MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 19OO. 



MIXED FEEDS. 



In section 3 of the feeding stuffs law, it is stated that "mixed 

 feeds" come under the requirements of the law. Under section 

 2, however, an exception is made of wheat rye and buckwheat 

 bran or middlings not mixed with other substances. Soon after 

 the law went into effect the Station analyzed a large number of 

 the wheat offals which were being sold in the State and found 

 them to be practically all good goods, although many of them 

 were branded "mixed feed" and would therefore come under the 

 "law. After consultation with the Secretary of the Board of 

 Agriculture it was decided for the present to omit all wheat 

 offals from the requirements even though they might be denom- 

 inated mixed feed. 



In the fall of 1899 the Station began to receive from corres- 

 pondents samples of goods that were bought for bran, but were 

 of very low grade carrying from 9 to 12 per cent protein instead 

 of the 15 to 17 per cent that good bran ought to carry. Investi- 

 gation brought out the fact that certain mills in Kentucky and 

 Tennessee and perhaps in other sections as well were adulter- 

 ating bran by grinding and mixing with it such materials as 

 -corn cobs ,the waste from corn broom factories, and the like. 



In the present bulletin there are given twenty-four analyses 

 of four brands of these mixed feeds which carry a much lower 

 percentage of protein than brans should. The handlers of these 

 particular brands are at the present time placing guarantees and 

 tax tags upon them. In view of the fact that these adulterations 

 make it necessary for the Station to examine all mixed feeds in 

 order to see whether they are straight wheat offals or not, it has 

 been decided that from this time on the strict letter of the law 

 will be observed, and that the only concentrated feeds which will 

 not be subject to the requirements are the meals made from pure 

 grains and wheat, rye and buckwheat brans or middlings. 



All mixed feeds, even though they are the straight refuse from 

 the milling of wheat, will be hereafter included in the require- 

 ments and it will be necessary for these goods to carry the brand, 

 as defined in section 1 and the inspection tax tags, as defined in 

 section 5 of the feeding stuffs law, chapter 334, Public Acts of 

 ,1897. 



