62 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I9O2. 



RED ALBUMEN. 



In common with poultry feeders and farmers in other parts of 

 the country residents of Maine have recently been somewhat dis- 

 turbed from their usual mental balance by the exploiting of Red 

 Albumen. The following is from a recent publication of the Xew 

 York Experiment Station : 



"There are at least two preparations sold under the name red 

 albumen, probably more ; for the druggists in many places were 

 evidently not supplied with the original material, but realized 

 that the farmers were determined to be 'gold-bricked' anyway 

 and so met the demand by substituting compounds from their 

 own stock. One of the preparations, that reaching the Station 

 under the label of the United States Salyx Company. Xew Con- 

 cord, Ohio, has practically no feeding value as it contains only .1 

 per cent of protein C albumen) the remainder being almost wholly 

 oxide of iron (red paint) and sand. Xo phosphorus was found, 

 nor was there any evidence of strichnine or the newly discov- 

 ered ( ?) 'alequet.' Unless fraud has been worked upon the 

 Salyx Company, this is the original 'red albumen.' If so, 

 instead of being worth 50 or 60 cents a pound, it is worth only 

 from 1 to 2 cents a pound as 'Mineral Red' or "Ground Iron 

 Ore' used for paint. 



"Druggists, or others who, have substituted some other product 

 for the original 'red albumen,' have been less conscienceless 

 toward the farmers : for they have sold them an albuminous com- 

 pound, probably a by-product, which contains 11 or 12 per cent 

 of nitrogen or about J2. per cent protein. This sells for varying 

 prices, depending upon the druggist's mood ; but usually at the 

 price fixed for the original article, 50 or 60 cents a pound. 

 Animal meal, which supplies the best of albuminoid matter for 

 poultry, contains more than half as much protein and sells at 

 from 3 to 5 cents a pound." 



CONDIMENTAL FOODS. 



The subject is an old one. The report of this Station for 1885 

 discussed this subject and the statements then made of which the 

 following is a type are true to-day. "The foods have no greater 

 nutritive value than the feeding stuffs from which they are made, 

 while the small quantities of fenugreek and sulphur are utterly 



