168 The Sugar-Beet in America 



from hogs fed on beet tops is of a desirable quality, feed- 

 ing tops to them is recommended. Experiments ^ show 

 that hogs pastured on beet tops and receiving one-third 

 normal grain rations did well. Horses should not be fed 

 large quantities of tops. 



SUGAR-BEET PULP 



After the beet has been sliced into shreds and most of 

 the sugar extracted, pulp remains as a by-product. A 

 great many experiments in this country as well as in 

 Europe have been conducted to determine the value of 

 this pulp. The interest in it seems to have been due not 

 so much to its value as to the difficulty of disposing of 

 such a great quantity of material at the factories. Ap- 

 proximately 85 per cent of the original weight of the roots 

 is discarded as fresh pulp, but by the time the water has 

 been well drained from it and it has gone through the 

 siloing process, only 25 to 35 per cent of the original weight 

 of the roots remains. Tlie tops can be dried easily into 

 a rich hay in the more arid parts of the country, whereas 

 it is rather expensive to dry pulp. The dried pulp is less 

 than twice as valuable for feed as the cured tops. When 

 time cannot be spared to silo the tops and when a suc- 

 culent feed is desired during the winter, the pulp may be 

 the more economical even though it is usually necessary 

 to pay a small sum for it. Table V shows the relative 

 value of tops and pulp. 



Only a small part of the pulp is fed just as it comes 



1 Shaw, R. S., Mich. Exp. Sta., Bui No. 223. 



