82 FEEDING WITH SUGAR BEETS, SUGAR, ETC. 



corn-meal, an equal weight of wheat bran and all the hay they 

 would eat. The same fodder mixture, as far as quality and 

 quantity are concerned, was also used for some time as 'daily 

 feed at the end of the experiment; the object in view was to 

 determine the natural shrinkage in daily yield of milk during 

 the time occupied by the experiment. 



On examining the results obtained we find, that for one cow 

 the yield in milk fell from 14.2 quarts per diem to 12.8 quarts as 

 soon as 20.6 Ibs. corn ensilage was substituted for 27 Ibs. beets 

 in the daily ration. With the other cow a similar change took 

 place, but not so suddenly. The beets used in these experi- 

 ments were of a kind known as Lane's improved; their per- 

 centage of dry matter was 16. With regular sugar-beets, of an 

 imported variety, more dry matter could have been furnished 

 for the same weight of roots eaten. In estimating the cost of 

 feed per quart of milk, $5.00 per ton were allowed for beets that 

 were in reality worth very much less; and in consequence the 

 cost of the product is on the wrong side of the balance sheet. 

 Corn silage The Wisconsin experiments * in feeding to sheep various fod- 

 and clover ^ ergj ^{^ the view of determining which is most profitable as a 

 su ar-beet' W0 ^ anc ^ mea * P r ducer, offer but a secondary interest so far as 

 sugar beets are concerned. A flock of twenty-four sheep was 

 experimented with, the first series of twelve being divided into 

 three lots of four sheep each. These during the entire feeding 

 season received daily the same quantities of grain and sugar 

 beets; under such circumstances one cannot determine within 

 what limits sugar beets influenced the results. 



In the second group of twelve the lots also consisted of four 

 sheep each, the object being to make a comparison between corn 

 silage, clover silage and sugar beets. We must take exception 

 to one assertion, that "in all cases the sheep were given as 

 much of the succulent foods as they would eat." During the 

 first period of one week 112 Ibs. of beets were fed to all; and 

 this was continued for three weeks. The increase of weight, 

 which was at first 6 Ibs. per week, after the third week was 16 



* Eighth Annual Report of the Agricultural Experiment Station of Wis- 

 consin, 1892. 



