338 Quarterly Reports of the Chemical Committee, 1886. 
" An impure cake, containing impurities of a starchy character, and in 
addition 6 per cent, of sand, which I consider highly objectionable and 
frequently harmful. " J. Augustus Yoelckeb." 
Two tons of this cake had been bought on May 10th, at the 
price of 9/. 55. per ton, from the Bridgwater and West of 
England United Farmers' Pure Linseed and Cotton Cake Com- 
pany (Limited), Bridgwater. The following correspondence 
ensued : — 
" July 6th, 1886. 
" The Bridgwater and West of England United Farmers' Pure 
Linseed and Cotton Cake Company (Limited). 
" GEXTLEMEy, — I have to inform you that as my lambs were eating the 
last lot of linseed-cake supplied to me by you they were attacked by 
diarrhoea, which caused the death of eleven of them. I stopped giving tbe 
cake (whereupon the others immediately recovered), and I sent some of the 
cake to the Royal Agricultural Society's chemist, who returned a most un- 
satisfactory analysis, saying that it contained sand, ' Was an impure cake 
containing impurities of a starchy character, and in addition 6 per cent, of 
sand, which I consider highly objectionable and frequently harmful.' The 
sentence between inverted commas is verbatim. — I remain, yours faithfully, 
" E. L. H. Phipps." 
" Memorandum from The Farmers' Pore Cake Company (Limited), Bridgwater. 
" To K. L. H. Phipps, Esq., Leighton. July 7th, 1886. 
" Deab Sib, — Yours to hand, and we are much surprised at the contents, 
having sold this year increased quantities of linseed-cake over last, and having 
from repeated analyses and from the testimony of consumers, some of whom 
have furnished us with either a complete analysis, or with a report from an 
analysis, and which has in every case been favourable. We are therefore the 
more astonished at your report. As to the diarrhoea among the lambs, may 
we ask whether the weather was wet or grass quick at the time ; as the cake 
was forwarded to you on May 10th, we assume there is some probability of 
this, and if so this would be sufficient to account for the disease, as linseed- 
cake should not be used iinder such conditions. The other points would be 
the analysis being unsatisfactory, but we have on a former occasion heard the 
same report (it is now about four years ago), and was perfectly bond fide on 
the part of our consumer, but on further investigation the analyst (one of tbe 
two or three leading names in this country) withdrew the report and ^bsti- 
tuted one that was favourable, some error having been discovered. We are 
quite confident that our article deserves the high character it has obtained, 
and that this unforttmate loss, which we deplore, has nothing whatever to do 
with the qualitj-. May we ask you to Idndly furnish us with a copy of 
the analysis referred to ? — Yours truly, " Enwrs Bbowk, Manager." 
" Memorandum from The Farmers' Pure Cake Company (Limited), Bridgwater. 
" To R. L. H. Phipps, Esq., Leighton. August 14th, 1886. 
" Deae Sir, — Your favour to hand with enclasure, for which we thank you. 
In the many analyses of our own cakes which we have had, there is not one 
that compares with this cxcejit in oil, the fat and flesh formers according to 
your analysis being 2i per cent, to 3 per cent, below our usual analysis, 
whilst the mineral matter and woody fibre are 6 fwr cent. more. This apjiears 
quite incomprehensible to us, and we are accordingly having an analysis made 
