MISCELLANEOUS CONCENTRATES 187 



275. Wet beet pulp. The watery pulp, after being pressed until it con- 

 tains about 10 per ct. of solids, is fed fresh or is ensiled. Care must be 

 taken in feeding fresh pulp, as it spoils rapidly on exposure to the air. 

 Most of the pulp is therefore fed as soured or ensiled pulp. When fed 

 near the factories the pulp is dumped into large, shallow, well-drained 

 pits or trenches, or into huge tank-like silos built chiefly above ground. 

 A more wasteful method is to pile the pulp in large heaps, when the out- 

 side layer on rotting will protect the interior from the air. On farms the 

 pulp may be stored in ordinary silos or placed in pits, either with or 

 without alternate layers of beet leaves, the mass, which may extend sev- 

 eral feet above ground, being covered with straw and earth to keep out 

 frost. Maercker 8 found that rather more than one-fourth of the total 

 nutrients of the pulp was lost in the fermentations which take place 

 when it is ensiled. Therefore, where possible, the pulp should be dried. 



Tho carrying only 1 to 2 per ct. of sugar, wet beet pulp contains con- 

 siderable of other easily digested carbohydrates, and per pound of dry 

 matter is equal to roots in feeding value. Like roots, this watery ma- 

 terial should be fed with dry feeds. Most of the mineral matter is 

 extracted from the beets along with the sugar, and hence the pulp is 

 low in these constituents. When heavy allowances of pulp are fed it 

 is therefore well to see that the animals are supplied with sufficient lime 

 and phosphoric acid. Pulp is also low in crude protein, but fortunately 

 it is commonly fed with legume hay, which is high in both protein and 

 mineral matter. 



Steers are annually fattened by thousands and sheep by ten-thousands 

 on wet beet pulp in the vicinity of western beet-sugar factories. Carlyle 

 and Griffith of the Colorado Station 9 found that for fattening steers 

 1 ton of wet beet pulp replaced 70 Ibs. corn plus 575 Ibs. alfalfa hay. 

 (746) Maynard of the same station 10 reports that 1 ton of wet beet 

 pulp saved 222 Ibs. of corn and 208 Ibs. alfalfa hay in fattening lambs. 

 (871) Beet pulp is also relished by dairy cows, and produces a well- 

 flavored milk, when not fed in too large amounts. (642) It may also be 

 fed to idle horses. (512) 



276. Dried beet pulp. Owing to the popularity of dried beet pulp as a 

 feed, especially for dairy cows, many factories have been equipped with 

 facilities for thus preserving the pulp. Dried beet pulp is palatable, 

 bulky, and slightly laxative. On account of these properties, experienced 

 dairymen esteem it highly for use as a part of the concentrate mixture 

 for cows on official test which are heavily fed on rich concentrates. 

 Merely as a source of nutrients in feeding cows for economical produc- 

 tion, it is worth no more per pound than corn, if added to a ration con- 

 taining silage or roots. (585) Tho used chiefly for dairy cattle, dried 

 beet pulp is also satisfactory for beef cattle and sheep. (747, 654) 



As dried beet pulp absorbs a great deal of water, when a heavy allow- 

 ance is fed it is advisable to moisten it with 2 to 3 times its weight of 

 U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Chem., Bui. 52. "Colo. Bui. 102. "Colo. Bui. 266. 



