Annual Report for 1908 of the Consulting Chemist. 297 
the purity and good quality of the materials supplied to the 
farmer. 
The Chemical Department of the Society has further been 
instrumental in exposing another great fraud which there is 
reason to believe has been flourishing rampantly for a con- 
siderable time. This is the adulteration of wheat offals, such 
as bran, sharps, pollards, &c., as well as barley and other 
meals, with a waste product called “shudes” or “shude meal.” 
This, however, instead of being shudes (the outer husk of 
grain) is nothing but finely ground sawdust mixed with 
sulphate of lime (gypsum), a material quite unfit for feeding 
purposes. It has come to light that large quantities of this 
material have been sent to millers throughout the country, 
and are used by them for adulterating offals, and for the 
compounding of that very indefinite article known under the 
name “ pig meal.” It is hoped, however, that the unearthing 
of these facts will come in time to stop the further progress of 
this fraudulent sale and of its possible imitations. 
Coming to matters of general interest, it may be said that 
the year has been marked by the high price of feeding- 
stuff s generally, while fertilisers have continued much on the 
same level as before. Linseed Cake has been very dear, but 
there have been comparatively few complaints as regards its 
quality or purity. Cotton cake has also gone up in price, 
and, while Decorticated Cotton Cake is unfortunately very 
scarce, “ Bombay ” Cotton Cake has improved in respect of 
manufacture, and the difference between it and “ Egyptian ” 
Cotton Cake is not so marked as it was, either as regards 
quality or price. 
Little has been heard of Java Beans or other articles about 
which a warning has been given before, and, indeed, there has 
been a dearth of articles new to the food-stuff market. 
As to fertilisers, little complaint has had to be made, so far, 
at least, as the ordinary purchase of the farm is concerned ; 
but, in regard to special manures, waste materials and others 
sold under high-sounding names, there has been, as ever, need 
of caution. 
Attention has very properly been directed to two new 
nitrogenous manures which bid fair to rival the supremacy 
of nitrate of soda and sulphate of ammonia, and, indeed, 
to supply a check on the independent position occupied by 
these latter. The new materials, calcium cyanamide and 
calcium nitrate (nitrate of lime), are both produced by elec- 
trical means, the atmosphere itself being in each case utilised 
as the source of nitrogen. Though much has been talked 
about these products, they have not until quite recently been 
articles generally obtainable. The difficulties attending their 
