350 Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1878. 
On examination, I found in the cake, locust beans, linseed- 
cake, and farinaceous meals, such as Indian corn and rice-meal. 
My report was to the effect that the cake was decidedly cheap 
at 5Z. 13s. 4c?. per ton, delivered. Indeed, the low price 
struck me as rather a suspicious circumstance, suggesting to my 
mind that possibly the bulk of the cake might not turn out so 
good as the sample which was sent to me for analysis, and I 
accordingly wrote to the sender of the cake to be sure to stipu- 
late, when giving an order for the cake, that its condition should 
be good. At the same time, I cautioned him not to give the 
cake to sheep or lambs, if it should be delivered in a stale or 
mouldy condition, for I know, from past experience, that com- 
pound feeding-cakes, into which are incorporated damaged feed- 
ing meals, which cannot be sold separately, are very liable to 
become mouldy, and in this state are positively injurious to 
animals. 
My suspicion was well founded, for the bulk, on delivery, was 
very different from the sample by which it was sold. Some of 
the cake, taken from three or four bags, was sent to me for ex- 
amination, and I had to report that it was mouldy, and quite 
unfit for feeding purposes. Some of the pieces of cake, sent to 
me for examination, contained maggots and beetles, and all were 
more or less mouldy. I advised my correspondent to return the 
cake at the expense of the seller, and not to use any of it for 
feeding purposes. 
After a lapse of 10 days, I received the following note, which 
does not require any comment from me. 
Compound Cake. 
"Dear Sir, "November, 1878. 
" I write to give you the conclusion of this matter. I sent your letter 
to Messrs. , and offered to return the cake, tbey to pay all cost of 
carriage, or, as it contained 4 jjer cent, of nitrogen, to give 3?. for it as 
manure. 
" Tiiey replied that tlie sample was a fair one when taken, but that they 
found the bulk liad got much worse lately. They were willing to take the 3L 
for it, and amply apologised for the" trouble they had given me. Unfortunately, 
pending your reply, I had given my sheep about 5 ounces each daily, and two 
had died of irritation of the coat of the stomach." 
Under the name of Black Sea rape-cake, cakes are sold 
which are not genuine, but which consist largely of the siftings 
from foul linseed and other oleaginous seeds. Frequently, 
so-called Black Sea rape-cake contains little rape-seed, but 
a large proportion of dirt, and a great variety of weed- 
seeds, which occur in the siftings from linseed and other oily 
scchIs. 
