CONSUMPTION OF LINSEED-CAKE. 319 



It must be recollected that these statistics have reference 

 to linseed- cake alone; besides which the consumption 

 of other oil cakes, as "rape," " cotton-seed/' " earth-nut," 

 and others, is increasing in even greater proportion. Each 

 year our farmers have to rely more and more on these im- 

 portant food-substances for the manufacture of the beef 

 and mutton we require for our consumption, and for the 

 supply of manure they require for their crops ; for, even in 

 a manurial point of view alone, the fertilizing value of the 

 imported food would follow very closely on that assigned 

 to the purely manuring substances themselves. No facts 

 are better calculated than these to impress upon us the 

 importance of a proper knowledge of the composition and 

 characteristic qualities of the different kinds of oil-cakes 

 we meet with in the markets, without which, indeed, our 

 purchases must always be made at a great disadvantage. 

 Opportunities frequently occur for purchasing oil-cake of 

 different kinds at prides considerably below their real 

 food value; while, on the other hand, cakes and other 

 feeding substances are introduced to the markets at prices 

 far beyond what they are actually worth. 



Dr. Anderson's paper gives the results of his investigation 

 of the whole series of oil-cakes known in our markets, and 

 is well worth the careful perusal of all interested in stock- 

 feeding experiments. His observations on the oil-cake, 

 the produce of our present subject, the "Max Crop/' not 

 only form the most recent of our numerous contributions 

 to the same .subject, but are so clearly and intelligibly ex- 

 pressed, that we cannot do better than give them in his 

 own words: " Linseed-cake, which is the staple, and 

 much more extensively consumed than any others, when 

 of good quality, differs but little in composition. The 

 average composition, deduced from a large number of 

 analyses, may be taken as follows : 



