444 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



old steers. Maercker especially commends molasses feeds for these 

 animals, and states that three to four pounds per day can advan- 

 tageously be used. 



For sheep, Maercker recommends eight pounds of molasses feed 

 per 1,000 pounds live-weight; Stein, 10 to 14 pounds. Kamm re- 

 ports feeding eight pounds of beet molasses or 10 pounds of peat 

 molasses feed per 1,000 pounds live weight, without injury. He re- 

 ports a comparison of barley meal, molasses and peat-molasses feed, 

 added to a basal ration in such quantities as to furnish equal amounts 

 of nitrogen-free extract. The gain in live-weight on the barley ration 

 being taken as 100, that on molasses was 82, on peat-molasses feed, 

 72; that of wool: barley 100, molasses 7: 1 ., peat molasses 50. In the 

 carcass, the barley ration produced more muscular tissue and fat; 

 the molasses, more dry matter and ash; the melting point of the fat 

 was lower in molasses-fed sheep than in those given barley; the 

 profit, greatest from the molasses ration. 



Albert and Linfield severally report experiments with fattening 

 lambs, and state that beet molasses and molasses feeds are rational 

 feeds for these animals. The former states that molasses is not so 

 good alone as when mixed with grain, and that a large increase of 

 the nitrogen-free extract in the ration is not profitable. Linfield ob- 

 tained 14 cents more per head for grain-finished lambs than for those 

 molasses-fed. C. Gerland also reports excellent results, the addi- 

 tion of 9 pounds of molasses to the ration per 1,000 pounds live- 

 weight, caused a gain of 37 pounds live-weight in 10 days. 



For fattening swine. Fnis compared a molasses feed (one-eighth 

 palm-nut meal, three-eighths wheat bran, four-eighths beet mo- 

 lasses) with barley and maize and considered it of nearly equal value. 

 When maize was used alone in comparison, molasses gave a smaller, 

 but cheaper gain. The fat produced by pigs on the molasses ration 

 was intermediate in firmness between that produced by the maize 

 and barley rations respectively. Blood molasses was, however, quite 

 inferior; the pork was poor, the fat soft; so oiat the carcass was 

 worth 1 to 2.7 cents less per pound on the English market, than that 

 from grain-fed hogs. 



Lilienthal reports a like result with blood molasses. Fayo and 

 Fredericksen found molasses nearly equal in nutritive value to bar- 

 ley for 50-pound pigs, and cheaper; from repeated experiments, a 

 lower value, about three-fourths that of grain, was assigned; the 

 gain in weight was less per day and per pound of food consumed. 

 The fat was firm, however, and the meat excellent. 



Gerlach, and Dickson and Malpeaux report a very rapid gain from 

 the use of molasses feeds. Klein regards molasses as worth about 

 four-fifths as much as mixed barley and maize. 



Lehman states that bad results have attended the use of beet 

 molasses with sour milk. 



In a single instance only is serious injury reported. Brante" states 

 that three pigs, seven to nine months old, sickened and died after 

 three weeks' feeding upon a palm-nut-bran molasses feed. He sup- 

 poses the cause to have been the injurious influence of the potash 

 salts in the molasses. 



Experiments with coivs have led to somewhat contradictory re- 

 sults. It is recognized that somewhat more care is needed in using 

 molasses with these animals than with other domestic stock. Es- 



