The Purchase of Feeding Stuffs. 



7 



the designation of " Pure Linseed Cake." In regard to 

 quality they usually contain 9 to 12 per cent, oil, and may be 

 looked upon as intermediate in richness between American 

 and Russian. 



American cakes are usually rather hard and poor in oil 

 but are correspondingly rich in albuminoids. 



Russian cakes are darker in colour than American cakes. 

 They are usually rich in oil, but are sometimes rather impure. 



It will usually be found in the case of linseed cakes that 

 as the percentage of oil increases that of albuminoids 

 diminishes, 



Although some other foods, or mixtures of foods, may pro- 

 duce as large an increase in fattening cattle, none has the 

 same capacity for imparting "finish" and "touch/' The 

 best feeders, therefore, generally finish their cattle on a 

 liberal allowance of linseed cake. 



Rough Tests of L inseed Cake. — Three methods are open to 

 •the farmer of gaining a rough idea as to the purify and quality 

 of a linseed cake : — 



(1) By inspection with the aid of a pocket magnifying 

 glass and a penknife he can detect the presence of substances 

 other than linseed when these are of fair size. As a rule, 

 however, they are so much broken up as to be difficult of 

 identification. The smooth, shining, dark, generally more 

 or less triangular-shaped seeds of Polygonum can often be 

 seen. The round, dark- brown husks of rape seed are 

 familiar. The seeds of corn cockle are dark brown and very 

 rough on the surface. Corn spurrey is a black seed Avith an 

 almost smooth surface and surrounded by a delicate disc. 

 Pieces of straw can sometimes be detected, and sacking from 

 the bags in which the cakes are pressed. 



(2) The presence of too much sand may be suspected if 

 the cake feels gritty when small pieces are crushed between 

 the teeth. The flavour should be pleasing and not pungent 

 or bitter. 



(3) A jelly may be made by mixing one part by weight of 

 the cake w r ith six parts of boiling water. The jelly should 

 have a mild taste and should not be bitter or rancid. If the 

 jelly be covered up and warmed gently for some time the 



B 



