102 FEEDING WITH SUGAR BEETS, SUGAR, ETC. 



Soft leaf fodder. Postelt works in the following way in order to obtain a soft 

 fodder, as he calls it. Upon general principles the idea is to 

 bring about as rapidly as possible a temperature of at least 25 

 degrees C. [77 F.] in the midst of the leaves, and furthermore 

 to maintain this temperature. The wilted leaves heat more 

 rapidly, due to the fact that they contain less water. They are 

 thrown into the vat in which a proportionate amount of chopped 

 straw is combined. Furthermore a certain quantity of this sub- 

 stance is added without attempting to compress the same. 

 After intervals of two or three days the temperature rises to 50 

 degrees C. [122 F.]. Then there follows a daily addition of 

 beet leaves so that the thermometer introduced into the mass of 

 the leaves will always indicate the same temperature. This 

 heating may be explained by an oxidation through the influence 

 of the oxygen of the air which is retarded by a new pressure of 

 the leaves forced layer by layer one over the other. Under 

 these circumstances naturally considerable air is imprisoned 

 therein. It has been suggested that a certain amount of lattice 

 work be .arranged around the silos so that the mass of leaves 

 can be raised, say nine feet, above the level of the ground, and 

 covered with moist earth. Precautions should be taken to sepa- 

 rate the leaves from the earth at the bottom of silos with a layer 

 of chopped straw. It is further recommended under no circum- 

 stance to add leaves to the silos when the temperature is too 

 high. 



Beet leaf The Lehmann & Maercker method for soured leaves has many 

 washjng. advantages. These well known agronomists find that the wash- 

 ing of leaves, when they have been properly siloed, effects the 

 elimination of dirt-like substances, which when allowed to re- 

 main will, under all circumstances, give to animals a distaste 

 for what they are given to eat, as the sandy particles get be- 

 tween their teeth and they become discouraged and reject this 

 food later on. 



Lehmann washes the leaves in a wired basket in a suitable 

 tank filled with water. From his personal observation he has 

 concluded that under these circumstances leaves lose 1.3 per 

 cent, of their organic substances, 0.5 of protein, 0.12 fatty sub- 

 stances, 4.53 of mineral substances, 0.09 of celluose, and 0.68 



