BREEDS OF DAIRY CATTLE 171 



swine and poultry when in confinement, and to sheep especially dur- 

 ing the nursing period. (Cal. B. 132.) 



Sugar-Beet Pulp. In the process of manufacturing beet sugar 

 there remains a by-product containing a large proportion of water 

 and for which no profitable use has been found thus far, except as 

 a food for stock. Upon the arrival of the sugar-beets at the factory 

 they are first washed and then run through a slicing machine which 

 shreds them into small strips resembling a large size of twine. The 

 shredded beets are placed in large cylinders through which hot 

 water is forced and the sugar thereby dissolved out of the beets. The 

 portion remaining after the sugar has passed off in solution is what 

 is known as beet-pulp, or residue. It is of no further use to the 

 manufacturer, who is always ready to dispose of it at a nominal 

 price. Because of its passing through such a soaking process, the 

 beet pulp comes from the factory with a high content of water, which 

 in most cases is about ninety per cent of its total weight. It is there- 

 fore heavy material to handle, and the cost of transportation is likely 

 to be high in proportion to its actual value, either for food or any 

 other purpose. The presence of so much water, however, renders 

 the beet residue of much value for milch cows where other succulent 

 foods, as green pasture, silage or soiling crops, are not available. 



Several years of experience in California have proven sugar-beet 

 pulp of value for fattening cattle as well as for producing milk, and 

 the fact is that the larger portion of the beet pulp in the State is con- 

 sumed by cattle which are being fitted for the butcher's block. It 

 has been fed also to some extent to sheep. Both cattle and sheep eat 

 the pulp so readily that there is scarcely any difficulty about getting 

 them accustomed to it. So far as we are able to learn all those who 

 have fed beet pulp to either of these kinds of stock have been success- 

 ful except where they tried to make the pulp the sole food. This 

 should never be done for more than a few days at most, because the 

 animal cannot consume enough of such watery food to maintain life 

 and produce milk or meat. Moreover, as a general principle, an 

 animal should never be expected to do its best when confined to a 

 single article of diet. 



Storing Beet Pulp. When a pile of beet pulp has been sub- 

 jected to the weather for some time the whole exposed surface decays 

 to a depth of six to eight inches, forming a crust which serves as a 

 seal to preserve the under-lying material. Beet pulp may be said, 

 therefore, to silo itself; and the chief points in arranging storage 

 for it are to confine the desired quantity into as small a space as 

 possible and reduce the exposed surface to a minimum. These points 

 are secured by means of silos of various kinds. Since the food value 

 of beet pulp is so small in proportion to its weight, there is no profit 

 in constructing costly storage places ; therefore the silo may be cheap, 

 but it must be strongly built. (Cal. B. 132.) 



Sorghum Silage. The question which confronts the farmer is: 

 What crop can I raise most economically for the silo? This means: 

 What crop will produce most tons of good nutritious food per acre? 

 Cowpea hay is known to be an excellent forage, but the yield is 



