146 FEEDING WITH SUGAR BEETS, SUGAR, ETC. 



efforts have been made to prohibit, in the working of the diffu- 

 sion batteries, the use of certain waters which are supposed to 

 contain microbes. It frequently happens in the manufacture of 

 beet sugar that there is a scarcity of water, and under these con- 

 ditions it becomes imperative to use the water that the manu- 

 facturer has at his disposal over and over again. However, 

 compressed air comes to the rescue when water is scarce, and 

 man} 7 ' advantages have been derived from its use. 



While it has not been conclusively demonstrated that water 

 contains germs which prove themselves to be decidedly objection- 

 able, it has been shown beyond cavil that the cossettes appear 

 to combine certain elements favoring putrefaction upon coining 

 in contact with the unknown microbes during siloing, thus 

 considerably increasing the losses occurring during this 

 keeping: 



The pulp malady is a comparatively new fad among scientists 

 who declare that the trouble commences in the intestinal canal; 

 diarrhoea is the second stage. While it is admitted that special 

 microbes have been found in rotten pulps, it is interesting to 

 note that it is not from the microbe the difficulty arises, but 

 through internal complications. The toxic substances formed 

 may be numerous, some of which are precipitated in alcohol 

 while others are soluble therein. Their action in these cases is 

 very different, and recent investigations appear to show that it 

 is those elements soluble in alcohol which are the most to be 

 dreaded, as they cause convulsions and frequently death. None 

 of these difficulties will ever occur if the pulps are boiled or 

 dried. 



These facts have been mentioned as offering a certain interest 

 for those who contemplate cattle fattening on an extended scale. 

 It is also important to note that among many thousands of 

 beeves fattened with beet pulp for the European market for a 

 period of years, there has not been a single case where the farm- 

 ers complained of any evil effects arising from an extended use 

 of the residuum. When the difficulty does occur, the farmer 

 himself is responsible, as when beet pulps are fed alone there 

 may be some danger of osteomalacia (softening of the bones). 

 Such practice of feeding can certainly have no advantage other 



