92 THE CREAMERY PATRON'S HANDBOOK. 



least. When such mixtures are sold for what they are, as for instance in 

 the case of cottonseed feed, no fraud is perpetrated, and the consumer is 

 left to make a free choice. 



So far as I have observed, the only danger of unfair dealing in the sale 

 of the wastes from the manufacture of starch from the maize kernel lies in 

 a failure to understand clearly the differences in these articles, and conse- 

 quently of buying corn bran instead of the more valuable gluten feed or 

 gluten meal. I suspect that in some instances finely ground corn bran has 

 been sold under the name light gluten, or special gluten, and it would be 

 very easy to mix such finely ground corn bran with the gluten meal or gluten 

 feed to the advantage of the dealer, because of the lower price of the bran. 



One of the most notorious adulterations now practiced is the mixing 

 of ground corn cobs or ground broom corn waste with wheat bran. A sam- 

 ple of this character came into my hands the other day. One of the feeds 

 licensed in the State of New York is such a mixture, and is guaranteed to 

 contain only 11 per cent, of protein, whereas pure bran contains from 15 to 

 16 per cent. This adulteration may easily be detected by any one who will 

 give a careful study to the general appearance of pure bran, and who has had 

 an opportunity to inspect the mixture. A deterioration of wheat offals is 

 also brought about by introducing into them various inferior mill wastes. 

 The presence of this inferior material is generally made evident by the hulls 

 and parts of weed seeds that may easily be seen. 



Taken as a class, various mixed feeds known under a great number of 

 names are probably the worst imposition now being practiced upon the 

 farmers in this country. In these the inferior ingredient is oat hulls. Oat 

 hulls are probably worth less than good cut oat straw. In fact, I consider 

 them inferior to any straw whatever. Two years ago we took a large number 

 of samples of so-called corn and oat feeds sold in the State of New York, and 

 we found very few that were not compounded by the use of a certain pro- 

 portion of oat hulls. The immediate responsibility here lies to quite an 

 extent with the local millers that are found scattered all over this and 

 other states. They can purchase these oat hulls, sometimes unground 

 and sometimes ground into a very fine condition so that they are not so 

 easily detected, at a very low price, and by introducing 25 per cent, by 

 weight of these hulls into corn or hominy, can produce a feed which 

 closely resembles genuine corn and oat chop, and which is sold at the 

 price of genuine goods. It is not difficult for one who will give the matter 

 a little attention to detect the differences between these inferior mixtures 

 and genuine corn and oats. The oat hulls present have a different appear- 

 ance, and none, of the crushed oat kernels can be seen in the oat hull 

 mixture. There are sold very generally throughout the country certain 

 proprietary feeds which in many cases are a mixture of several materials. 

 In many instances, these feeds are mixed by the manufacturers for the 

 sole purpose of disposing of their waste products, one of which, oat hulls, 

 could not find a sale in the market if not disguised by the presence of 



