matter found in Porto Rico molasses, one obtains 53 per cent equal 

 to 1060 pounds ;^ or in round numbers iioo pounds which may be said 

 to represent the available organic matter in 2000 pounds. 



Kellner'", a prominent German investigator, states that the value 

 of beet sugar molasses for cattle and sheep consists in its 55 per 

 cent of digestible carbohydrates (iioo pounds to the ton), allowance 

 being made for a digestion depression of 9 per cent. 



Lehmann", another prominent worker, as a result -of three diges- 

 tion experiments (9 single trials) with sheep, obtained a digestion 

 depression of 11 per cent which he deducts from the 71 per cent of 

 total organic mat.ter in beet molasses, thus securing 60 per cent or 

 1200 pounds of digestible organic matter in one ton. 



Grandeau and Aleken'" have shown that molasses, when fed to 

 horses, causes rather more of a depression than when fed to rumi- 

 nants. (In case of horses the addition of 3 pounds of molasses 

 per 1000 pounds live weight caused a depression of 4.5 per cent, 

 while with ruminants the feeding of 4 pounds of molasses per 1000 

 pounds live weight produced an average depression of 3 per cent in 

 the digestibility of the ration). 



Patterson'^ reported that in case of two steers when molasses con- 

 stituted some 12 per cent of the total dry matter of the ration, an 

 improvement of some 24 per cent in the digestibility of the hay was 

 noted. Molasses fed to four steers in combination with hay and 

 grain, and comprising 14 per cent of the total dry matter of the 

 ration, improved the digestibility of the hay and grain ration 14.5 

 per cent. (Coefficient of digestibility of the dry matter of hay and 

 grain without molasses 55.1 percent; with molasses 63.1 percent.) 

 Patterson's results are quite the opposite of all previous work along 

 this line. 



DIGESTION COEFFICIENTS OF MOLASSES. 



Because of the depression caused by molasses on the feeds with 

 which it is fed, the digestion coefficients secured make it appear that 

 the molasses itself is not fully digested. The following coefficients 

 have been obtained : 



9 If it should be shown as has been claimed by the Boston Molasses Co., that Porto Rico 

 molasses averages 22 per cent of water (the average of German beet molasses), then the 

 1060 pounds would be increased to 1140 pounds to the ton. The samples thus far examined 

 by us have shown it to average nearly 26 per cent. 



'° Kellner, Die Ernahrung der Landw. Niitzthiere, p. 350. 



■' Landw. Jahrbiicher. Vol. XX V^, Erganzungsband II, 1894. 



'^ Resume in Ann. Sci. .Agron. 2e Serie 1904 Tome i, pages 249-254. 



'3 Molasses Feeds. Bulletin 117, Maryland Experiment Station. 



