248 Annual Report of tic Coukulling Chaiiitit for 1877. 
Malt-combs are used both for feeding and manuring purposes. 
Unless malt-combs are very dirty, and, like some samples of 
kiln-dust, contaminated with much soot or cinders, it appears to 
me wasteful to apply malt-dust as a direct manure to the land. 
Malt-combs, as will be seen by the following analyses of two 
samples analysed by me for a member of the Royal Agricul- 
tural Society of England, contain a large proportion of readily 
digestible food, which in a great measure will be Avasted if 
they are applied to the land as a direct manure ; and which 
may with advantage be utilised by passing the malt-combs 
through the animal body. 
Malt-dust is a very useful addition to other food, for, apart 
from its intrinsic feeding-value, it promotes the digestibility of 
other food ; and for this reason is particularly useful when 
coarse and somewhat indigestible food is given to sheep or 
cattle. 
Malt-combs, likewise, may be given with great benefit to 
dairy-cows, for, like most articles of food rich in albuminoids, 
phosphate of lime and magnesia, and alkaline phosphates, con- 
stituents in which milk abounds, they possess high milk- 
producing qualities. 
Composition of Two Samples of Malt-combs. 
No. 1. 
No. 2. 
Non-nitrogenous organic matters 
Pliosphate of lime and magnesia (bone-'l 
10-83 
23-81 
58-70 
1-49 
4-06 
1-11 
5-74 
21-94 
66-12 
1- 97 
2- 40 
1-83 
100-00 
loo^eo 
Equal to tribasic phospliate of lime 
3- 81 
4- 63 
•81 
1-77 
1-49 
3- 51 
4- 26 
-65 
1-42 
1-55 
With regard to the waters analysed by me in 1877, I have to 
report that a large proportion of them were found to be con- 
taminated more or less with sewage or injurious drainage 
products, and were therefore unfit for drinking and genera) 
domestic purposes. 
Potash-salts and sulphate of ammonia are generally sold 
