Purchased Food, and of its Residue as Manure. 
211 
follows that the higher priced palm-nut meals at 8/. per ton 
are comparatively cheaper, in reality, than those which contain 
only 3 per cent, of fat, and are sold at about 5/. per ton. 
A practical proof of the commercial value of oil or fat is 
presented to us in dried brewers' grains and rice-meal. Not- 
withstanding the large amount of husks in both these feeding- 
stuffs, they find a ready sale at about 11. per ton ; and as they 
contain only a moderate amount of albuminous compounds, but 
from 5 to 8 per cent, of ready-made oil and fatty matter, and 
have been found in practice to be well worth the money for 
which they are sold, there can be little doubt that it is the 
comparatively large amount of oil and fat contained in them 
which enhances their feeding value. 
Starch, Gum, and Sugar. — In the next place we have to con- 
sider the practical value of starch, gum, and sugar for feeding 
purposes. Next to oil and fatty matter, these are probably the 
most valuable constituents of food. Starch is readily trans- 
formed into gum and sugar ; and direct feeding experiments 
have shown that starch and sugar, and analogous carbon-hydrates, 
weight for weight, have practically the same value as constituents 
of food. 
In the shape of treacle, sugar is used occasionally for render- 
ing straw-chaff, or insipid badly made hay, more palatable. A 
solution of treacle in hot water, poured over straw-chaff, no 
doubt gives a greater relish to cattle for such bulky and innu- 
tritions food ; but the question may 'veil be raised whether the 
practical benefit of this treatment of straw-chaff is commensurate 
with the expense. Treacle, or molasses of a quality usually 
sold as cattle-food, and costing about 9Z. per ton, contains on an 
average from 54 to 60 per cent, of sugar, the rest being water 
and saline and other impurities. A ton of sugar in the form 
of molasses thus costs from 15/. to 16/. 12s., on an average ; 
and this is about one-half more than the price at which wheat, 
beans, oats, or barley-meal can be bought. It is evident, there- 
fore, that the price of treacle is far too high to permit its being 
employed economically for feeding or fattening purposes. It 
may be said that although treacle is dear in comparison with 
the market-price of other feeding-stuffs, it nevertheless is a 
very useful substance to stock-feeders, who have plenty of straw 
to spare, and who require a sweetening substance to induce 
cattle to consume a larger quantity of straw-chaff than they 
would eat if it were not made more palatable ; and that for that 
purpose not a very large quantity of treacle will meet the require- 
ments of the case. This may be so ; but a farmer, who has at 
his command a good supply of well-matured mangolds or 
swedes, surely may attain the same object if he mixes straw- 
P 2 
