MISCELLANEOUS CONCENTRATES 155 



to the merits of a feeding stuff, one should consult the feed control 

 officials of his state, or buy only the pure, unmixed grains, straight 

 milling or factory by-products, or high-grade proprietary feeds that 

 have won good reputations. 



A guide in purchasing commercial feeds. — Before purchasing com- 

 mercial feeding stuffs, the guaranteed composition should be obtained 

 and compared with the average composition given for the same feed in 

 Appendix Table I. If the feed is much lower in crude protein or fat. 

 or noticeably higher in fiber than there shown, it should be viewed 

 with suspicion. The feed should also be free from mold and rancid- 

 ity. 



V. CONDIMENTAL, OR STOCK FOODS 



Millions of dollars are annually spent by the farmers of the country 

 for various proprietary articles styled "stock foods," "condition 

 powders," etc., which often cost 10 to 30 cents or more per pound. 



Composition of stock foods. — The better class of stock foods have 

 as their basis such substances as linseed meal or wheat middlings, 

 while the cheaper ones contain ground screenings, low-grade milling 

 offal, the ground bark of trees, etc. To this "filling," is added a 

 small percentage of materials like common salt, charcoal, copperas, 

 fenugreek, gentian, pepper, epsom salts, etc. Claims are made that a 

 tablespoonful of the compound with each feed will cause stock to 

 grow faster, fatten quicker, yield richer milk, etc., etc. Yet this 

 amount supplies only an insignificant part of the dose of these drugs 

 which is prescribed for ailing animals by competent veterinarians. 

 Farm animals managed with reasonable care have appetites that do 

 not need stimulating. Sick animals or those out of condition require 

 specific treatment, not a cure-all. A good manager of livestock has 

 no use for expensive conditioners and a poor one will never have fine 

 stock by using them. In rare cases the only feeding stuffs available 

 may be of such poor quality that some condiment may cause the ani- 

 mals to eat more heartily, and where animals are in low condition 

 some spice may prove helpful. To cover such cases the formula for 

 two "stock foods" or "spices" are presented below: 



First formula Lbs. Second formula Lbs. 



Fenugreek 2 Ground gentian 4 



Allspice 2 Powdered saltpeter 1 



Gentian 4 Ground ginger 1 



gait 5 Powdered copperas 1 



Saltpeter 5 



Epsom salts 10 



Linseed meal 100 



