8UGAR CA2fE 431 



688. By-products and Their Value. Beet pulp, the cos- 

 settes or strips of the beet roots from which the sugar has been 

 extracted, contains about 90 per cent of water and 10 per 

 cent of solids, so that it is nearly equal to mangels in feeding 

 value. The pulp is relished by dairy cows, and makes an 

 excellent substitute for corn silage. If it is combined with 

 clover or alfalfa hay when fed to beef cattle or sheep, com- 

 paratively little grain is required. Toward the close of the 

 feeding period, grain should gradually be substituted for 

 the beet pulp, finishing the fattening on hay and grain with- 

 out pulp. Dried beet pulp is supplied by some factories. 

 This keeps much better than wet pulp and is much Hghter to 

 handle, one pound of it being equal in feeding value to about 

 eight pounds of wet pulp. Beet molasses alone is not pal- 

 atable, but it is often mixed with pulp before drying, the 

 dried molasses beet pulp being about equal in feeding value 

 to the dried pulp without the molasses. Beet molasses is 

 also mixed with chopped hay or straw for feeding to stock. 



SUGAR CANE 



589. History and Character. Sugar cane, Saccharum 

 officinarum, is a perennial grass growing from 8 to 15 feet 

 high, with solid, heavy stalks like corn. The flowers are in 

 silky, plume-like terminal panicles, but seed is seldom pro- 

 duced. The plant is grown for the juice which the stalks 

 contain, and from which sugar and molasses are made. 

 Sugar cane has long been cultivated in tropical countries, 

 and until quite recent years was the principal source of sugar. 

 It is probably a native of southeastern Asia or some of the 

 adjacent islands. 



590. Sugar Content. The sweet, or saccharine, matter is 

 confined to the stalks and is greatest near the middle, de- 

 creasing at the ends, but more particularly near the top. For 

 this reason it is most profitable to save the upper portions 

 of the stalks for replanting, though sometimes the whole 



