Quarterly Report of the Chemical Committee, Becemher 1891. 815 
with the crushers. It shows how, with the best intentions on 
the part of the vendoi-s, mistakes may arise unless they take the 
necessary steps to secure themselves against what is sent out on 
their responsibility being below the guarantee they give : — 
A member of the Society forwarded on October 27 a sample of 
liuseed-cake, four tons of wliich lie had purchased at 9/. 6s. 3r/. per 
ton for cash, delivered, and which was described to him as " 95 pure 
linseed-cake." 
The vendors, though not themselves the manufacturers, had had 
the cake specially made for them under a contract from the makers 
in the same terms as those upon which they sold the cake. 
When forwardirg the sample to Dr. Voelcker for analysis, the 
member also sent a piece to the vendors. They wrote in reply on 
October 27 : " We are a little disappointed in the appearance of the 
samples, tliough we quite hope the analysis will come out up to our 
standard.' 
The following analysis and report Avas given : — 
October 31, 1891. 
Moisture lo-10\ 
Oil 11-03 
* Albuminous compouods (flesli-forming matters) . 3213 I. -^QO i 
Mucilagfe, sugar, and digestible fibre . . . 28'08 j 
Woody fibre (celhilose) 7'26 
- Mineral matter (ash) G'40' 
' Containing nitrogen . . . 5'H 
2 Including sand . . . .1-15 
The cake is an impure one, containing a considerable quantity of ra^jC 
and other foreigni seeds. 
From the correspondence which ensued, it appeared that the 
\ endors employed contractors to make and brand cake for them, and 
that, in order to save carriage, the cake was frequently sent direct 
from the mills to customers without being seen by the actual 
vendors. A winter contract was being carried out in this way, tl.i; 
makers guaranteeing the purity and quality of the cake to the 
vendors. The delivery sent to the purchaser was, however, madn 
from seed which had not been tested before the manufacture had 
commenced, and which was subsequently found to contain more im- 
purity — chiefly oleaginous seeds other than linseed — than it should 
have had. Thereupon the crushers, according to their account, 
stopped making the cake for the vendors from this seed, but the 
four tons had been meantime despatched, and nothing more was 
said about it until the purchaser complained. The crushers, on 
receiving the sample, admitted that they could tell from the appear- 
ance of the cake that it was made frcm the identical lot cf inferior 
seed. The vendors, on their part, accepted the entire responsibility 
50 far as the purchaser was concerned, and duly made an allowance 
to him, e.xpressing their regret, and explaining that they had not 
heen informed, as they ought to have been, of the despatch of the 
