THE OIL BY-PRODUCTS 207 



advisable to buy it in nut or pea sizes, as when sold in the 

 form of a fine meal it is easily adulterated with flax screen- 

 ings and when sold in the cake it is difficult to break up for 

 feeding, without the use of a power grinder. 



In the second, or '' new process," method the flaxseed is 

 crushed, heated with steam, and placed in large percolators. 

 It is then treated with naphtha, which dissolves out the oil. 

 It is again treated with steam to drive out the naphtha. It 

 is then dried, sacked, and marketed as new process hnseed 

 meal. The first method is most commonly used in this 

 country. Consequently, most of the Hnseed meal on the 

 American market is old process. The extraction method 

 removes the oil more thoroughly than the other method. 



The average chemical composition of old process Unseed 

 meal is as follows : water, 8.5 per cent ; ash, 5.2 per cent ; 

 crude protein, 34.3 per cent ; crude fiber, 8.5 per cent ; nitro- 

 gen-free extract, 36.4 per cent; and fat, 7.1 per cent. The 

 net energy value is 78.9 therms per 100 pounds. New pro- 

 cess linseed meal is higher in protein, but contains only a 

 small amount of fat. Although there is more protein in new 

 process linseed meal, there is but Uttle more of it digestible 

 than in the old process meal. The greater amount of fat 

 in the old process meal makes it more valuable than the 

 new process meal for feeding purposes. 



Linseed cake or meal is one of the most valuable and use- 

 ful by-products. It is not only very high in feeding value 

 but, unhke cottonseed cake or meal, it is a safe and usually 

 a profitable feed ^vith any kind of animals. In addition 

 to its high feeding value, it is very appetizing, has a slightly 

 laxative effect, and imparts to the hair of the animals a 

 glossy look indicative of thrift. As its chemical composition 



