4 
Pure and Mixed Linseed- Cakes. 
I. — The Composition and Characters of pure Linseed- 
Cake, AND THE MEANS OF DISTlNGUISHINa GENUINE FROM 
Inferior or Adulterated Cakes. 
Pure linsecd-cake ought to be made from nothing else but 
clean or screened linseed. Such seed is not absolutely pure, for 
the best samples of screened commercial linseed usually contain 
a small amount of weed-seeds which cannot be entirely sepa- 
rated by screening. There is, however, no difficulty in cleaning 
linseed so effectually that not more than 4 to 5 per cent, of 
small seeds and other impurities are left in it; and for all 
practical purposes such seed may be regarded as pure. 
India and Russia are the great linseed producing countries of 
the world. From India we obtain Bombay and Calcutta linseed, 
and from Russia linseed is exported into England from St. 
Petersburg, Archangel, Riga, and other ports of the Baltic 
in the North, and from the ports of the Black Sea in the 
South. The trade at the Black Sea Ports is almost entirely 
in the hands of Greek merchants, whilst the export business in 
the Baltic Ports is chiefly regulated by an old-established colony 
of English merchants, and by several German houses of 
business. 
Apart from the accidental impurities that occur in commercial 
samples, linseed varies to some extent in its composition, feeding 
properties, and general appearance, according to the country in 
which it was grown, the season, and its state of maturity. 
With a view of obtaining some idea of the variations to which 
ihe composition of linseed is subject, I made the following 
.analyses of pure seed picked from fair commercial samples of 
Bombay, JNIorshanski, Medium Riga, Petersburg, Black Sea, 
and fine Alexandria linseed : — 
Table I.— Composition of Different Kinds of absolutely Pure Linseed. 
Bombay 
Linseed. 
Morshanski 
Linseed. 
Black Sea 
Liuseed. 
Riga 
Liuseed. 
St. Peters- 
burg 
Linseed. 
Alexandria 
Linseed. 
8 
01 
10 
01 
lo- 
40 
10 
64 
9- 
61 
5 
47 
Oil 
38 
21 
30 
81 
se- 
78 
31 
19 
35- 
32 
35 
73 
* Albuminous compomids'l 
(flesh-forming matter; j 
21 
81 
• 25 
60 
26- 
62 
22 
19 
20- 
19 
19 
31 
Mucilage, sugar, and di-i 
gestible fibre . . . . / 
20 
85 
21 
51 
17- 
30 
22 
71 
24- 
71 
26 
22 
Woody fibre (cellulose) . . 
8 
36 
8 
30 
11- 
40 
9 
38 
5- 
91 
8 
70 
^Mineral matter i^ashj .. 
0 
•7G 
77 
3- 
50 
3 
89 
4- 
26 
4 
57 
100 
00 
100 
10 
100- 
00 
100 
00 
100- 
00 
100 
ou 
* Containing nitrogen. . .. 
3-49 
i-io 
4 
•26 
3-55 
3 
•23 
3-09 
