The Purchase of Feeding Stuffs. 



21 



superior, manuria'i value, was found to be worth £2 to £1 per 

 ton more than the rough cake. 



Rape Cake. — This cake is not now much used as a feeding 

 stuff in this country, the objection to it being the frequent 

 presence of mustard seed, and the disagreeable flavour that it 

 imparts +0 milk It is, however, a highly nutritious food 

 rich in albuminoids, and if care be bestowed in its purchase^ 

 can be advantageously given to stock, especially sheep, as 

 the experience of several successful farmers can testify. 



Compound or Mixed Cake. — The use of cake of this descrip- 

 tion is apparently on the increase, at least in certain districts. 

 Frequently some material, like ground linseed or cotton cake^ 

 is taken as a basis, and the bulk is made up of ground cereal 

 grains, such as maize, barley, etc. As a rule the mixture is 

 flavoured and sweetened by the admixture of spice, such as 

 ground fenugreek or aniseed. Locust bean meal also is a 

 favourite ingredient of these cakes, and of the mixed meals 

 sold for lamb food and similar purposes. Locust beans are 

 not often used alone, as their value is due rather to their 

 giving a relish to other feeding stuffs, than to their actual 

 nutritive contents. The sweet taste and pleasant aroma 

 which accompany compound feeding cakes, and the 

 high degree of relish with which they are consumed by cattle, 

 largely account for their popularity amongst farmers. Many 

 experienced feeders use large quantities of such cakes with 

 the best results, but they should be bought with greater 

 caution than is necessary in the case of pure cakes. They, 

 of course, furnish an opportunity of getting rid of material 

 (such as musty cake, warehouse sweepings, etc.) that cannot 

 readily be sold in any other way, so that the buyer of com- 

 pound cakes has a special inducement to deal with a firm of 

 high reputation, and frequently to take the opinion of an 

 experienced chemist. 



Dried Grains and Malt Dust. — This food is obtained by 

 removing the excessive moisture from wet grains or draff, to 

 such an extent that only about 14 or 15 per cent, of moisture 

 remains. Dried or desiccated grains may be looked upon 

 as one of the cheapest, most reliable, and most wholesome 

 forms of feeding stuff. They may be either brewery or 



