The chemical composition of fodders and feeding stuffs 

 is determined and expressed in the following way: IVafer exists 

 in all plants, the amount is determined by weighing a sample of 

 the given substance and then drying it at 212®, until it ceases 

 to lose weight, the loss is water, the part which remains is call- 

 ed water free substance and is made up of; ist, albuminoids or 

 substance resembling albumen or the white of e2C2:s, wheat jrluten 

 or " wheat gum," already alluded to is the most familiar illus" 

 tration of this class. The albuminoids contain not far from 

 sixteen per cent of nitrogen and on account of this they are 

 spoken of as the nitrogenous constituents. 2nd, Nitrogen Free 

 Extract includes starch, sugar, substances resembling gum, mu- 

 cilage, etc. 3d, Fiber ; this is the woody matter found in all 

 plants, in the flax and in cotton plant it is the part that gives us 

 the material from which linen and cotton cloths are made. 4th, 

 Fat ; this is determined by dissolving with ether and evaporat- 

 ing the ether, leaving the fat or oil to be weighed. In the seeds 

 of some plants, for example, cotton and hemp, the fat is found 

 in large quantities and is pressed out and used for numerous 

 purposes. 5th, Ash ; I'his is the part left after burning a sample 

 of the substance. 



The following table shows the chemical composition of corn 

 meal and shorts ; the figures are an average of many determin- 

 ations made at the Massachusetts Experiment Station : 



Corn meal. Shorts. 



Water, 13.16 11.5 



Water free substance, 86.84 88.5 



86.84 88.5 



This is the customary method of stating an analysis, show- 

 ing the total composition of fodders. But it is not in shape to be 

 used by the feeder as a means of determining the nutritive value 

 of these two products, because the animal fails to get the full 

 amount of nutritive matter shown by analysis. Food, to be of 



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