No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 445 



pecially is this considered desirable in the case of cows with calf. 

 Maercker recommends the use of 2\ pounds per 1,000 pounds live- 

 weight. Wahlquist states, however, that he has fed as much as 9 

 pounds of beet molasses without apparent injury; Hoppe, 11 pounds; 

 and Ramm, 17.0 pounds to cow with calf, with no ill effect; while 

 Backer states that 9 pounds of palm-nut molasses feed containing 

 almost equal parts of palm-nut and beet molasses, caused severe 

 scouring. Not all cows eat molasses or molasses feed with relish. 

 It is needful in most cases to introduce it gradually. Respecting 

 the influence on the flavor of milk and butter, no unfavorable re- 

 sults have been found. A number of experimenters report that these 

 feeds caused no increase in flow, but an increase in the richness of the 

 milk; others report the opposite effect. 



As to profit, Weigmann states that during one month turf molasses 

 was found equal in nutritive effects to wheat bran. Ramm found 

 cocoa-hull molasses deficient in nitrogen, causing a decrease in milk 

 flow; even when protein was added, the live-weight fell off. Potato- 

 pulp molasses feed was not eaten at all readily; indeed, molasses 

 alone was more completely consumed than when mixed with other 

 feeds. . None of these feeds equaled barley meal in nutritive effect. 



The Alnarp College, Sweden, reports that two and three-fourth 

 pounds of molasses produced a better milk flow than two and one- 

 fifth pounds of oats and barley, but less gain in live-weight. B. 

 Schulze reports that maize-germ molasses feed gave about the same 

 results as field beets and wheat bran. Ramm replaced 11 pounds of 

 peanut cake by an equal weight of maize-germ molasses without de- 

 crease in the milk yield. 



The cases of sickness following the use of molasses feeds are more 

 numerous for cows than for other classes of farm stock. 



A number of experimenters have endeavored to determine the re- 

 spective nutritive values of the different molasses constituents. 

 Ramm compared molasses, sugar, and sugar to which the ash of 

 molasses had been added; the milk flow decreased rapidly when the 

 latter were substituted for molasses in the ration; but sugar plus 

 molasses distillery-wastes was found equal to molasses; whence he 

 concludes that the organic non-sugars of the molasses are of con- 

 siderable nutritive importance. The feeding of sugar instead of mo 

 lasses did not seriously diminish the total milk flow, but did injuri- 

 ously affect the fat percentage. 



Kellner, in his experiment on steers, found the organic matter of 

 molasses equal to starch in maintenance and fattening effects, and 

 25 to 30 per cent, superior to sugar in the latter respect. 



Meissl found molasses even superior to the starch of barley in 

 maintaining swine, and far better than sugar. He inclines to at- 

 tribute this to the influence of the non-albuminoid nitrogenous sub- 

 stances present, although there is no direct proof favoring them 

 rather than the other non-nitrogenous substances other than sugar. 



The interesting observations of Nicolas may be added: That in ex 

 periments where the substitution of molasses for concentrated feeds 

 had caused a diminished milk flow, and fat richness, the addition of 

 phosphoric acid, in which molasses is deficient, to the ration, was fol- 

 lowed by a return of normal milk flow and quality. 



In conclusion, it may be well to add a word of caution. The in- 

 gredients of the molasses feeds are so difficult to distinguish, so many 



