FEEDING STUFFS.

[For tabulated statement of Composition of American Feeding Stuffs, see page 90.] About 200 samples of feeding stuffs have been analyzed during the last twelve months. A large number of the analyses were made in connection with the Experiment on the Effect of the Rate of Planting on the Quality and Quantity of the Maize Crop and will be given in the discussion of that experiment either in this Report or the next. Analyses of grasses will be found on page 101 in the account of the forage garden.

Analyses of potatoes are given in the account of the field experiments with potatoes made by Mr. Fenn, and Mr. Platt of Milford and Mr. Webb of Hamden. The remaining analyses follow. Some of them have already been published in Bulletin No. 96, but are reproduced here to meet the legal requirement that the Report of the Station shall contain a full and detailed report of its operations."

Full explanations regarding feeding stuffs and their ingredients, feeding standards and the compounding of rations, etc., have been given in previous reports, copies of which can be obtained by those who wish them.

ON THE VALUATION OF FEEDING STUFFS.

It is not possible to accurately express in figures the actual feeding value or nutritive effect of a feeding stuff any more than it is possible to give a figure which shall represent the agricultural value of a commercial fertilizer. The reasons are alike in both cases and are evident without explanation. But some way of comparing feeds like that used for comparing fertilizers in which both their chemical composition and cost prices shall be taken account of is very desirable. A large number of millproducts are now offered for sale in this State to feeders of dairy stock. Most of them, like wheat feed, rye feed, oat feed and buckwheat middlings are residues left from the preparation of flour or meal for table use. Some are evidently worth a good deal more than is charged for them; while others are of quite inferior value. Neither buyers nor sellers know their composition nor whether the prices charged are high or low as compared with other feeds, when their composition is taken into account.

An attempt has been made by this Station to find out and analyze all the mill-products now in the Connecticut market whose

average composition is not already known, and also to offer some method of comparison or "valuation" for them.

The method here to be described is not a new one. It has been used abroad, where feeds as well as fertilizers are sold under guarantee as to composition and the seller is obliged to make good any deficiency. The method is perfectly logical only when the price of each feeding stuff is governed strictly by its composition. In England and Germany this appears to be much more nearly the case than in this country, where prices at present are regulated scarcely at all by the chemical composition of the feeds. Notwithstanding this the valuations obtained by the method as below described have in general agreed well with the market prices of the standard mill feeds.

An outline of the method is as follows:

The average market prices of the feeds which form the basis of calculation can be obtained from the market reports just as the market prices of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash are obtained from the weekly quotations of fertilizer chemicals. The chemical composition of the feeds can be determined by analysis as the composition of fertilizer chemicals is determined.

The next step is to calculate from the chemical composition of all the feeds and their retail prices, the most probable or average retail price of a pound of albuminoids or fat or carbhydrates (fiber and nitrogen-free extract together.) This problem is by no means so simple as that of determining the cost of nitrogen, phosphoric acid or potash. Each of the last-named can be bought by itself; potash for instance in muriate of potash or nitrogen in dried blood, and from the price of the muriate or the blood the cost per pound of potash or nitrogen can be directly deduced. But there are no feeds which contain only one or even only two food-ingredients. All of them contain at least three. Under these circumstances to calculate the cost of each food-ingredient can only be done algebraically by an application of the "method of least squares" so-called. The tedious details of the calculation would be out of place here. The data used for solving this problem are as follows:

By correspondence with dealers throughout the State as well as with purchasers, the average retail prices of fine feed (as distinguished from coarse feed, hay, stalks, straw, etc.) have been obtained as accurately as possible. The average composition of these feeds is known from the tables of analyses which are annu

ally revised and published by this Station. A considerable number of analyses have also been made within the last two months of feeds new to our market, so that we have a tolerably complete statement of their composition.

The feeds used in calculating the average cost of albuminoids, fat and carbhydrates are those in the subjoined list.

The selling prices per ton are believed to represent the average for December, 1888. The explanation of the column headed "Valuation" is given further on.

The calculation based on these foods and their average composition and prices at the date named shows that the average retail cost of a pound each of albuminoids, fat and carbhydrates is as follows:

To test the accuracy of these figures they have been applied to the feeds from which they were derived and the results are given above in the column headed "Valuation." It appears that the total calculated cost and the total actual cost agree within one dollar. It may be noted in passing that these figures differ radically from those used in Germany, which were derived in a similar way from German market quotations and which in absence of any other data have been previously applied to American feeding stuffs.

To explain their use they are here applied to the sample of Malt Sprouts, No. CCCXXXII, the analysis of which is given on page 152.

The meaning of this statement must be clearly borne in mind. It does not mean that this feed is certainly worth for feeding purposes $5.09 more per ton than it costs. It does not mean that malt sprouts are certainly worth more than another feed which has a lower valuation. It does not mean that it is a palatable and easily digestible feed. What this numerical statement does mean is this; that in malt sprouts of this quality and price the purchaser gets the food ingredients named, for less than their average market price by $5.09. This leaves a great deal to be known about the feed, to be sure, but it nevertheless is a very useful piece of information. To illustrate: To know that potash in muriate costs 44 cents a pound while in sulphate it costs 54 cents, leaves much still to be known about the agricultural uses of these two salts, and spite of the difference in cost there will be much use wisely made of the more costly one, but a knowledge of this difference is of great value to purchasers of potash salts. Just so to know that albuminoids, fat and carbhydrates cost very much less in malt sprouts or cotton-seed meal than in wheat bran, will not induce an intelligent dairyman to give up bran and feed malt sprouts or cotton seed meal wholly in its place, but it may induce him to try substituting one of these for a part of the bran or other feed which he uses, and when he finds a new feed offered he will be disposed to look not only on its gross cost but on the cost of the food ingredients in it as compared with the usual market rates. These figures are provisional and will change somewhat with the state of the market. They apply only to one class of feeds, namely, dry fine mill-products or brewery refuse like malt sprouts and dried brewers' grains.

*The sum of nitrogen-free extract and fiber.

ANALYSES OF FEEDING STUFFS.

COTTON SEED BRAN.

CCCIII. Sold by J. E. Soper & Co., Boston, Mass. Sampled and sent by R. E. Pinney, Suffield. Cost $22 per ton in 100 lb. sacks.

This material contains less fat (ether extract) and no more albuminoids than hay of fair quality. The fiber probably comes from cotton seed hulls. The Cotton Seed Bran costs as much as wheat bran and is far less valuable as feed.

The "Valuation" by the method just explained is $18.13 per ton, or $4.00 less than the cost. Even this is too high an estimate because more than a third of the carbhydrates consists of fiber which is the least valuable and least digestible part of the carbhydrates.

THE COLUMBIA CURED FEED FOR HORSES AND CATTLE.

CCXC. This feed claims to be made "with oats and corn as a basis, reinforced by barley, wheat, rice and rye, and embodies putting into practice a theory generally held by thoughtful horse and dairy-men, that a greater variety in feed than is usually convenient would be of advantage to the animal." "It contains no tonic or medicine of any description to create a false appetite." "We claim it to be the strongest and most nutritious feed ever offered to the public."

The analysis of this article follows. The composition of wheat bran of average quality is also given for comparison.