388 Report oF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY OF THE 
oats and much larger than could be given by any straight corn 
and oats mixture. Some of the feed must have contained at least 
50 Ibs. of oat hulls per hundred Ibs. One oat feed was less 
digestible by nearly 12 lbs. than whole oats and by nearly 31 lbs. 
than maize, due largely to the indigestible character of the hulls. 
The introduction of oat hulls into any mixed feed therefore, in- 
creases the amount of indigestible — useless— matter. The 
material coming from whole grains is also of better quality, being 
made up more largely of protein and the easily digestible car- 
bohydrates. 
Reasons why the source and character of the carbohydrates 
should be carefully considered in classifying feeding stuffs, are 
given in full in the bulletin. 
Patent foods made up of some simple feed stuff like middlings, 
corn bran, linseed meal, ete., with a small quantity of charcoal, 
sulphur, fenugreek, gentian, salt, iron compounds, pepper and | 
other cheap drugs and condiments were found on sale in great 
numbers and at exorbitant prices, varying from $100 to $500 a 
ton. This is from $70 to $470 a ton more than the best of them 
are worth as feeds. Their value as medicines is problematical; if 
anything, the same effect can be much more cheaply secured by 
buying the drugs and mixing with the feeds ordinarily used in 
the stable. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Commercial cattle foods are an important factor in the animal 
husbandry of this State. Few farmers, especially dairy farmers, 
produce all the grain they feed to their stock, for the winter ration 
generally includes one or more of the by-product feeding stuffs, 
usually of a more highly nitrogenous character than the home 
raised grains. Doubtless these purchased materials are often 
used with profit, while on the other hand, the opinion is freely 
expressed that it would be economy for many farms to be more 
fully self-supporting in the matter of the supply of cattle foods. 
However this may be, it is entirely probable that commercial 
