292 
Reports of the Chemical Committee. 
• inferior in quality to genuine linseed cake. I enclose an extract from Dr. 
Voelckcr's letter, and a copy of his analysis ; and waiting your reply. 
" I am, yours faithfully, 
" Joseph Winchester. 
" Messrs. Fields' Mercantile Company, Shrewsbury." 
{Copy.) 
" From Fields^ Mercantile Company to Mr. Jos. Winchester, Orimhill. 
"Shrewsbury, October 31, 1870. 
" We beg to hand you a copy of the letter which we have received Irom the 
crushers at Hull, and we trust that it will be acceptable and satisfactory." 
(Copy of Enclosure with the above.') 
" Hull, October 28, 1870. 
" Dear Sirs, — In rej)ly to your favour of yestenlay, enclosing ' copy of 
analysis,' &c., of 5 tons linseed cakes marked ' W & H Genuine,' and supplied 
to you in July last, we beg to state that the term ' genuine,' as a trade 
brand, is not understood to signify a pure cake, which, as you are aware, is 
always sold at 20s. to 25s. per ton more money ; and at the time we 
sold you the 5 tons referred to we were selling pure cakes at 22s. Qd. more. 
The difference between ' pure ' and ' genuine ' cake, when these brands 
were first introduced, was simply that the former was made from the finest 
seed imported, and the latter from a secondary or inferior growth, containing 
a considerable percentage of non-feeding admixture, such as hay-seeds, &c., 
and generally more or less grit, which washers have found great difSculty in 
screening from the seed ; in fact, it could not be entirely removed. For 
some time past, therefore, it has been the general custom of the trade to use 
fine clean seed also for ' genuine ' cakes, reducing the price by the admixture 
of a small proportion of other good feeding stuff, thus jiroducing what we 
believe to be a better feeding cake at the same cost. We may add, that we 
have always supplied to our friends a cake of quality at least equal to any 
on our market at the same price ; and the analysis you have sent us shows 
that the cake sent you was of a good feeding quality, and, we believe, for 
feeding purposes, if anything a little cheaper in proportion than a 'pure' 
cake at 20s. to 25s. per ton more money. 
" Messrs. Fields' Mercantile Company." 
{Copy of Reply to the foregoing.) 
" Grinshill, Shrewsbury, November 2, 1870. 
" Gentlemen, — I have to acknowledge the receipt of yours of 31st ult., en- 
closing copy of a letter from the manufacturers of the cake bought from you 
in July, in reply to the complaint of its being adulterated. 
" As the cake was not only sold as branded ' Genuine,' but as a ' Genuine 
Cake,' I do not consider the exi)lanation at all satisfactory. No trade usage 
can justify an adulterated cake being sold as '.genuine.' 
" I was not aware, till your secretary informed me on Saturday last, that 
the makers quoted for 'pnire' cake a higher price than 'genuine;' and I 
consider that this fact being known to you ought to have led to inquiries 
before the sale as a pure cake of that branded ' Genuine.' 
" 1 am, Gentlemen, yours faithfully, 
" Joseph Winchester. 
" P.S. — I send a copy of the correspondence to Dr. Voelcker. 
" Messrs. Fields' Mercantile Company, Shrewsbury." 
Two other cases, where cakes were sold as pure were found on 
