448 



FARMER' 8 CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



Potatoes — During quite extensive ex- 

 periments in Vermont, Hills found that 

 potatoes were eaten more freely than 

 silage, but were somewhat inferior in 

 effectiveness. Butter from a potato 

 ration was salvy and of poor keeping 

 quality. It was shown that potatoes at 

 a price higher than 15 cents a bushel 

 are a more expensive feed than silage. 

 At present prices, therefore, they can 

 scarcely be considered an economic dairy 

 feed. 



In Iowa, it was found that high-grade 

 butter could not be made from cows 

 which received more than 10 pounds of 

 raw potatoes daily. The butter from 

 potatoes was colorless and lacked keep- 

 ing qualities. In Michigan, potatoes 

 lessened the digestibility of other parts 

 of the ration, but produced no apparent 

 effect on the milk or butter. According 

 to French experience, dairy cows may be 

 fed an exclusive ration of potatoes with 

 increase in milk flow, but loss in weight. 



Pumpkins — Hills has thoroughly 

 tested the feeding value of pumpkins for 

 milch cows. For two years experiments 

 were carried on, during which it ap- 

 peared that pumpkins may be given in 

 rations of about 40 pounds daily with 

 good results. Six per cent more milk 

 and more solids and fat in the milk 

 were made when pumpkins were fed 

 than when they were omitted from the 

 ration, and since there was 5 per cent 

 less dry matter fed, the value of the 

 pumpkins was somewhat higher than 

 just indicated. 



In one set of experiments, 2 1 /2 pounds 

 of pumpkins were found equal in feed- 

 ing value to 1 pound of silage. In the 

 second test, 3,300 pounds of pumpkins 

 with 700 pounds of silage took the place 

 of 500 pounds of hay and 900 pounds 

 of apple pomace. It is estimated that 

 the actual feeding value of pumpkins is 

 about $2 a ton, and it appears doubtful 

 whether as much or as cheap dry matter 

 can be produced in pumpkins as in corn 

 fodder. The quality of the milk was not 

 affected by pumpkins, and the cows were 

 not injured in any way. According to 

 German experience, pumpkins produce 

 less milk, but rather more butter, than 

 mangel- wurzels. 



Sugar beets — This is the most impor- 

 tant root fed to dairy cows and recently 

 has taken a larger place in dairy rations 

 than ever before. Sugar beets may be 

 fed sliced to cows, if the price is low, 

 or if sugar beet factories are not con- 

 venient, but where more money can be 



obtained for the beets from factories 

 than in the form of milk, it is best to 

 sell the beets and feed sugar beet pulp. 

 Cossettes, molasses and sugar have also 

 been fed to cows with favorable results. 

 Perhaps the most extended account of 

 the use of sugar beets for cattle feeding 

 has been furnished by L. S. Ware. Ac- 

 cording to Ware, sugar beet pulp or cos- 

 settes may be fed in rations of 20 to 

 80 pounds, either fresh or ensiled, with 

 a suitable quantity of grain and hay, 

 say 6 pounds each a day. The pulp and 

 cossettes differ in composition from the 

 whole sugar beets in containing almost 

 no sugar, but relatively larger quantities 

 of other nutrients. In many cases, a 

 ration has been used containing a small 

 quantity of sugar beets and a much 

 larger quantity of pulp in addition to 

 hay and grain. 



In Canada, sugar beets proved equal 

 to mangels as milk producers, but in 

 Iowa they were found to be somewhat 

 inferior. It appeared that the highest 

 grade of butter could not be made from 

 cows eating more than 20 pounds of 

 sugar beets a day. The butter was of 

 standard color, however, and kept well. 



Experiments in Massachusetts indi- 

 cate that sugar beets used to replace a 

 part of the hay ration may be expected 

 to increase the milk flow rather more 

 than corn silage. In Oregon, sugar 

 beets proved equal to carrots and supe- 

 rior to mangels in the flavor imparted 

 to the butter. At Cornell university, 

 sugar beet pulp was fed in rations of 

 50 to 100 pounds a day, and it was found 

 that partly dried pulp was about equal 

 in feeding value to corn silage. As it 

 comes from the factory, however, this 

 pulp is not worth more than half as 

 much as silage. In Colorado, Buffum 

 fed cows 24 pounds of sugar beet pulp 

 a day for six weeks in addition to hay 

 and grain and produced an average gain 

 of weight of 6 pounds a week, while the 

 weekly milk yield was 131 pounds on 

 pulp and 127 pounds on sugar beets. 

 The weekly butter production a cow was 

 6.7 pounds on beet pulp and 6.9 pounds 

 on sugar beets. The milk contained a 

 little more fat when the cows were fed 

 sugar beets. At the ordinary price for 

 beet pulp and sugar beets, more than 

 three times as much profit was obtained 

 from feeding 24 pounds of pulp a day, 

 as from 12 pounds of sugar beets. In 

 these experiments the feeding value of 

 pulp for butter production was $2.60 a 

 ton and that of sugar beets $5.06. 



