200 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1908. 



with formaldehyde. The H. J. Flaxfeed, however, is the 

 greatest offender. The 13 samples shown in the tables repre- 

 sent the feed as it was found on the Maine markets from 

 August 1907 until the time of making these tests (March, 

 1908). By referring to table on page 190 it will be seen that 

 from 20 to 60 per cent of this feed is made up of weed seeds, 

 including many of the most troublesome plants found in fields 

 and gardens ; and referring to tables 196 and 198 it will be 

 seen that these seeds are alive and that, under suitable condi- 

 tions they will grow to the number of nearly two millions per 

 each 100 pound bag of the feed. This, taken in connection 

 with the other fact that nearly every sample of this feed, which 

 we have examined, has been below its guaranty of protein, 

 stamps this feed as one of the least desirable brands on the 

 market. 



The matter of the quality of the H. J. Flaxfeed was taken 

 up with the shipper several times during the winter and he 

 professes willingness to conform to the desires of the Station 

 relative to this feed. He claims that under the name of H. J. 

 Flaxfeed "a new process feed is being shipped, free of seeds 

 and finer quality at a low price." It is to be guaranteed 16 per 

 cent protein and 14 per cent fat. The shipper submitted a 

 sample to us of this new process feed which differs materially 

 from the goods that have been shipped under the name of H. J. 

 Flaxfeed. No samples, however, have as yet been received from 

 customers in Maine. It is recommended that anyone desiring 

 to handle or use this feed, send samples to the Experiment 

 Station for analysis in accordance with the directions on the 

 back cover. 



The Daisy Dairy feed contains a considerable amount of weed 

 seeds but the manufacturers claim that the feed has been treated 

 at so high a temperature that it is highly improbable that the 

 seeds would germinate. As this feed has quite an extensive 

 sale it was thought best to try each sample in order to see if 

 this statement was borne out by the facts. Ten different sam- 

 ples were treated with formaldehyde and kept in the germinator 

 for 11 days. With one exception there was no germination, and 

 it seems quite probable that the very small number sprouted in 

 the one case was due to accident in manufacture of the goods. 





