58 



Oatmolene Horse Feed consists of ground oats, cracked corn, 

 wheat bran and molasses. At the prices for which it was sold 

 during the past year it can be considered a satisfactory and eco- 

 nomical horse. feed. 



Molassine Meal, of which 2 samples are reported, conformed 

 to its guarantee. It is composed of substantially 35 to 30 per 

 cent of sphagnum moss and 70 to 75 per cent of cane or beet 

 molasses. The moss, according to the manufacturers, comes 

 from the upper layers of large bogs in Yorkshire, England. Such 

 material, as time passes, decays and forms peat. It is doubtful 

 if the moss has any particular nutritive properties; hence, the 

 nutritive value of the feed consists in the amount of molasses 

 present.* The larger part of the crude protein found in Molas- 

 sine Meal exists in the form of amids. Experiments made at 

 this station show that at the same moisture content one ton of 

 Molassine Meal contains substantially 900 pounds of digestible 

 organic matter as against 1400 pounds for corn meal. On this 

 basis Molassine Meal would have scarcely two-thirds of the 

 nutritive value of the corn. An experiment with milch cows 

 was made in which 4.3 pounds of corn meal were fed against 

 4.3 pounds of Molassine Meal. The cows yielded some 14 per 

 cent more milk on the ration of which corn meal was a com- 

 ponent.** 



The value of small amounts (2 pounds daily) of molasses as 

 an appetizer for animals out of condition, as a colic preventive, 

 and to facilitate the disposal of unpalatable and inferior rough- 

 age, has been repeatedly referred to in the reports and bulletins 

 of this station. It has been shown to depress or lessen the 

 digestibility of the feeds with which it is fed. It has a tendency 

 to give a glossy coat especially to run-down or overworked horses. 



Molasses may improve the condition of the intestinal tract of 

 animals that are out of condition so that they will be able to 

 assimilate their food to better advantage. The writer is of the 

 opinion, however, that molasses, from the standpoint of nutri- 

 tion, is not an economical feedstuff for northern feeders. 



Moss or peat has proved its worth as an excellent absorbent 

 for molasses, rendering the latter easily handled and transported. 

 European investigators seem to have recognized that the peat has 

 a tendency to check the laxative effect of molasses, not because 



•Kellner and Pfeiffer have shown that peat is Mythout nutritive value. 



**This amount of Molassine (4.3 pounds daily) constituted 54 per cent of 

 the total grain ration. The manufacturers claim that the grain ration should 

 not contain over 25 per cent of Molassine, in which case the milk yield would 

 be increased. The consumer is left to draw his own conclusions. 



