MOLASSES FEEDING IN FRANCE. 249 



were entirely free from intestinal complications. The molasses 

 is always combined with two or three times its volume of water. 



In fattening oxen it was found that molasses offered an 

 economy of 1-J cents per diem as compared with other rations. 

 The 13 oxen fed with pulp and molasses gave a total weight of 

 14,630 Ihs. ; 13 other oxen fed upon residuum pulps and oil 

 cake, weighed 22 Ibs. more; this was after first weighing. But 

 when weighed twenty-two days later, it was found that the 

 molasses-fed had gained 143 Ibs. over the others, the weight of 

 residuum pulp fed in both cases having been the same. The 

 method of feeding the molasses offers special interest. The 

 residuum molasses was simply poured on the cossettes prior to 

 each feeding, three times a day. When chopped straw was 

 mixed with this ration, the cattle did not eat it with the same 

 avidity as they did the molasses and cossettes. It is important 

 also to note that in direct contradiction to what is generally sup- 

 posed, the excrement of oxen fed upon molasses is not more 

 liquid than when fed upon other fodders. Butchers of the 

 locality had no hesitation in declaring that the resulting meat 

 was equal in every way to that obtained with the standard 

 rations. 



The above figures are only approximate, and it is important 

 to pass in review some experiments made at Berthonval 

 (France). In every case there were two lots of animals, one 

 lot receiving the molasses ration and the other the regular 

 ration, such as adopted on most of the leading farms. The 

 molasses was used in two ways, either as an addition to a ration 

 or as a substitute of some element. When fed to sheep under 

 the first condition, the daily ration consisted of 10 Ibs. of beet 

 cossettes, combined with chopped straw, 1.5 Ibs. cotton oil cake, 

 0.7 Ibs. molasses. The mixture was made 24 hours before 

 feeding, so that there followed a slight fermentation, which 

 added to its digestibility and resulted in its being eaten with 

 greater avidity. After 40 days' feeding, the average daily in- 

 crease in weight was 7.3 ounces for sheep fed with molasses 

 added to the ration, and 5.0 ounces increase with regular ration. 

 In the second experiment the oil cake was replaced by one 

 pound of molasses. Under these circumstances the ration had 



