Although named in the law, the attorney general ruled that, since condimental foods are sold as medicines and not as food they do not come under the law. Fortunately in the condimental foods offered, injurious drugs are not found. In addition to common feeding stuffs they consist for the most part of old-time simple remedies of mildly curative powers. The claims made for these materials are as ridiculously extravagant as those made for patent medicines designed for the use of man. The absurd testimonials used in their support are doubtless genuine, but are made by people who can not or do not understand the relations of cause and effect. Facts to be Remembered. The mixture of ingredients contained in the ordinary foods comprises all that are known either to practice or science as useful to animal life. The ordinary cattle foods supply animal nutrition in the most useful and economical forms. Condimental foods are absurd as medicines. If an animal is well no medicine is needed, if ill, remedies adapted to the case should be administered. 66 The farmer can manufacture his own condimental food at a fraction of their usual cost, by mixing a small amount of such common substances as salt, sulphur, saltpeter, fenugreek, cara way, etc., with the daily grain ration. This constant use of these "simples" is not recommended. THE KIND OF CONCENTRATED FEEDING STUFFS TO PURCHASE. The crops grown upon the farm are rich in carbohydrates and poor in protein. Clover will help supply the needed protein, and home grown grains will help out toward a balanced ration. But after growing all the food that can be produced economically on the farm, the dairyman will usually find that he needs to supplement the home grown food by the purchase of concentrated commercial feeding stuffs. As the farm produces or can be made to produce all the starch, sugar and fiber that are needed, it is not necessary to take these constituents into account in the purchase of supplementary food materials. While they have a part, and a necessary part, in the ration, it is protein that is needed to supplement the home grown foods, hence the cost per pound of the protein in a given feeding stuff is of more importance than the ton price. A ton of cottonseed meal costs more than a ton of oat feed, but the protein in the former costs less than four cents a pound and ten or more in the other. The following table shows the number of pounds of protein that a ton of a few average feeding stuffs carries, and the cost of a pound of protein at the usual range in selling price. Cost of one pound protein in different feeding stuffs at different prices per ton. WEIGHT OF DIFFERENT CONCENTRATED FEEDS. It is the common practice in Maine to feed by measure rather than by weight, and since different feeding stuffs vary greatly in weight, it is obviously unfair to compare the feeding values of different feeding stuffs measure for measure. For instance, a quart of cottonseed meal weighs one and one-half pounds, and a quart of dried distillers' grains weighs less than half as much. To assist feeders who have no conveniences for weighing, the following table, prepared by Mr. H. G. Manchester, West Winsted, Conn., is reprinted from Bulletin 145 of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The average weight of one quart of each of the feeds named. |