CHAPTER XIII 

 MISCELLANEOUS CONCENTRATES 



Under the head of misceUaneous concentrates may be 

 classed proprietary or patent preparations, commercial 

 mixed feeds, and such other concentrates as do not logically 

 fall into any of the other classes as previously discussed. 



Proprietary preparations, or patent " stockfoods," as they 

 are often called, vary in constitution from concentrated 

 medicines to bulky feed with corn meal, screenings, bran, 

 linseed meal, cottonseed meal, ground corn cobs, oat hulls, 

 peat, etc., as their chief constituents. They also usually con- 

 tain salt, spices, and drugs, which impart a more or less 

 desirable odor and flavor to the product. The most un- 

 warranted claims are often made by the manufacturers for 

 their products and, through judicious advertising in the 

 farm papers, enormous quantities are sold at prices far 

 above the true value of the product. There are few farmers 

 who have not used patent stockfoods at some time or 

 other. It is claimed by many manufacturers that the use 

 of their " food " will increase the digestibility of the ration, 

 decrease the cost of gains, prevent and cure disease, etc. 

 As a matter of fact, however, practically all experiments are 

 unanimous in the conclusion that patent stockfoods do not 

 increase the digestibiUty but, on the other hand, sometimes 

 decrease it ; they increase the cost of gains ; and they usually 

 have no effect upon the health of the animal. The actual 



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