766 Annual Report for 1894 of the Consulting Chemist. 
feeding cakes. Of course vendors have found numerous ways of 
practically evading the Act, and, by using such qualifying phrases 
as “made from linseed with natural impurity ” or by guaranteeing 
manures to contain “ at least one per cent.” of the valuable ingre- 
dients, they have secured themselves from the severer penalties of 
the Act ; but, on the whole, the tendency of legislation has been to 
improve the prospects of the better class of dealers. 
A review of the Quarterly Reports of the Chemical Committee 
issued during the year will call attention to the most prominent 
adulterations that have come under notice. Among these and other 
points may be mentioned the finding, in several instances, of castor- 
oil bean in linseed and other cakes ; the presence of the vetchling 
Lathyrus sativus in compound cakes ; the “ woolly ” character of 
cotton cake ; and the sale, under the name of “ damaged ” or 
“ roasted ” nitrate of soda, of a refuse material from oil of vitriol 
manufacture, which has next to no nitrate of soda at all left in it. 
These will be severally noticed in their places. Other features of 
interest are an improvement in “ pure ” linseed cakes, and the general 
good quality of the standard manures sold by manufacturers, in- 
cluding the more recently introduced basic slag. 
Linseed Cakes. 
Although several cases have been published in the Quarterly 
Reports of the Chemical Committee wherein cakes have not been in 
accordance with the descriptions given of them on the invoices, it is 
only fair to say that, taken as a whole, the result of my examinations 
has been to show that where care has been taken to stipulate for 
“ linseed cake, i.e. “ pure ” linseed cake (the Act laying down that 
the description “ linseed cake ” must only apply to linseed cakes that 
are “pure ”), this is generally supplied. Nor can I say that there 
has been any real difficulty experienced as to what is meant by 
“pure” linseed cake, the definition laid down in the Journal, vol. 
xxiv. (1888), pp. 300, 301, having, as I mentioned last year, proved 
a satisfactory solution of any question on this point. If farmers 
would but insist on having cakes invoiced to them simply as “ lin- 
seed cake,” without any further description or subsequent qualifica- 
tion, they would find, in this alone, a great protection against being 
imposed on. 
The following analyses may be of interest as showing that high 
price and high quality do not always go together : — 
A li c 
Moisture .... 
9-67 
1261 
10-75 
Oil 
632 
11-67 
1201 
Albuminous compounds 
Mucilage, sugar, and digesti- 
ble fibre .... 
37-G2 
33-44 
27 95 
32-96 
30-40 
34-38 
AYoody fibre 
8-25 
6-20 
8-90 
Mineral matter (ash) 
5-18 
5-68 
601 
100-00 
10000 
100 00 
1 containing nitrogen . 
6 02 
5-35 
4-17 
