Indian corn,
rice, bean-meal, locust-beans, and malt-combings. These substances
are flavored by the addition of turmeric-root, ginger, coriander-seed,
carraway-seed, fenugreek-seed, aniseed, liquorice, and similar
substances. In addition to the nutritive and flavorous articles employed
in the manufacture of these foods, purely medicinal substances are also
made use of with the idea that they would prove useful in maintaining
the health and stimulating the appetite of the animals. These medicinal
ingredients constitute but a small proportion of the compound, although
they add considerably to the cost of manufacture. The following is a
formula for a condimental food, which in every respect will be found
fully equal, if not superior, to the ordinary high-priced articles.
cwt. qrs. lbs.
Linseed-meal, or cake 7 0 0
Locust beans (ground) 8 0 0
Indian corn 4 1 0
Powdered turmeric 0 1 4
Ginger 0 0 3
Fenugreek-seed 0 0 2
Gentian 0 0 10
Cream of tartar 0 0 2
Sulphur 0 0 20
Common salt 0 0 10
Coriander-seed 0 0 5
-----------------
One ton.
A ton of condimental food manufactured according to this formula will
cost only about the same amount as an equal weight of linseed, and will
produce an effect fully equal to that of the food which at one time was
sold at £60 per ton.
Whatever may be the medicinal virtues of these foods, or however
appropriate the term "condimental" which has been applied to them,
it is quite certain that their whilom designation "concentrated"
was a misnomer. Their composition shows that they possess a degree of
nutritive power considerably below that of linseed-cake, and but little,
if at all, superior to that of Indian corn.
The following analytical statement, which I published some years ago,
will give an insight into the nature of these articles:--
ANALYSES OF CONDIMENTAL FOOD.
Thorley's. Bradley's.
Water 12·00 12·09
Nitrogenous, or flesh-forming principles 14·92 10·36
Oil 6·08 5·80
Gum, sugar, mucilage, &c. 56·86 60·21
Woody fibre 5·46 5·32
Mineral matter (ash) 4·68 6·22
------ ------
100·00 100·00
As a ton of linseed-cake contains a greater amount of nutriment than
an equal quantity of condimental food, the latter should be clearly
proved to possess very valuable specific virtues, in order to induce the
feeder to use it extensively. Cattle and horses out of condition may be
benefited by its carminative and tonic properties; but if they are, it
surely must be a bad practice to feed healthy animals upon a substance
which is a remedy in disease. It is asserted, and probably with some
degree of truth, that when dainty, over-fed stock loathe their food,
they are induced to eat greedily by mixing the "condimental" with their
ordinary food. If such really be the case, let the feeder compound the
article himself, and effect thereby a saving of perhaps 50 or 80 per
cent. in the cost of it. A good condimental food, rich in actual
nutriment, and pleasantly flavored, is no doubt a compound which might
be used with advantage; but it should be sold at a moderate and fair
price.
* * * * *
[Footnote 26: See Transactions of Highland and Agricultural Society of
Scotland for 1852.]
[Footnote 27: Zig-zag clover, or Marl grass? Cowgrass is _Trifolium
pratense perenne_.]
[Footnote 28: This gentleman has invented an exceedingly simple but
effective furze-bruiser, which I hope soon to see in general use.]
[Footnote 29: H. Le Docte, in _Journal de la Société Centrale
d'Agriculture de Belgique_.]
[Footnote 30: Cellulose is the term applied to the chemical substance
which forms woody fibre. The latter is made up of very minute
spindle-shaped tubes. In young and succulent plants these tubes are
often lined with layers of soft cellulose. In many plants--such as
trees--in a certain stage of development, the substance lining the cells
is very hard, and is termed _lignin_, or _sclerogen_. This substance is
merely a modification of cellulose; and both resemble in composition
sugar and starch so closely that, by heating them with sulphuric acid,
they may be converted into sugar.]
[Footnote 31: One part of oil is equal to 2-1/2 parts of starch--that is,
2-1/2 parts of starch are expended in the production of
1 part of fat.]
[Footnote 32: No difference is here assumed between the nutritive value
of sugar and starch.]
[Footnote 33: Unless when Kohl-rabi is cultivated, for the bulbs of this
plant may be preserved in good condition up to June. I have advocated
the cultivation of the radish as a food crop in the "Agricultural
Review" for 1861.]
[Footnote 34: According to some chemists, sugar does not exist in ripe
grain, but is produced in it, during the process of analysis, by the
action of the re-agents employed and the influence of the air.]
[Footnote 35: Report to Government on feeding cattle with Malt, 1844.]
[Footnote 36: _Monthly Agricultural Review_, Dublin, February, 1859.]
[Footnote 37: _Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society
of Scotland,_ October, 1858.]
[Footnote 38: 3 lbs. of rape-cake, 3/4 lb. malt combs, 3/4 lb. bran,
steamed together with a sufficient quantity of straw.]
SECTION IX.--ANALYSES OF THE ASHES OF PLANTS.
(_Extracted from the Author's "Chemistry of Agriculture."_)
Those numbers marked with an asterisk refer to 100 parts of the
substance in its natural or undried state; the remaining numbers
refer to 100 parts when dried.
