos- 

 phoric acid, and in particular nitrogen, a fodder ingredient 

 contains, the more valuable will be, under otherwise corre- 

 sponding circumstances, the manurial residue left behind, after 

 it has served its purpose as a constituent of the food consmned. 



As the financial success in most farm managements depends 

 in a considerable degree on the amount, the character and the 

 cost of the manurial refuse material secured in connection with 

 the special farm industry carried on, it needs no further argu- 

 ment to prove that the relations which exist between the com- 

 position of the fodder and the value of the manure resulting, 

 deserves the careful consideration of the farmer, when devis- 



