166 



value as a food. The culture of sugar-beets whea grown for fodder purposes differs 

 from that of those raised for the sugar factory. As a fodder ci-op the plants should not 

 be so close together in the row, nor is there any necessity to earth them up, as in the 

 case of factory beets. The yield per acie, in this way, will be considerably increased. 

 Sugar-beet Pulp. — This is a bye-product in the manufacture of sugar from beets, 

 and consists of the i-esidue after the extraction of the sugar by diffuhion. The veiy 

 large percentage of water (95-72 per cent) causes the fresh material to be of very 

 little value. If pressed, however, until it contained 20 per cent of solid matter and 

 then converted into ensilage, a useful fodder results. 



Fodder Corn.. — For the sake of comparison I have inserted the average composition 

 of 7 varieties of Indian corn fodder at different stages of development — particulars 

 of which appeared in Bulletin No. 12, issued in June last. The analyses of two 

 samples of ensilage are also added. These latter show that there may exist a wide 

 variation in the value of ensilage, depending chiefly on the degree of maturity of 

 the fodder ensiled and the care with which it is preserved. If the corn possess a large 

 perceniage of water when put in the silo and the air not thoroughly excluded, the 

 ensilage will be poor in quality. Further remarks on this important fodder crop will 

 be found in a special chapter 'devoted to the results of our experiments of the past 

 three years. 



Screenings. — These samples consist of small wheat, weed seeds, chaff, broken 

 straw, &c., winnowed out in the cleaning of the wheat before grinding. 



Mr. Fletcher, Dominion Botanist, to whom was submitted a sample, makes the 

 following leport as to its botanical composition: — 



Per cent. 



Small and broken wheal, chaflf, straw, &c 30-0 



Seed of the wild buckwheat (Folygomim convolvulus) 29-2 



Seed of the lamb's quarter (Cheno podium allnnn) 33'3 



Stinking smut 6-0 



Seeds of wild sunflower 1-5 



It is impossible to arrive at the actual feeding value of the screenings from 

 analyses alone, as the digestibility must be taken into account, concerning which I 

 have no data. However, an approximation to its relative value may be ascertained 

 by comparing its composition with that of other fodder articles. I therefore subjoin 

 the following : — 



The screenings are finely ground, so that the material sold is in the form of 

 meal. I have no information regarding any effect on the cow's digestion or general 

 health by the substitution of this for other meals in the ration. 



The following instructive table, besides giving the amounts of water and dry 

 matter in the fodders already discussed, shows the pei-centages of food constituents 

 in the solid matter, thereby allowing a comparison to be made of the value of the 

 fodders after deducting the amount of water they contain. It also states the quantity 

 of dry matter (practically all digestible in the case of roots) in one ton of the 

 fodders. 



