Quarterly Report of the Chemical Committee. 203 
The crushers ohserve in their reply — 
" In sending you this cake for examination we wished to act perfectly bond 
fide, and to inform ourselves whether there were any sufficient grounds for 
the complaint made by our customer. Your report points to an undue pro- 
portion of small weed-seeds and sand, and we must admit that, after careful 
investigation, we have strong reason to believe that this is fully accounted for 
by the fact that the screens intended to remove all objectionable substances 
of this kind as far as possible have been systematically neglected by the fore- 
man, in whose charge they were, and the cakes have consequently suffered. 
It is needless to remind you, whose practical knowledge of the various 
branches of the crushing trade is so extensive, that fine linseed invariably 
contains more or less admixture of dirt and of seeds other than linseed, 
And even after careful screening, some such qualification of the term " pure " 
must necessarily be applied when a cake from linseed or cotton-seed is so 
described." 
4. Another cake bought from a firm at Hull, by sample, as 
*' genuine " linseed-cake at 8/. 10s. per ton, was found on ana- 
lysis poor in oil and albuminous compounds, and with an excess 
of woody fibre. 
The crushers insisted, however, that the sample by which it 
was sold (but which the purchaser stated he had not kept, 
thinking he was dealing with respectable people) was the only 
thing to go upon, that he ought to have had it analysed before 
he made his purchase, that the supply was exactly of the same 
quality, and that he knew that he was not buying the best cakes 
(having been himself formerly in the trade), and that, in fact, 
what he was buying he was bound to pay for. They subse- 
quently sued ,him in the county court, and he eventually paid 
the claim, with some slight abatement. 
The following are extracts from the correspondence between 
the parties which took place : — 
VENDORS TO PURCHASER. 
"In reply to your letter of the 7th, please carefully read over again our last 
letter. You knew tvell what you were buying. Between you and us there is 
no mistake. Between you and your customer we have nothing to do : what 
you represented to him we are not responsible for. We take no risk you 
may have run, and will take no responsibility of law or anything else that 
may occur. The whole thing is on your own shoulders ; our claim is very 
clear against you for 211. 10s., which amount we request you tojxiy at once." 
PURCHASER TO VENDORS. 
" Having been some time in London, your letter with reference to the 
adulterated cake remains unanswered. From inquiries 1 find that it is my 
duty to prosecute you for selling adulterated articles, and you would be liable 
for many penalties. 
" This I have no wish to do, and if you will put yourself in form will meet 
you. 
" The only course I can suggest, without prejudice, is that a sample of the 
cake be sent, to Dr. Voelcker lor analysis, and that if it has any feeding value, 
I pay you that value, and that all expenses be paid by your firm. If this 
