COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF COTTON-CAKE. 205 
higher than in the best linseed-cake. In the best linseed- 
cake the per-centage of oil rarely amounts to 12 per cent., 
and 10 per cent, may be taken as a fair average. As a direct 
supplier of fat, cotton-cake therefore is superior to linseed- 
cake. 
2. The amount of oil in samples sold under the same 
name is subject to considerable variations. In the oiliest 
cake, No. 2, there is 19*19 per cent., and in No. 7 only 13*50 
per cent, of oil. The greatest difference in these cakes in 
this respect thus amounts to about 5J per cent. 
3. Decorticated cotton-cake contains a very high and much 
larger per-centage of flesh-forming matters than linseed-cake. 
This circumstance suggests that cotton-cake may probably 
be given with great advantage to young stock and to dairy 
cows. As by far the largest proportion of nitrogen of food 
is not assimilated in the system, but passes away with the 
excrements of animals, the dung produced by stock fed upon 
cotton-cake will be found particularly valuable. 
4. In comparison with linseed-cake there is much less 
mucilage and other respiratory matter in cotton-cake. This 
deficiency, however, is compensated to a certain degree by 
the larger amount of oil in cotton-cake. 
5. The proportion of indigestible woody fibre in decorti¬ 
cated cotton-cake is small, and not larger than in the best 
linseed-cake. 
6. Lastly, it may be observed that the ash of cotton-cake 
is rich in bone-materials, and amounts to about the same 
quantity as that contained in other oil-cakes. 
On the whole, I am inclined to think, as far as I am able 
to judge on the strength of the preceding analytical indica¬ 
tions, that the best decorticated cotton-cake possesses theo¬ 
retically about the same nutritive value as linseed-cake. 
Cotton-cake, of average quality, is probably somewhat inferior 
to linseed-cake of average composition. 
The physical condition of all the cakes, with the exception 
of No. 4 and No. 7, was excellent. No. 7 was not quite so 
fresh as the majority of the cakes, whilst No. 4 was decidedly 
an old badly kept cake. It was very mouldy, and tasted 
quite sour, and appeared hardly fit to be given to animals. 
Cows and sheep refused at first to eat it, but pigs eagerly de¬ 
voured it. After some time, however, both sheep and fatten¬ 
ing cows took to it, and notwithstanding its sour taste and 
bad condition, I am informed, did well upon it. 
1 refer here to the condition of cake, because an analysis 
does not generally indicate whether a cake is new or old, 
well or badly kept, or otherwise injured. It is important to 
xxxii. 28 