+----------------------+-------+---------------+-------+-------+-------+
| | | Flax. | | | |
| | +-------+-------+ | | White |
| | Rape | | | Peas. | Kidney| Turnip|
| | Seed. | Stalk.| Seed. | | Beans.| Seed. |
+----------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
|Potash | 25·18 | 34·96 | 32·55 | 43·09 | 36·83 | 21·91 |
|Soda | ... | ... | 2·51 | ... | 18·40 | 1·23 |
|Lime | 12·91 | 15·87 | 9·45 | 4·77 | 7·75 | 17·40 |
|Magnesia | 11·39 | 3·68 | 16·23 | 8·06 | 6·33 | 8·74 |
|Sesquioxide of Iron | 0·62 | 4·84 | 0·38 | ... | 2·24 | 1·95 |
| " Manganese | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Sulphuric Acid | 0·53 | 4·99 | 1·43 | 0·44 | 3·96 | 7·10 |
|Muriatic Acid | 0·11 | ... | ... | 1·96 | ... | ... |
|Carbonic Acid | 2·20 | 13·39 | ... | ... | ... | 0·82 |
|Phosphoric Acid | 45·95 | 8·48 | 35·99 | 40·56 | 11·60 | 40·17 |
|Silica | 1·11 | 5·60 | 1·46 | 0·79 | 4·09 | 0·67 |
|Chloride of Potassium | ... | 7·65 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Chloride of Sodium | ... | 0·54 | ... | ... | 2·80 | ... |
| +-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
| Total |100·00 |100·00 |100·00 | 99·67 |100·00 | 99·99 |
| Per-centage of Ash | 4·51 | 5·00 | 3·05 | 5·21 | 0·68 | 3·98 |
| | | | | | * | |
+----------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
+----------------------+---------+---------+--------+---------+--------+
| | | | | | |
| | Turnip | | Mangel | | |
| | Bulb |Cucumber.| Wurtzel|Potatoes | Hop |
| | (Swede).| | Seed. |(tubers).|Flowers.|
+----------------------+---------+---------+--------+---------+--------+
|Potash | 39·82 | 47·52 | 16·08 | 35·15 | 19·41 |
|Soda | 10·86 | ... | 6·86 | 5·77 | 0·70 |
|Lime | 12·75 | 6·31 | 13·42 | 2·14 | 14·15 |
|Magnesia | 4·68 | 4·26 | 15·22 | 2·69 | 5·34 |
|Sesquioxide of Iron | 0·89 | ... | 0·40 | 1·79 | 2·41 |
| " Manganese | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Sulphuric Acid | 13·15 | 4·60 | 3·64 | 3·29 | 8·28 |
|Muriatic Acid | 3·68 | ... | ... | ... | 2·26 |
|Carbonic Acid | ... | ... | 13·85 | 17·14 | 11·01 |
|Phosphoric Acid | 6·69 | 18·03 | 13·35 | 20·70 | 14·64 |
|Silica | 7·05 | 7·12 | 1·86 | 3·00 | 18·56 |
|Chloride of Potassium | ... | 4·19 | ... | 1·84 | ... |
|Chloride of Sodium | ... | 9·06 | 15·30 | 6·49 | 2·95 |
| +---------+---------+--------+---------+--------+
| Total | 99·57 | 100·09 | 99·98 | 100·00 | 99·71 |
| Per-centage of Ash | 7·60 | 0·63 | 6·58 | | 6·05 |
| | | * | | | |
+----------------------+---------+---------+--------+---------+--------+
The number marked with an asterisk refers to 100 parts of the
substance in its natural or undried state; the remaining numbers
refer to 100 parts when dried.
+----------------------+--------+--------+--------+------+-------------+
| | | | |Husks | Rye. |
| |Cauli- |Hopeton |Potato | of +-------------+
| |flowers.|Oats |Oats. |Potato|Grain.|Straw.|
| | |(Grain).|(Grain).|Oats. | | |
+----------------------+--------+--------+--------+------+------+------+
|Potash | 34·39 | 20·65 | \ | 2·23| 31·76| 17·36|
| | | | }31·56| | | |
|Soda | 14·79 | ... | / | 8·97| 4·45| 0·31|
|Lime | 2·96 | 10·28 | 5·32| 4·30| 2·92| 9·06|
|Magnesia | 2·38 | 7·82 | 8·69| 2·35| 10·13| 2·41|
|Sesquioxide of Iron | 1·69 | 3·85 | 0·88| 0·32| 0·82| 1·36|
| " Manganese | ... | 0·42 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Sulphuric Acid | 11·16 | ... | ... | 4·30| 1·46| 0·83|
|Muriatic Acid | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 0·46|
|Carbonic Acid | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Phosphoric Acid | 27·85 | 50·44 | 49·19| 0·66| 47·29| 3·82|
|Silica | 1·92 | 4·40 | 1·87| 74·18| 0·17| 64·50|
|Chloride of Potassium | ... | 1·03 | ... | ... | ... | ... |
|Chloride of Sodium | 2·86 | ... | 0·35| 2·39| ... | ... |
| +--------+--------+--------+------+------+------+
| Total | 100·00 | 98·89 | 97·86| 99·70|100·00|100·11|
| Per-centage of Ash | 0·71 | | 2·22| | 2·30| 2·60|
| | * | | | | | |
+----------------------+--------+--------+--------+------+------+------+
+----------------------+-------+---------------------------------------+
| | | Grasses (in flower). |
| | Hay. +---------------------------------------+
| | |Bromus |Lolium | Annual | Avena |
| | |erectus.|perenne.|Ryegrass.|flavesceus.|
+----------------------+-------+--------+--------+---------+-----------+
|Potash | 20·80 | 20·33 | 24·67 | 28·99 | 36·06 |
|Soda | 10·85 | ... | ... | 0·87 | 0·73 |
|Lime | 8·24 | 10·38 | 9·64 | 6·82 | 7·98 |
|Magnesia | 4·01 | 4·99 | 2·85 | 2·59 |
