no MAIXE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I915. 



any case brought against him for the previous unlawful sale of 

 the goods incorrectly tagged or on any case brought against the 

 shipper under the United States lazv for the inter-state ship- 

 ment of misbranded goods. 



One reason for the division of cotton seed meal into grades, 

 and particularly for including the protein content in the defi- 

 nitions of those grades is that cotton seed meal is the most 

 variable and unreliable in its protein content of any of the 

 common feeding stufts. The findings in regard to the samples 

 of cotton seed meal examined during the past season are dis- 

 cussed in detail elsewhere in this bulletin. A reference to 

 those tables will show that while a majority of the samples 

 examined have been in accord with their guarantees in protein, 

 there is no brand of which any considerable number of samples 

 has been obtained of which some samples have not been found 

 more or less deficient. One reason for the variation in differ- 

 ent cars of the same brand of cotton seed meal is that nearly 

 all of the shippers are jobbers who buy meal at various mills 

 and have it all shipped under their brand and name. Some 

 brands, of course, make a better showing than others, and more 

 meals claiming to carry at least 41 per cent protein have fallen 

 below their guaranty than those claiming 38 or 39 per cent. 

 This should not he interpreted to mean that the 41 per cent 

 meals are not as a rule better than the lower grade meals ; for 

 while the latter less frequently fall below their guaranty, that 

 guaranty is lower; and the higher grade meals, even though 

 falling short of 41 per cent, usually carry more protein than 

 those claiming the smaller amount. There is no way. however, 

 for a dealer or consumer to be sure that he is getting the guar- 

 anteed percentage of protein in cotton seed mea] without a 

 chemical analysis of each individual carload. Free analyses 

 of feeding stuffs are made for any resident of the state who 

 will submit to the Department of Agriculture samples taken 

 in accordance zvith the directions issued by that department. 

 Copies of these directions may be had on application to the 

 Commissioner of Agriculture, Augusta, Maine. Samples for 

 free analysis must be taken in accordance with these directions. 

 Dealers who wish to fully protect their customers and consum- 

 ers who w^ish to protect their own interests should have samples 

 of all cotton seed meal purchased by them examined. 



