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X. — Annual Report of the Consulting Chemist for 1885. 
By J. Augustus Voelckeb, Ph.D., B.Sc. 
DuRIXG the year the number of samples submitted to me for 
analysis on behalf of members of the Society has been 1587, 
or 41 less than in the previous year. The examination of these 
samples, and the Quarterly Reports to the Chemical Committee, 
show the increasing desirability of purchasers of artificial ma- 
nures, feeding-stuffs, «Scc., taking advantage of the privileges 
afforded to them through the Society's laboratory. The con- 
tinued depression in agriculture and trade generally, while it 
has cheapened to a considerable extent the prices of foods con- 
sumed, and of manures used on the farm, has also had the effect 
of bringing forward a number of materials, often of but slight or 
no intrinsic worth, of which the only claim for merit is their 
seeming cheapness. Farmers are often tempted by a low price 
to buy that which is in reality a very dear bargain, whereas at 
no time should more care be taken to ensure the obtaining of 
what is really worth its price. The special features that have 
marked the year have been the general low prices of artificial 
manures of all kinds — that of sulphate of ammonia being most 
noticeable, — the improvement of the quality of linseed-cakes, 
together with a lowering of price, and the deterioration in the 
quality of decorticated cotton-cake. 
The continuation of the Woburn experiments, and the in- 
creasing interest manifested in the subject of Ensilage, have, in 
addition to the ordinary analy tical work of the Laboratory, 
engaged my time and attention. 
Linseed Cakes. — As in previous years, a large number of 
feeding materials have been sent for examination, and of these 
linseed-cakes have been the principal ones. I am happy to be 
able to report that there has been a decided improvement alike 
in the quality and the purity of linseed-cakes ; and although it has 
been my duty to report a number of cases of inferior and adul- 
terated cakes, yet the proportion of really first-class and of quite 
pure cakes has been much higher than before. The thin and 
hard-pressed American cakes, to which attention was called in 
last year's Report, do not appear to have been so largely used ; 
and as the price of good English cake has more nearly approxi- 
mated to that of the American cakes, so has there been a better 
demand for the former. It is only fair, at the same time, to 
mention that I have this year examined several samples of 
American linseed-cake, which, though appearing to be some- 
what hard pressed, and probably poor in oil, have, on analysis, 
proved to be quite otherwise. As instances I give the fol- 
lowing : — 
