Charlevoix county herald., 1917-11-23
HEN FEEDS ARE
"SHOWN UP" BY
INVESTIGATORS.
Analysies by M. A. c. Indicate
that Purchasers Pay More for
Weed Seed. Grit and Inferior
Mixtures.

careful analysis Of poultry scratch
feeds conducted by chemists Of the ex-
perment station of the Michigan agri-
cultural college to determine whether
or not these products are endowed
with the many virtues that have been
claimed for them, has brought out this
fact that purchasers of these mixtures
have mostly been paying for inferior
grain, weed seed and grit than it would
have cost them to buy equivalent
weight Of high grade, whole grain.
Poultry scratch feeds, while a few
Of them are made of whole grain of
good quality, have on the WHOLE" a re-
port on the results Of the investigation
declares, "been credited, like Germany
before the war; with virtues they do
not possess. Purchasers Of poultry
scratch feeds, instead of coming into
possession OF superior, health-giving
products Of high merit, have for the
most part simply been paying
beautiful prices for poor grade Of
grain, adulterated often with a high
percent Of weed seeds and grit. A
few reliable companies may be embarr-
assed by what the investigation has
shown Of the work of less scrupulious
makers Of poultry feeds, through res
pective of whose name q scratch feed
bears, the poultryman himself will
save much money if he will use whole
grain and mix il at home. Scratch
feeds are only economical when they
can be bought for what they really are.
There was one feed, for example,
and il was one OF the best, offered on
market for $4.75a hundredweiRht
The corn, wheat, oats and barley of
which it was composed could bave
been secured anywhere for 1886. The
grain contained in another comercial
feed was worth just $2.87 at prevailing
market prices mixed up and chris
tened with pretty name il was selling
at "a, 80 to gallible poultrymen. In the
very best sample there was only s4l3
worth Of grain and il was selling at
$4.8O. In most feeds the value of grain
range only from 1925 to t3.75, and they
were selling at prices ranging from
$3.50 to @4.7b.
"Of course much stress has been laid
by the manufacturers on the fact that
these scratch feeds offered as "balanc-
ed rations" to give the hens variety in
their diet, but any pOultryman with a
half an ounce of brands can feed his
hens superior fare at dollar less per
hundredweight by doing the 'balanc-
ing himself. One feed was found to
contain 80 pounds Of corn, pounds
of oats, 10 pounds of barley, 80
pounds Of wheat, 3 pounds Of buck
wheat and 2 pounds of kafir corn in
every 100 pounds. Another had in il
40 pounds Of corn, 10 pounds Of barley
20 pounds wheat, 10 pounds Of kafir
corn aud Is pounds Of weed seeds
Still third was made up OF Is pounds
OF corn 10 pounds Of barley, 80 pounds
Of wheat, s pounds OF kafir corn, II
!. 10 pounds OF weeds and 20 pounds oi
! grit, while the fourth contained ST
pounds Of corn, Is pounds of barley
10 pounds Of wheat and 20 pounds ot
weeds. Thus il continued through the
whole catalogue of feeds tested.
"Forty-nine samples were found tC
. contain ordinary lime stone grit, which
being charged for at the rate Of ap
, proximately cents pound. In othel
samples the corn, wheat, oats and bar
. ley used were mostly of inferior quail
ty and light weight, and in some case.
salvaged grains were substituted fol
But most objectional be in large
number Of samples was the abundance
Of weed seeds, which in some feed.
made up as much as 80 pounds ir
every hundredweight. Among these
were many poisonous varieties, such
. a. night shade, ergot and cookie
r Sample, containing night shade, wher
ground up and fed to hens on the coll
I egs farm as an experiment result in th'
; death Of two and effected all the Others
The fact that these seed are always
whole and are therefore not all eater
by the hens probably accounts fo
fewer fatalities in the average flock.
"The final conclusion drawn from
the inspection is that II poultrymen
will buy the whole grain and mix il a
!, home they will save themselves all tn,
, way from Is 20 100 per cent in the cos
: Of their scratch feeds, and will in add
ition guard their flocks from possibl
> injury by poisonous seeds and othe
possibly harmful ingredients.
Where man insists upon clingin