236 



FEEDING WITH SUGAR BEETS, SUGAR, ETC. 



Composition of 

 molasses. 



Albumen not 



contained in 



molasses, 



Varied opinions 



respecting the 



value of amides. 



lowed by numerous experiments, which have been more and 

 more convincing. In the meantime several failures have been 

 recorded, but these were followed by successes. 



The average composition of molasses is about as follows: 



Molasses upon general principles may be considered as a pro- 

 duct containing sugar that cannot be crystallized by any known 

 method. Its composition is only then, to a reasonable extent, 

 variable, and is about as follows: 



Water 20 per cent. Dry substances containing: Nitrogenous 

 substances 10 per cent., sugar 50 per cent., non-nitrogenous 10 

 per cent., salts 10 per cent. Molasses contains from 1 to 1^ per 

 cent, nitrogen, sometimes more. 



According to Briem, molasses contains 8 per cent, of digestible 

 protein. This proportion is apparently excessive, as molasses 

 analyzed by Beyer contained 1.47 per cent, of nitrogen, of which 

 5.3 per cent, was protein, 29.3 per cent, of organic substances, 

 such as betaine, glutamin and asparagin, and 48.3 per cent, of 

 amide compounds. The remainder was not determined. 



Ku'hn is responsible for the assertion that of 100 parts nitro- 

 gen, 22.7 to 75.7, or an average of 34.4 per cent., are amides. 



One of the interesting features of this residuum is that the 

 albuminoids are entirely absent; but there are besides the 

 amides, certain acid and nitrate combinations of these sub- 

 stances. As a general thing, however, the nitrogen is found as 

 an organic combination. 



From these discussions, a mistake is committed in asserting 

 that the nitrogenous substances of molasses are only amides, 

 which are said to have no nutritive value and which cannot 

 consequently take the place of elements containing protein. 

 Recent experiments have shown, as previously explained, that 

 amides have nearly the same digestibility and nutritive power 

 as carbohydrates. Previous investigations in this respect have 

 shown that the theory that two-thirds of the nitrogen in 

 molasses, which w r e considered as albumen, is erroneous. 



Authorities, such as Ku'hn, Ramm and Momsen, assert that 

 these nitric substances have a very doubtful nutritive value, 

 certainly not greater than that of carbohydrates, as their use for 

 flesh and milk production is infinitesimally small. They have 



