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Show -a Questions of the Feed Lot ' Profttsor Horbirt W. Mumfori Illinois College it Agrleulturt Short Talks on Feeding upjP ' HA.J' value 1j molasses as . . W food?" N Molasses is strictly a carbonaceous u belonging In iho same class as corn and similar simi-lar feeds. It has corne to b regarded as a valuable feed for fattening cattle, especially In Iho sugar-producing regions of the country, coun-try, vhero It Is obtained cheaply at a byproduct by-product from tlio manufacture of sugar. ln the manufacturo of sugar It 19 Impossible 10 get all the sugar to crystallize out of the cano or beet Juice, and this sugar, together with other organic matter contained mainly In tho form of protelds, gives the refuse molnssos Its value as a stock food. The protein, how- ever, la In a very small proportion as compared com-pared with the sugar or carbohydrate. Thin refuse 19 obtainable In tho sugar belt for froro S to 10 cents a gallon of about twelve pound. For fattening cattle molasses has as much or more value as an appetizer as an actual food. When spiinWcd over grain or hay It causes a larger consumption of feed, and not only this, butifeedors claim that It Is an aid to digestion. Although at present there Is not much data at hand on the subject, this claim seems to bo substantiated by experimental experi-mental evidence. An experiment conducted by tho Texas station In 1503 shows that when molasses at tho rate of two-fifths of n gallon per steer per day vas added to a ration of cottonseed meal and cottonseed hulls the cattle cat-tle not only made a greater dally gain p.r head, but the gains wero made cheaper. A bullr'ln on the subject has bcn pub-j pub-j Ilshcd by Professors John A- Craig and F. R. I Marshall of the Texas station, which gives I the results of feeding molasses to 2-ycar-oM I steers being finished for market The average aver-age grain ration consisted of fourteen pounds of cottonseed meal and corn chop, one part of the former to two parts of the latter, and the average roughage consumed was twelve ami one-holf pounds of cottonseed hulls per day. To this was added molasses at tho rate of a little ovor thrco quarts per steer per day. Tho cattlo thus fed made an average dally gain of 1.71 pounds, against 1.27 pounds with a similar lot similarly fed. but without ths molasses- The cost per pound gain was 10.05 cents with the lot receiving molasses, against 11 3 cents with tho lot receiving no molcscj. The lo" " rate of ga!n and high cost per pound Is duo to Iho fact that the steers had been long fed and wero nearly fat when tho experiment ex-periment began. Tho 1-iJletIn referred to states that the most common method of feeding molas.cs la to carry It out In buckets and mix with tho feed In tho bunks. In the tests at the station tho molasses was mixed with an equal volume vol-ume of water and poured over tho mixed grains and hulls, tho whole then being thoroughly thor-oughly stirred. A common practice Is to tak) a spraying outfit, the barrel being filled with on equal volume of water and molasses, and drivo through tho feed lot. spraying on ton mixed feed In the bunks such an amount of the mlxturo as Is to bo fed. According to statements mndo by the Massachusetts station sta-tion tho residuum molasses from Porto Rico 13 being offered for sale In New England at 13 cents a gallon of twelve pounds. Tho molasses mo-lasses contains 24 to 2S per cent of water. 3 per cent of nitrogenous matter and 7to i per cent a?h, the remainder being sugar and allied substances. A good appetizer is mado of ground alfalfa' hay mixed with molasses. T. E- Hord. Central Cen-tral City, Neb., claims that such a mlxturo fed at tho rato of two pounds per day Increased In-creased the consumption from three to six poinds per day per steer. |
